The monthly East Indian Baazaar held at St. Andrew’s College Cafeteria, Bandra; had a unique event in July 2018. To take this to the next level, Mobai Gaothan Panchayat (MGP) organized the first ever East Indian MasterChef Contest – judged by Chef Michael Swamy. Those present were ecstatic, when the 12 contestants; presenting their creative home-made ‘desserts’ – with an East Indian culinary twist, were presented to the audience.
This was “history-in-the-making”, as someone quietly quipped.
The first East Indian MasterChef for home chefs and professionals was a huge success. Dr. Fleur D’Souza, an eminent historian and retired vice-principal of St. Xavier’s College, cut the ribbon; to inaugurate the East Indian Bazaar.
There were several highlights:
– Many traditional desserts of the community came to the fore. The joys of seeing some forgotten desserts, was awesome.
– One gentleman told us that he was seeing and tasting ‘Honey Balls’, after almost 4 decades.
– The creation of ‘old’ into ‘new’ by Sachin Pereira and Christina Kinny, added a new dimension.
– Creativity came to the fore, with the ‘Lugra Styled Dessert’. Indeed, this was mind-blowing.
An exciting display of mouth-watering Pancakes, Gadbad Bread Pudding, Letri, Honey Comb, Khandi, Caramel Custard and Pitti Cha Laddoo got everyone on their edge. Who would be the winners? Contesting for ‘Desserts’, the winners Candida Remedios opted to go traditional with her ‘Gaula’, while Sachin Pereira opted for a modern culinary twist. Angela Nunes & Dale Pereira won a prize for their Dual Colour Roasted Almond ‘Thali Sweet’ – which is actually a coconut cake. This was an excellent platform to recognize the culinary talent of locals.
Michael Swamy is a Cordon Bleu Chef and culinary professional, trained in London at leading food establishments and under Michelin-starred chefs. He is a corporate chef for an international food company in India – and writes on food for newspapers and magazines. He has been featured on TV and has just completed heading the food team for MasterChef India – Season I.
Needless to say, Chef Michael Swamy had fun judging the competition – designed by Rita Rodricks and Penny Miranda of the Mobai Gaothan Panchayat, headed by Alphi and Gleason. Prizes were generously sponsored by Anand Agarwal of ‘By Nature’. The next contest will be held at the same venue, on Saturday, 11th August 2019, with ‘snacks’ as the theme. You would not want to miss this – so, mark your diary.
Rocky Fernandes
