Last week was a bit of a blur for me
and maybe that’s why it’s taken
me a while to recover and post this follow-up to my Interview with Rishi Desai
of MasterChef Australia fame!

PinRishi was in India all of last week
and after a couple of days in Delhi, he arrived in Mumbai. And I got a chance to
accompany him on his culinary exploration! Since he wanted to eat seafood, we
headed to Highway Gomantak in Bandra for a sumptuous meal of tisrya (clams)
masala, surmai (king fish) curry and bangda (mackerel) fry. This was of course
accompanied by chapatis and rice and we washed down the meal with couple of
glasses of sol kadi. We decided to head to California Pizza Kitchen for dessert
and wolfed down their scrumptious red velvet cake :)During dinner, Rishi regaled me with stories of his
experience on the show. Since the auditions were not aired on the show, I asked
him about what he made to impress the judges. In Rishi’s
words – “The audition was two-part. We had to
first bring in a cold dish and I made the Maharashtrian classic snack suralichya wadya, which the judges
loved. In the second round we had to make a hot dish; I made a Karwari fish curry, which earned me my
place in the competition.” Rishi made a modern variation of
this dish on the show recently, to highlight how much he has learned during his stay in the competition.

 

• Curried Mussel Soup with Baguette
• Indian inspired Lamb Burgundy
• Moroccan Tagine with Couscous
• Karnataka Risotto

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Image courtesy Sofitel

 

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp natural
  unsweetened yoghurt
• 500 gms diced goat
• 2 tsp salt

For the Curry Paste

• 1 brown onion
• Handful of fresh
  coriander
• ½ tsp coriander seeds
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 2 cm piece of ginger
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp garam masala

For the Cauliflower Puree

• 1 tsp butter
• ¼ cauliflower coarsely
  chopped
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• 150 ml thickened cream
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• ½ tsp coriander powder

How to:

• Saute the onion until
  golden brown. Use a blender to blitz all of the curry paste ingredients to a
  fine paste.
• Heat the vegetable oil
  in an oven-proof casserole dish. Add the spice paste and saute on medium heat
  for five minutes until the oil starts separating.
• Add the yoghurt and
  saute for another minute.
• Add the lamb and saute
  for two minutes.
• Add the salt and a cup
  of water and place in the oven, covered, at about 160C to 170C for at least two
  hours, until the lamb is tender and shreds easily. Check every half hour and,
  if necessary, add more water.
• Alternatively, you can
  pressure-cook the curry for at least 20 minutes, then remove the lid and cook
  until the sauce thickens.
• Shred the lamb in the
  sauce and mix thoroughly.

• Melt butter in a saucepan; add
  cauliflower, turmeric, coriander & cumin powders and sauté for
  2 minutes.
• Add cream and cook while occasionally
  stirring for 10 minutes until cauliflower is tender and until the mixture
  thickens.
• Add salt and lemon juice and let it
  cool down.
• Blend the mixture until fine purée
  forms.

To serve, smear the
cauliflower puree on a plate. Add the shredded lamb and put roasted pappadums
on the side. Garnish with pea sprouts.

 

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Image courtesy Rishi Desai

Disclosure: I was invited by Sofitel to experience this offering. 
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Related posts:

• Brunch date with Chef Matt Moran
• Interview with Julia Taylor, runner-up on MasterChef Australia Season 4
• Interview with Rishi Desai, of MasterChef Australia Season 5
• Guest Post by Julia Taylor – includes two delectable recipes
• Wine Programme at Sofitel