My MasterChef Report Card:
- Taste: “We loved the tart but the Peach Chutney was boom! If you didn’t serve it with the Peach Chutney, I would have been disappointed!”
- Presentation: “The tart had a beautiful caramelisation, which looked stunning and added a nice savoury touch to the otherwise sweet tart”.
- Pro Tip: “Adding brown sugar instead of refined sugar would help intensify the recipe and its flavour even more!”
A week ago, I received a text from my brother asking me to participate in Conosh’s ‘Ultimate Homechef Competition - Kolkata Edition’. The competition was open to all home chefs, home bakers and small business owners in Kolkata, and the finals were to be judged by chef Gary Mehigan. The participation form requested we mention the dish we were to present – it took me all of two seconds to decide I’d go with my coveted Coconut Macaroon Tart. This tart had once, 10 years ago, paved my path at the prelims of what became the biggest turning point of my life – IIHM Young Chef India Schools 2013.
Simran’s Coconut Macaroon Tart, which made a comeback 10 years after playing a key role in her 2013 win at the IIHM Young Chef India Schools cooking competition in London Simran Kapur
I was uncertain of my fate post the prelims, and decided to carry out my daily orders for my home bakery, Cookey Monkey, as per usual. My world somersaulted when I received a call from Conosh on Friday evening, telling me I qualified for the finals and would get an opportunity to present my dish to Gary Mehigan – my MasterChef dreams were finally being realised!
As a viewer and a writer, I spoke and wrote about the world of MasterChef often. I never realised that one day in the midst of running my bakery and finding my footing, I’ll bridge the gap and realise this dream. For the longest time, lunchtime traditions included sitting with my mom and chomping on comfort food paired with what starts as one episode of MasterChef Australia and runs into a binge session. The Mystery Boxes rattled my brain while the Elimination Rounds made me nervous.
My world somersaulted when I received a call from Conosh on Friday evening, telling me I qualified for the finals and would get an opportunity to present my dish to Gary Mehigan
On the day of the finals (July 8, 2023), I woke up at the crack of dawn, finished my pending orders with the help of my mother and prepared the Coconut Macaroon Tart! I walked nervously down the corridors of Taj Bengal, holding on to my dish as if my life depended on it. I was then directed into a room where I was to plate my dish and serve it to the judges. As soon as I walked in, I heard a familiar voice taking over all else and my nerves kicked in – in his crisp white Chef’s Jacket, sat chef Gary Mehigan alongside a panel of renowned judges: Chef Dan Szwarc (chef and owner at Dan’s Empanada Bar, Melbourne), chef Vikas Pathak of Taj Bengal and Gautam Toor (culinary business expert, Conosh), ready to taste my dish. I started to plate with flashbacks of the elimination rounds on MasterChef Australia playing in my head.
Chef Gary Mehigan with the finalists and co-judges at Taj Bengal on Saturday. (L-R) Gautam Toor, Ahona Banerjee, Dan Szwarc, Tasneem, Vikas Pathak, Nishant Chhajer, Gary Mehigan, Simran Kapur and Nilika Dutta Conosh
While the photographers clicked pictures, chef Gary walked over to my table to introduce himself and I could barely get words out of my mouth! It felt surreal to be standing next to someone I had always seen and adored through a screen. For a self-taught baker, the videos we see and the recipes we read become a huge part of our lives – and here I was, presenting my food for one such food legend.
My hands were shaking with nervous excitement as I served the Coconut Pie, and in doing so, I accidentally toppled a slice while serving chef Gary. I promptly apologised and offered him a new slice. He immediately stopped me and picked up the tart and placed it on his plate – “Forget the three-second rule, it’s the 10-second rule for me!” – he laughed.
Simran serves the judges — nervously! Conosh
The results were announced shortly after. From the five finalists, Nishant Chhajer of Upland Salt was the winner, followed by first runner-up Ahona Banerjee, and me as second runner-up. While we wrapped up, chef Gary made it a point to stay back and address all of our dishes and their respective positive points. He also imparted his wisdom about how we could elevate our dishes further, with minor changes. All the participants exchanged numbers and tasted each other’s dishes bringing the competition to a beautiful end. I could positively say it was never about the win, the experience itself will be one that I will cherish for a lifetime!
The five finalists – (L-R) Nishant Chhajer (winner), Nilika Dutta, Ahona Banerjee (first runner-up), Simran Kapur (second runner up) and Tasneem Conosh
