Depinder Chhibber: Taking MasterChef Australia by storm!

Today we have a very special guest on our BollyOz show. For all those who watch Master chef Australia, you already know her well. She has been impressing judges with her wonderful, unique dishes and winning a lot of fans in Australia as well as overseas. Whether it’s her Green Curry cake, Tandoori chicken, Tiffin Bento box, or Chicken Biryani, this passionate cook has always raised the bar with her incredible culinary skills and been the one to watch out for. Yes, she is none other than the Indian origin chef Depinder Chibber who is taking the MasterChef Australia by storm! Catch Kirti in conversation with Depinder Chhibber (MasterChef Australia contestant) here:

Depinder has always been interested in food and different types of cuisines, especially around the regional side of India. She feels that Indian regional cuisine needs to be recognized, a lot more than it is, like South Indian, Indo Chinese, street food, East Indian cuisine as well as the Western variations. She increased her knowledge by researching, watching a lot of documentaries, food shows, YouTube videos but didn't prepare for participation in MasterChef as such.

For aspiring contestants, she says, "there are basic skills that one must know as well as knowing how to work with different proteins. Even if you're a vegetarian there will be no exception made in that area. Also, contestants are expected to have their own niche which for her is desserts, baking and Indian food. They also still need to know enough about everything as there are challenges presented with items and products that are new to you and you’ve never worked with”. She further adds, “participating at Masterchef is not going to be easy but it is not very difficult either”.

For Depinder, cooking at MasterChef kitchen was like cooking at home and she didn’t really think about the results but was blown away when the judges started giving [positive] comments, for her Indian home inspired meals that every Indian family relish at home. Bento box challenge helped her to reinterpret the omnipresent tiffin box culture of India during the challenge, leading to an Indianised version of Bento Box, which of course was greatly appreciated.

For her massive Indian/subcontinental origin fans who love to cook and aspire to be on the show, Depinder advises:

“if you are committed and motivated if you are a good cook, you want to go out there, show the world, then you should just go for it and not wait for the right time. You might think of upscaling yourself before going and participating but being at MasterChef, there is an accelerated process where one just learns so many things so quickly. So, just go for it as there's never going to be a right time.”