Battle of vegan menus

Telly review

When spicing up a show is not restricted to the dishes cooked by contestants, but also includes the food for thought offered by judges — be it sweet nothings served by celebrity cookbook writer Vikas Khanna, who’s played chef to US President Barack Obama, or criticism that’s hard to swallow from star chef Sanjeev Kapoor — it means another season of Masterchef India.

The New Year began with Season 4 of Masterchef India, in which chefs Sanjeev Kapoor and Vikas Khanna remain as its celebrity cast, and chef Ranveer Brar joins the jury, replacing chef Kunal Kapur.

The main theme of this season is to celebrate vegetarianism. So, the show aims to encourage foodies across India to break the traditional mindset about food that’s synonymous with vegetarianism — be it dal makhni, shahi paneer or paneer tikka — and to come up with recipes that are hatke (different).

The contestents of the show go to extremes to experiment with greens. So, you have a fusion ravioli being tossed up by a fashion designer, or the humble matar (green peas) getting re-invented in designer recipes, or a deconstructed veggie burger coming from a contestant whose anglicised accent is as puffed up as her hairdo.

Vegetarian dish dal ka dulha from Bihar is made to edge out chaman gatta from Rajasthan; an Italian ravioli with an Indian twist gives tough competition to more of fusion in the form of aloe vera and makai atta baati from Jharkhand.

The veggies not only get a facelift, but also boast of a Bollywood twist. Move over palak paneer or dum aloos, the staid staples of a vegan menu. For, taking the centrestage on the show are new gastronomic stars, the Dabangg aloos (inspired by Salman Khan), the Singham savouries and the Tiranga paneer.

But, as with most reality shows, this show, too, is sprinkled with melodrama as contestants share their sob stories with as much elan as they toss kesar into a rasmalai.

An Amritsar girl dreams to make for the loss her dad suffered while setting up bakeries for her; a boy from Ambala tugs at our heartstrings with his tale of being labelled a loser after he loses his dad at an early age.

But, thanks to the judges, these lachrymose-loaded tadkas don’t hijack the show’s purpose — to create innovative dishes.

Though, rockstar restaurateur-judge Vikas entices eyeballs with his flirting with the PYTs (pretty young things) and even with older belles, like teasing the mother of a 17-year-old that her beauty is reminiscent of the celluloid Chandini.

What ultimately counts for earning the apron inscribed with the Masterchef insignia from the judges are not ingredients imbued into the template to enhance the emotional quotient — not all that coquettish batting of the eyelashes at Vikas, or the flashing of mega-watt smiles at the other judges — but the spices that bring substance to their gourmet spread.

This show promotes the theme ‘Veggies’ Day Out’ on Indian reality television with Swaad, Soorat and Soch (spice, style and thoughts). Masterchef India - Season 4 airs on Star Plus.