From Raj Kachori to Biryani: Decoding MasterChef Australia’s Love Affair with Indian Food

Indian dishes, including street food, have consistently found appeal and appreciation on the show. What we as Indians often take for granted is celebrated on the platform for being flavourful, balanced, unique and packing in technique and cooking finesse.

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On the ongoing MasterChef Australia: Back To Win (Season 17), Depinder Chhibber whips up a complex Raj Kachori, a popular street food, in one of the early episodes. She assembles the dish in front of the judges, explaining the various components of spiced potatoes, chickpeas, chutneys and yoghurt. What the judges then experience is a burst of flavours and textures that judge Andy Allen describes as “seamlessly chaotic”, much like his experience of India itself.

But this isn’t the first or only dish to have made judges swoon on the show. We trace the journey of Indian dishes on Masterchef AU to try and decode what makes them click and be so successful on the show.

Flavour Complexity That’s Hard to Match

At the core of Indian cuisine are complex flavours. Spices don’t just add heat or colour, but nuance and depth. From the punch of ajwain in a dough to the aroma of tempering spices like mustard seeds and curry leaves, Indian cooking blends in technique and nuance in every dish.

“Indian cuisine or Indian food is one of the most balanced, flavourful, and well-curated,” said Richa Sharma, co-founder of CurryIt.

“From the blend of spices that is to be used, or the oil, everything is well thought out. They vary from region to region, depending on how the geography and agriculture affect the cooking methods. It is very nuanced, specific to different regions of the country,” she added.

For the judges, who’ve tasted thousands of dishes from all over the world, Indian food’s ability to deliver umami, tang, heat, sweetness and texture, in one dish, possibly makes it awe-inspiring.

In the finale of season 13, Kishwar Chowdhury tapped into her Bangladeshi roots to bring out her version of paanta bhaat, a common man’s simple dish, and gave her own spin to it. It’s a staple in Bengali homes, with fermented rice, Aloo Bhorta (mashed potatoes) and fried fish, and even though it’s so commonly consumed, the judges loved the components. Andy Allen, judge, said, “You know, it is powerful with history and it is powerful with flavour…It's just such a beautiful contrast between the beautiful pillowy potato, the rice, the smoked water, and then that oily fish.”

Technique and Nuance

A lot of Indian dishes require intense skill and technique, even if they’re roadside snacks.

In an interview, Depinder had said, “When I make Indian food, I know how much technicality is involved in the recipes that I’m using, which is probably the same, if not more than a French recipe.”

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She also highlighted century-old food stalls in Delhi (her hometown, and inspiration for a lot of dishes) have a strong legacy and precision behind their dishes.

In MasterChef Australia 16, Sumeet Saigal, a contestant, impressed the judges with her "pani puri" dish. A street food staple that changes in form slightly with geography, the dish was widely appreciated by judges.

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Let’s take the example of tandoori chicken or biryani. The smoke, the char, the layering of the biryani, and the accompaniments are all nuanced and complex aspects that need skill. As a refresher in one round, Depinder made a glass of smoked buttermilk, which she made using piping hot charcoal. The trick of using hot charcoal to infuse smoke in a dish has been used by other contestants, too.

Every Mile Tastes Different

Richa, from CurryIt, also elaborated on how India is like a conglomerate of many different unique dialects and food.

“When we see that on a global scale, it is a rare sight to see so many different cultures and cuisines blend together. They intermingle to create not just fusion but some of the most innovative concepts of taste,” she explained.

“Even the aloo poori is nuanced, and changes from the northern part of Uttar Pradesh to the southern part of UP. Even for Gujarat, while most of the State’s cuisine is associated with being a little sweet, Saurashtra in Gujarat has extremely different, spicy food,” Richa highlighted.