An icecream maker on sale was all it took for Smita Vasant to set up Neemo's Exotic Icecreams in Los Angeles; and (left) the Indian flavours of her brand, like Saffron Spot, have today made it to LA Weekly's list of '99 Things to Eat in Los Angeles Before You Die' Photos: WFS

Tadka trial on the tube
Chetna Keer Banerjee

Gourmets from the region make their mark amid a confluence of culinary skills

WHEN the main course has for long been loaded with the spice of song, sizzle and slugfests (slut-fests, too, have made it to the daily menu, thanks to Rakhi-aided activism and other ‘show’ stoppers), it may be refreshing for reality TV viewers to get to see sizzlers, literally.

In an age when reality programmes have become factories for dishing out assembly-line talent in newer shapes season after season, like fresh models of four-wheelers or mean machines, pots ‘n’ pans are the latest ticket to TRP-accelerated fame instead of the staple jhatkas-matkas.

Though the food reality show, Masterchef India, has also modelled itself on a western counterpart, at least it feeds the appetite for novelty and also brings ample taste of Punjabi tadka, courtesy the two contestants from Chandigarh, food columnist and baking expert Kandla Nijhowne, and TV commentator, host and emcee Joe Baath, who was bred in the city and is now working in Gurgaon.

How fruitful has the food template been for our reality TV, both for gourmets and the genre? A first-hand taste of the experience comes from our home-grown foodies.

Says Kandla, who has made it to the top eight so far, "I received calls from Mumbai as well as a local representative for the show. When I failed to show up at the city-level audition, I was requested to audition in Delhi. If it hadn’t synchronised with the visit to my parents then, I wouldn’t have gone at all."

A gourmet by passion, who makes it a point to stop at Puran da Dhaba or Pal Dhaba on his Chandigarh-Delhi trips, and a presenter by profession, Joe, too, was approached by the show’s representatives and, skipping the city auditions, he went in at the next round.

So, what was the biggest challenge for them? Kandla recalls, "It was cooking for the Maharaja of Udaipur. We were divided into four teams comprising two mates each. The winning duo’s creation would from then on be cooked in the royal kitchen, once every week. What made us tense was the knowledge that Arvind Singh Mewar is a connoisseur of food. We shuddered with apprehension when he partook of our humble offerings."

For Joe, who got to wear the ‘black apron’ only once, the kids’ challenge was tough. "The Children’s Day task was the most challenging, as the kids were to judge us," he remembers.

Judges apart, it’s host Akshay Kumar who kindles interest in his transition from reel khiladi to real khansama. On screen, he’s a tough taskmaster, but how was he behind the scenes? Says Kandla, "Being abrasive was part of Akshay’s job, but off-screen he was warm and witty. Once, he pulled me by my hand and to my shock, I discovered moments later that my wristwatch was missing! I still don’t know how and when, but he had unbuckled it with dexterity and slipped it into his pocket, only to present it to me later with much fanfare."

Tees Maar Khan, indeed!

With the participants spanning a broad age and ability spectrum, what were the speed-breakers the two faced? The 50-plus Kandla gets candid, "Being older meant that I had added experience, but the downside was that I could not dash off to fetch pots and pans or to the pantry with as much speed as the younger lot, especially with a mishap-affected leg."

Agrees Joe, 41, "Time was against us, certainly. But, at the end of it, one learnt to be respectful and patient towards people who run restaurants and dhabas," says this globetrotting Punjabi, who shatters the stereotype of a shahi paneer-addicted son of the soil with his penchant for multicultural cuisines.

Was it more a battle of nerves than a test of talent? "It was a bit of both," says Joe, "as it put our planning, innovation, speed skills to test." Kandla echoes the sentiment, "Certainly, one needed nerves of steel to wade through the challenges, competing with faster-on-their feet 20-year olds, and it tested our ability to think out of the box, obviously."

When TRPs come, can melodrama be far behind? While most of the reality show circuit has fallen prey to lachrymose-activating content and format, does the food variant follow the herd mentality, too?

Kandla, who presented a calm countenance mostly, agrees, "Melodrama is definitely an ingredient liberally used in this show! Perhaps, just cooking would not hold audience attention for long. Burnt onions or undercooked rice invited close-ups and verbal criticism, including the zooming in on the weepy faces of the victims being blasted!"

In fact, as Kandla puts it, it’s the emotional spice of this desi adaptation of Masterchef Australia that saves it from ending up as a mere clone.