Recipe for success

In the West Zone category at the competition,her Chicken Korma served with Kasuri Paratha with a hint of dry fenugreek,won the judges’ hearts. In the final round,she cooked Shammi Kebab,Zaffrani Murgh – chicken breast pieces stuffed with veggies and cooked in a Nawabi gravy – and Kasuri Paratha again. She delighted the tasting panel with Jashn-e-Chukunder or the beetroot halwa. “I am inspired by my mother and grandmother who are great cooks. They taught me the basics of cooking,” she says. This young chef has tried out continental,Mexican and other world cuisines but prefers Mughlai and Indian- Chinese food. At the competition,she was pitted against more than 30 participants from all over the country. “I was never nervous because cooking and the kitchen take me to a completely different world,” she adds.

Patel feels that her win has fulfilled her mother’s dream. “My mother always wanted to be a chef. She even registered for the second season of Masterchef India,but didn’t make it beyond the preliminary rounds. With this title,I’ve helped her live her dream,” she says. Samreen initially wanted to study medicine,but now her focus is on becoming a chef. As a youngster,she feels that cooking is one of the most important things that one should learn and unlearn. “Everybody should know the basics of cooking,but one should also break away from stereotypes in order to experiment and concoct a delicious dish,” she says.