Dishing out Indian cuisine, Masterchef way

Art and fine dining have always gone down well, so Masterchef Australia participant Rishi Desai’s fusion Indian dinner at the Delhi Art Gallery was a hit. Kolhapur-born Desai’s famous palak paneer dish (the first dish he served at Masterchef) was the opening course of the night. The event was organised by Trekurious.com, a Sri Lankan born startup that has forayed into India, offering unique experience in dining, travel, etc.

For Desai, who is one of the top 5 in Masterchef Australia Season 5, it was the first time he was cooking at a gallery. Asked about the three celebrities he’d love at his dinner table, Desai even conjured up the menus:

Dream Meal

Desai still hopes for a chance to eat at Heston Blumenthal’s famous restaurant The Fat Duck. “He’s my food hero. It’s opened up in Melbourne for six months. He had bookings for 10,000 spots and there were 65,000 applications. I didn’t get in but that’s the one restaurant I would want to eat in.”

Narendra Modi

Palak paneer. When Modi visited Canberra recently, Desai wanted to cook a modern Indian vegetarian menu for him. But the plan didn’t materialise.

Madhuri Dixit

A huge fan of the actress, Desai reveals he would serve her salmon with spiced veloute and caramelised onion puree.



Anil Ambani/ Richard Branson

“Somebody who can sponsor my restaurant. I would serve them dessert — a combination of Heston Blumenthal’s and my mother’s trifl e, a dry fruit pudding.”