Here’s How Slurrp’s Great Indian Cookout Season 3 United Delhi & Mumbai Home Chefs 

Chole masala from the North of India and goda masala from Maharashtra, kulchas from Delhi and laadis of pav from Mumbai—you might assume it would only be celebrity chefs who stock these in their pantries or find a place for them on a single plate in their restaurants, but Slurrp’s Great Indian Cookout Season 3 managed to showcase just how India’s leading home chefs can do justice to these regional gems simply with their sheer passion for food. 

The title sponsor TTK Prestige provided their wide range of appliances and cookware for the contests and masterclasses, and Justin Antony, Head of Media and Brand Communication for the brand, attended the event in both cities for incredible on-ground support. TTK Prestige also launched four new products, two in each city. 

The event was co-sponsored by Vikram Tea and Goldiee Masale. Shishir Mishra, Director, Sales and Marketing, Vikram Tea attended the event in Mumbai, while Subhash Mahanty, Brand Manager, and Janhavi Sawant, Assistant Brand Manager attended the event in both cities. Lokesh Arora, Head of Marketing Communication, Goldiee Group, also attended the event in Delhi.

In Delhi, the Great Indian Cookout was held over two days as a part of HTCity Unwind, and witnessed six selected home chefs going head-to-head to recreate dishes from Mumbai. The event saw a huge footfall of 500+ attendees over the course of two days. While most Delhi foodies are now familiar with the popular Mumbai staple called vada pav, or even the Bombay sandwich, bhel puris and sev puris available on the streets, most were unaware of what a mawa cake from Mumbai’s Parsi community looks and tastes like. And yet, the Delhi home chefs not only managed to whip up their version of the said cake, but also gave it a Vikram Tea-special twist with their Kashmiri Kahwa premix from the Tea Tantra range.

While the home chefs in Delhi focused on recreating Mumbai favourites as a part of their key challenge, the line-up of celebrity chefs on both days gave masterclasses on North Indian dishes that Mumbaikars may not be aware of. Chef Kunal Kapur's Amritsari Khatte Laddoo Ki Chaat and Punjabi Til Bhugga, Chef Vaibhav Bhargav's Beetroot or Chukundar Ke Kebab, Chef Gurkirat Singh's Masala Chole Samosa Chaat Tarts and other workshops by Chefs Nishant Choubey and Kamaldeep Kaur all helped the audiences grasp the nuances of Delhi-style food. Celebrity Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi added his own flair to the event through an exciting panel discussion that covered everything from Delhi's kadak masala chai to Mumbai's Irani chai.

Slurrp Community's home chef Puja Bansal won the Delhi edition of the Great Indian Cookout and travelled to Mumbai to cook off against the finalist from the city. In Mumbai, the Great Indian Cookout was held at the popular Phoenix Marketcity mall amid a huge crowd of 200+ people, including community members who travelled all the way from Pune to be a part of the proceedings. The challenge for the Delhi edition was flipped around for the Mumbai one--the two Mumbai finalists, Alka Bhandari and Neelam Gupta were told to give the Delhi-special Paneer Makhani their innovative Mumbai twist. Neelam Gupta's version won the contest and she proceeded to cook off against Puja Bansal in the grand finale.

As the two finalists geared up for the last contest of the two-city event, renowned chefs and bakers from the region took to the stage to share their expertise with the audience. Chef Varun Inamdar created a Vada Pav-Inspired Potato Carpaccio that taught our home chefs how to create restaurant-style elevated dishes with the simplest of ingredients and fanciest of presentations. Chef Varun also engaged the audience in an interesting Ask-Me-Anything session where he talked about his world records as well as signature recipes.

Chef Mohena Ahluwalia from Pune truly brought the festive spirit with her Whole Wheat and Jaggery Plum Cake during her workshop. Flavoured with Vikram Tea's Tea Tantra premixes, this workshop ended with the live audience enjoying slices of cake. Finally, Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi took to the stage to kick off the grand finale contest, the ultimate mystery box challenge. 

Each contestant was given a box with winter ingredients from Delhi and Mumbai as well as pantry staples from both cities, ranging from maize flour and Goldiee Masale's Chole Masala to represent Delhi to curry leaves, rice flour, goda masala and Goldiee Masale's Pav Bhaji Masala to represent Mumbai. Their task was simple--make an innovative dish that represents the food culture of your city of origin, whether it's Delhi or Mumbai.

Neelam Gupta and Puja Bansal both gave their best and were cheered on not only by the crowds but also by Chef Harpal, who also engaged in a fiery Ask-Me-Anything session. As the grand finale wrapped up, Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi, Avinash Mudaliar, Co-Founder and CEO, HT Labs, and Justin Antony from TTK Prestige joined the contestants on stage to taste the dishes and announce the winner. 

Puja Bansal's Cauliflower and Peas Tikki Chaat secured Delhi's victory at the event, and she bagged a TTK Prestige Voucher worth ₹50,000. Neelam Gupta also won a TTK Prestige appliance worth ₹20,000. All the participants also received exciting prizes from Goldiee Masale and Vikram Tea.

In fact, the charm of the entire Great Indian Cookout event by Slurrp across Delhi and Mumbai lay in the fact that every participant, whether they were home chefs, celebrity chefs or guests, walked away with prizes, giveaways, mementos and of course, flavours from both cities through multiple workshops and food tastings. Slurrp's Great Indian Cookout Season 3 proved beyond a doubt that yes, food, even from two cities as fundamentally unlike each other as Delhi and Mumbai, can truly unite those who appreciate the heritage behind each culinary culture and dish. Here's looking forward to the next season of Slurrp's Great Indian Cookout!