Indian-origin contestant Adi Nevgi has earned herself a spot among the top 10 contestants of MasterChef Australia: Secrets & Surprises, according to an update shared by the popular culinary show on Wednesday.

“Introducing... *drumroll* our Top 10🎉,” the official Twitter handle of the culinary reality show wrote on Twitter alongside a photo of the contestants

The other home cooks who made it to the top 10 are Antonio Cruz, Brent Draper, Cath Collins, Declan Cleary, Malissa Fedele, Ralph Kahango, Rhiannon Anderson, Rue Mupedzi and Theo Loizou.

Adi recently received praises from judges Andy Allen, Jock Zonfrillo and Melissa Leong — and guest judge Rick Stein — in the episode that aired on Monday in India. The 31-year-old doctor from Melbourne had cooked a Maharashtrian squid curry in an elimination challenge set by Rick.

Adi also opened up about her Indian roots in the episode. “I’m originally from India but I’ve not cooked many Indian dishes in this kitchen yet,” she told Rick and Melissa when they visited her counter. “The state in India where I come from, Maharashtra, is known for seafood. The curry I’m cooking for you has coconuts… and full of sour flavours,” she added.

“I feel pressure cooking Indian food in this kitchen because I want to do justice to it and make my family proud. I was born in India but my parents moved to Australia when I was just a year old. Growing up, I ate a lot of Indian food — my mother is a fantastic cook — but I never learnt how to make it,” she candidly confessed on camera.

“Recently, I went to India and my grandma taught me how to roll the chapati properly. I learnt curries from my colleagues and extended family. India is such a diverse country. The food culture is so varied. I’m really proud of it,” she further said.

“MasterChef Australia is a really big deal in India and a lot of my family watch it. So, I want to show them ‘Hey, I’m on this show. I am cooking Indian food and I’m doing it well’,” the home cook said.

“The cook on the squid is amazing. It’s absolutely seared to perfection. It’s so delicious that I want to grab some bread and put it on there, or dump some rice in there. It’s stunning,” Jock said after tasting the curry.

“It’s very very nice. The squid is cooked perfectly. It’s delicious and moreish I’d say,” Rick said, commending Adi. Melissa congratulated Adi for executing her dish fantastically and getting the balance of flavours right. “Hope this elevates your cooking to the next level,” she said.

Andy gave Adi a double thumbs-up.