A Chat With MasterChef Australia Finalist Rishi Desai 

Rishi Desai, MasterChef Australia series 5 contestant - and top 4 finalist - won over audiences with his modern take on traditional indian dishes back in 2013. Many years later, Rishi is still ever popular among the masses - a cookbook and TLC show to boot - and has been globetrotting conducting MasterClasses. 

Ahead of his Trekurious event to be held in Colombo that includes a MasterClass and a Pop Up Restaurant, the Daily Mirror Life caught up with Rishi in an email interview about life after MasterChef. Here's the scoop. 

Was cooking something you were always interested in, or was it something more recent? 

As far as I remember, I have always been keenly interested in cooking.  My mother tells me that I started cooking at an age of 5 and always spent my weekends and holidays in and around the kitchen. I used to and still think about food every minute of every day. 

What made you decide to take the plunge and join MasterChef Australia as a contestant? 

I migrated to Australia in 2008 and that coincided with the first season of MasterChef Australia. I would try to catch all episodes and replicate the dishes they cooked, at home. I would also create something unique from the mystery boxes they would show in the episodes. In 2012, this eventuated in me applying for season 5 to see how far I had come along. 

What was the most fun aspect and the most challenging aspect in the MasterChef kitchen? 

The most fun aspect was spending time with fellow contestants and judges. All of us where like minded people who had only one interest - food. When you are surrounded by people who enjoy the same that you do, you end up having a lot of fun. The challenging aspect was to have lots of energy all day, everyday for 6 months, especially when you are staying away from your family. It is mentally and physically draining on everyone. 

Is there anything you wish you did differently in the competition? 

I did everything well until my elimination day. The only do differently was the cook the mussels towards the end. If only I’d cooked them last instead of first, I would have made it to the Grand Final. Who knows what would have happened then?! 

Of all the dishes you cooked up in the competition, which was your favourite? Why? 

I had 2 favourite dishes in the competition. First one was my interpretation of Palak Paneer which I named, ‘Paneer roulade with spinach sauce and pickled Indian vegetables’. This was my contemporary interpretation of Indian classic palak paneer. 

The other dish was the one I served to Heston Blumenthal, which is traditionally known, as ‘Modak’. It is a sweet rice flour dumpling stuffed with coconut and is usually cooked during festivals. I served modak infused with Sichuan peppercorns, lemon zest and served with soy caramel. Heston was very impressed with my dish. 

Which judge did you find was the hardest to please? 

All three of them are unique and there is no single way to please all three of them. Gary loves his curries while George likes innovation and Matt is into food history, so knows his flavours. So you just need to create something that works for all three of them. 

The MasterChef Australia contestants always seem like a big happy supportive family on screen. Is it the same behind the scenes? 

It is indeed a big happy family. When you live, breathe, cook and eat food with the fellow contestants for 6 months locked up in a big house, one tends to make really good friends. Just like a regular family has individuals with different tempers and dispositions so does the MasterChef house. The fellow contestants eventually become your support network especially for emotional support and that’s what makes it a supportive family like environment. 

Who is your culinary role model? 

I was fortunate to cook one of my best dishes in the competition for my culinary model Heston Blumenthal. The icing on the cake was he loved the dish and I got some great reviews. Heston is a cook not a chef just like me and I look up to him for his creativity and passion. 

What are some ingredients you can't do without? 

Easy answer - meat, chillie, garlic. I cannot imagine my life without these 3 things. 

Besides Indian, what's your favourite cuisine? 

I absolutely love French cuisine. I love the subtle flavours, combination of fresh ingredients and the use of wine in cooking. I can have French food almost everyday…well, I need a day of Indian and a day of Sichuan Chinese in between. 

How has life changed for you after MasterChef? 

It has completely changed my life. I am much more occupied than I used to be for one. I still work full time in my current job and spend my weekends and holidays on food. I have a cookbook ‘Modern Indian’, a TV show on TLC India ‘Stay Home Chef’ and travel around the world for cooking demos, pop-up restaurants and Master classes. So a lot is going on since MasterChef in 2013. Sometimes when there is nothing going on, I feel guilty for not doing anything. 

You've got a cookbook out, and now a show on TLC. Are you going to sit back and enjoy what you've got? Or do you have more plans up your sleeve? 

Well, I am not known to sit back and relax kind of person. As I said earlier, I feel the need to constantly keep innovating, learning and experimenting. So I will continue to work full time in my job and with food until the scales tip and food becomes my full-time occupation. 

What advice would you give anyone hoping to enter the culinary world? 

Be realistic - It is hard work, one has to sweat in the kitchen for 12-14 hours a day but the pleasure you get when the first plate of beautiful looking food goes out make each minute of hard work, worth it. 

Be yourself - love what you do and do what you love. The food always sings when this happens. 

Be creative - ask the question ‘why’ everything you are in the kitchen, this will give you the creativity to make something special. 

Tell us about your visit to Sri Lanka. 

I will be in Sri Lanka on July 9 and 10 where I will be conducting a pop-up restaurant at the historic Havelock Bungalow in Colombo. I will also be doing a MasterClass when I am in Sri Lanka. I have tied up with Trekurious, a lifestyle and travel company. This is the second time I am working with Trekurious. I partnered with them in Mumbai in 2015 where I did a pop-up restaurant in an art gallery. I like what Trekurious is doing in the food and lifestyle space and looking forward to many more events together. 

What's your experience with Sri Lankan cuisine? 

My experience with Sri Lankan food has been in Australia so I know about egg rolls and string hoppers but I have gathered from Peter Kuruvita’s My Sri Lanka show that there is much more to Sri Lankan food than that. 

Any particular Sri Lankan dish you hope to try when you come down? 

From ambul thiyal to mahi mahi curry, I want to try it all. I don’t want to limit myself to anything in particular, as I am keen to savour as many flavours as I possibly can. 

Interviewed by Rihaab Mowlana