MasterChef India Season 8’s guest judge Tejasvi Chandela, one of India’s top pastry chefs, introduced the fun ‘Liquid to Dessert Challenge’ to push contestants to their creative limits in the latest episode of the cooking reality show, streaming on SonyLIV every day from Monday to Friday at 8pm.

As part of the challenge, each home cook was handed a drink and they were told to infuse the essence of the drink into a delectable dessert. The pantry was kept sealed for the participants throughout the challenge and the only ingredients available were the ones provided to them.

“The Liquid to Dessert Challenge was a true test of the home cooks’ ability to balance flavours and creativity, all the while retaining the taste of the drink of their choice. However, the challenge was also about capturing the essence of the chosen drink in a dessert,” said chef Chandela.

Home cook Subhojit Sen whipped up the flavours of Kahwa, while Mohammed Aashiq channelled the refreshing essence of Gazpacho. Prachi Agarkar ingeniously transformed the zest of Pani Puri into a delightful Pani Puri Sorbet. Nidhi Sharma faced the challenge of tasting Pina Colada for the first time.

Talking on behalf of the participants, Nidhi said she was unsure if she could recreate the taste of Pina Colada. “But I was determined to give it my best. It was incredibly rewarding to see that the flavours came out beautifully in my Pina Colada Panna Cotta.”

Chefs Vikas Khanna and Ranveer Brar returned to the current season of Masterchef India as judges, while Chef Pooja Dhingra has replaced Garima Arora on the judges’ panel.