MasterChef India 8 winner Mohammed Ashiq on his journey from owning a juice bar in Mangalore to going global: ‘It has been a rollercoaster ride’

Ask Mohammed Ashiq when his culinary journey began, and he candidly says it started when he was a young boy in school. He says, “I have been cooking for a very long time. From the time I was in school and it was the only thing I was really interested in. My family has always stood by me in this journey, especially my mother who made me fall in love with cooking as she recognised my passion for the art. She would back me up every time I needed guidance and made sure that I reach the route I aspire to take in my life. Everybody I know and love have been very supportive and they love what I cook.”

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Describing his MasterChef India 8 journey as a rollercoaster ride, Ashiq shares how getting through every elimination made him stronger. He says, “Lots of ups and downs, but mostly all my experiences on the show have been about learning and mastering my skills. And that made me stronger. Through this journey, I have learnt how to raise the bar and turn everyday local cuisine into a work of art and take them to the world. Failing to go to a culinary school, MasterChef India served as a foundation for me. It made my basics right. It taught me so much about new flavours and techniques. I have learned a lot and have grown with MasterChef and I am eternally grateful for the experience.”

 

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MasterChef India 8 is not his first encounter with a cooking reality show. Mohammed Ashiq remembers the time he was “totally depressed” when he couldn’t make it to the top twelve in the previous season. He reveals, “When I couldn’t make it to MasterChef India season 7, I was very low. I remember how, on returning to my hometown, I was totally depressed for at least three to four months. I didn’t even step out of my room. I wasn’t cooking and I had not even visited Kulukki (his juice shop in Mangalore). My family was worried about me, but I just couldn’t come to terms that I didn’t make it. A few months down the line I wanted to give it a try again and I went back to MasterChef. This time I had more experience. I knew where I had gone wrong. So, my mentors, the judges of the show — chefs Vikas Khanna, Ranveer Brar and Pooja Dhingra — really motivated me to do well, showed me the right direction. Their mentorship really helped me in fine-tuning my recipes.”

He also says that his victory is a reminder to everyone who dreams and never gives up on it. Ashiq says, “This was like a bootcamp for me. I was very focused on my cooking and whipping out some smashing recipes. I can’t imagine what would have happened if I had not tried this time after not making it last season. I want to tell everyone who dreams that nothing will work out if we give up. There will always be ups and downs, but how you make things work for yourself is what will give you the final result.”

Opening up more about how he started the juice shop to support his family financially, Mohammed Ashiq says, “I wanted to serve my best recipes and drinks at Kulukki. People have poured in their love for us. I started it to support my family when we had financial hurdles and we won the people’s love. With every dish, I serve my most intimate love for food. Now I want to take it ahead and make it bigger. It is my first love, so I’ll never give up on it. And now that I have won the MasterChef title, I want to open a restaurant and take Mangalorean cuisine to the world. I want to serve the most authentic seafood delicacies from my region with a twist.”

 

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“I also wish to take my inventive dishes and refreshing drinks to a wider audience through this restaurant that I have planned and my YouTube channel,” he adds.

On a concluding note, Mohammed Ashiq shared the dishes from Mangalore that everyone should try. “I love neer dosa and prawns ghee fry. The seafood from Mangalore is very rich because it is a small seaside town. Mangalorean dishes are quite famous all over India, but not many are acquainted with most of the dishes. I want people to try the fish fry and kori rotti. These are just a few of my favourites, and I am sure most people will enjoy the finger-licking goodness and the lingering smell of these dishes.”