On December 15th, the Slurrp Great Indian Cookout 3.0 was held in Mumbai for the first time. The event held at Phoenix Marketcity brought some of India’s top chefs face-to-face with home chefs. The energy was contagious and the event was a grand celebration of food and flavour.
With contesting home chefs having battled several rounds of cooking challenges the finale event in Mumbai saw one chef from Delhi and one from Mumbai compete for the winning position.
Meeting Your Favourite Chefs At Slurrp Great Indian Cookout
While the participants cooked dishes from both Delhi and Mumbai, they as well as the audience got a chance to watch their favourite celebrity chefs in action. At this one-of-a-kind food event, some of India's best chefs, including Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi, Varun Inamdar, and Mohena Ahluwalia were happy to share their tips on how to make delicious Indian and fusion dishes. Chef Varun Inamdar who is not just a household name but also someone who has fed dignitaries and celebrities from across the world and is lovingly called, The Prince of Chocolates created an innovative dish called Vada Pav Carpaccio using cookware from Prestige.
Chef Varun Inamdar Gives Mumbai's Vada Pav A Makeover
Packed with flavour the dish was the chef’s tribute to Mumbai and its iconic street food the Vada Pav. His take was unique and gave the audience an idea of how traditional dishes can be completely transformed with a little bit of creativity and imagination and the contemporary version can be equally delicious.
"When I land in Mumbai, after all the world escapades, the first thing that I eat here is a quintessential vada pav. It is one of the greatest equalisers in Mumbai. Because from a doorman to a chairman, everybody loves a quintessential vada pav. But having said that, it has never crossed the geography. A vada pav is always a vada pav. It could be glamourised as a burger, but that's where it ends. So what I keep doing is, in every restaurant of mine, I keep plugging in a dish inspired by a batata vada or a vada pav. I have even made a vada pav-inspired hummus," Chef Varun shares.
Chef Varun also judged the competition between the two Mumbai contestants Alka Bhandari and Neelam Gupta, who gave Delhi’s classic Paneer Makhni their twist. The judges also included Justin Joe Antony, Brand Manager, TTK Prestige, and Shubhash Mahanty, Brand Manager, Vikram Tea.
Chef Varun announced Neelam Gupta as the winner of the first edition of the contest and loved the idea of the Paneer Makhni Sandwich, she made, which made the dish portable and easy to eat. He also launched the brand-new Efficia Gas Stove, an effective, all-in-one appliance that allows you to experience the power of pressure cooking and the perks of induction, at the event.
Learning To Bake Healthy With Chef Mohena Ahluwalia
Next, at the event chef and baking expert, Mohena Ahluwalia, a graduate from Le Cordon Bleu showed the audience how to bake a delightful healthy Whole Wheat Plum Cake With Jaggery that is perfect for the season’s festive celebrations. Mohena doesn’t just bake regular desserts but also shares vegan and healthy recipes.
She also shared a bunch of tips and baking hacks with all the home chefs and audience members. ‘I loved being a part of the Slurrp Great Indian Cookout. I always tell home chefs not to overthink things. They should just cook what they want and start small, with one video maybe, but start nevertheless,” Mohena said.
Speaking of the cake she chose to bake, she said, “Christmas is around the corner. I chose a plum cake but it is more on the healthier side. I chose a whole wheat and jaggery plum cake, and we added a special spice to it. We used the Vikram Tea Chai Masala, and then we mixed 8 times the instant chai masala into it, which normally you would never add to a plum cake, and I saw people's reaction to the cake, and they were amazed to see that the chai masala can still give them so much flavour.”
The Winning Dish Pays Tribute To Delhi's Chaat
The final round of the cooking contest between Delhi’s Puja Bansal and Mumbai’s Neelam Gupta was green-lit by none other than one of India’s favourite celebrity chefs Harpal Singh Sokhi. From hosting the popular show Urban Tadka, to coining the phrase "Namak Shamak" to being a participant in the dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa and Celebrity Chef Coach on the TV show "Laughter Chefs Unlimited Entertainment", you’ve seen him and loved him in all his avatars.
The chef indulged the audience in an AMA session and answered all food-related queries. For the final cooking contest, both contestants were given a mystery box that contained winter vegetables from Mumbai and a choice of masalas that Delhi and Mumbai are known for and were asked to create a classic dish.
After a tough fight Delhi’s Puja Bansal who brought the flavours of Delhi’s chaat on a plate, was declared the winner. Her dish Cauliflower And Peas Tikki Chaat Served With Spinach Crisp Amaranth Aand Tomato Saunth, spicy Corriander, and spinach chutney was delicious and innovative. Avinash Mudaliar, CEO and Co-Founder, HT Labs, and Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi, both applauded Bansal for the flavours of her dish and her passion and deep knowledge of India’s food traditions.
"It's been a mind-blowing experience for me. The entire challenge, starting from home chefs all over India, then coming in the top six, winning the Delhi leg, coming to Mumbai, and then winning this; overall it was a mind-blowing experience. It was a great learning experience. I discovered the entire Maharashtrian cuisine thanks to this contest. People talk about Vada Pav and Pav Bhaji but Mumbai has so much beyond that," Puja Bansal shared.
The winner was awarded a voucher worth Rs 50,000 from Prestige while the first runner-up was awarded appliances worth 20,000 and the second runner-up received appliances worth Rs 5,000 from Prestige. The contestants also received gift hampers from Goldiee Masale and Vikram Tea.