Chef Saransh Goila on conceptualising ‘Safarnama’, the 100-step advanced pressure test he set for MasterChef Finale contestants

What is Safarnama all about?

Shaped like the Ashok Chakra, Safarnama had nine elements, including 24 sunflower petals. “These petals had dishes from the East, West, South, and North. The center had a dish from my home in the North,” said Saransh listing out the dishes — from North: hare matar ka nimona; East: aloo shorshe; South: jackfruit ghee roast; and West: amrud ki sabzi.

“The dough was made from a kulcha dough, and was shaped like a sunflower. Each petal had a different sabzi inside. On the top of the kulcha was mooli ka achaar, a curry leaves dip and tomato chutney. Smokey butter was brushed on the bread after it was baked to give it the nice, smokey, tandoori flavour,” Saransh, 36, said.

He also took to his Instagram to share that by the looks of it, “it might seem easy but shaping it perfectly takes practice and a lot of working hours!”

How was it conceptualised?

Talking about the dish’s conceptualisation, Saransh told indianexpress.com, “MasterChef India’s team was instrumental in helping me conceptualise this dish. The idea was to showcase my journey in one dish. When we were trying to encapsulate put all my experiences in one dish, we remembered this viral sunflower bread recipe from a few years back. So, we gauged that technique and used it in an Indian context. We changed the recipe of the dough, shaped it like a sunflower, and gave it some new meaning with dishes from pan-India.”

Saransh and his team “took 8-10 tries to perfect Safarnama”. “It meant getting the accuracy of each petal right, and make sure the cooking time of the bread is such that it can be prepared in two and a half hours. It was a challenge,” he recalled.

In the eighth attempt, we decided how it should look; like having a black bread at the center, Saransh added. “In the first attempt, we put khandvi in the center of Safarnama. It was an open center. In the petals, we had only put one sabzi to start with. Eventually what was presented on the show was very evolved,” Saransh added.

 

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When he first made the dish, there were some contentions as to why, Saransh, who is known for his non-vegetarian fare refrained from including a non-vegetarian portion in Safarnama. Responding, Saransh said, “It makes no sense to debate it because Safarnama is presented the way it is. If somebody wants to eat a non-vegetarian version of it, then sure. You could replace the jackfruit with chicken. Or you can replace other proteins and vegetables as well. But I would imagine Safarnama to be the way I presented it.”

 

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What is the best way to serve and savour it?

The right way is to serve it is like a sunflower, said Saransh. “Imagine on a round table, 5-6 people sharing and breaking into this Safarnama, eating it with their hands, is what the experience is. It makes for a lovely starter concept where you can showcase all of India in one dish. No cutlery and crockery required. So, pull apart each petal like a bread,” expressed Saransh.

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