After reaching the second round of the 'Game Meats' challenge, Bangladesh’s Kishwar prepared the classic local dish ‘Khashir Rezala with Porota’ for MasterChef Australia judges in 75 minutes.
The 38-year old Bangladeshi from Melbourne is representing Bangladeshi cuisine in the newest season of MasterChef Australia.
She was visibly nervous while preparing her goat rezala. “I have cooked it a few times, but it is still extremely hard. Picking a goat in 75 minutes is not an easy job and I am really nervous to do it,” Kishwar said. “It is a complex dish and it takes time. And I really want to nail it.”
“Being in here unleashed a whole new side of me, knowing what my heritage has already taught me, what my parents and grandparents taught me,” Kishwar said while serving her dish to the judges Jock Zonfrillo and Andy Allen.
“It would be devastating if my journey ends here. Because I don’t want to leave before you taste some of my Bengali sweets,” Kishwar quipped.
The judges did not shy away from singing the praises of Kishwar’s dish. “It is a powerful plate of food. It is superbly rich, unbelievably rich and perfectly cooked,” said Andy Allen.
Judge Jock Zonfrillo was equally impressed, “What’s in this bowl is magic.”
At the end of the round, Kishwar was declared safe.
Previously, Kishwar brought popular local snacks – fuchka, chotpoti, samosa and a tamarind dip, all the way to the Masterchef’s kitchen.
A lifelong lover of fuchka-chotpoti, Kishwar wanted to introduce the judges to the unique flavours woven into the street food of Dhaka that she relishes during her annual trips to Bangladesh.
Kishwar comes from “a big family of cooks”, and is proud of using recipes from her loved ones to make her own versions of them in the kitchen| Collected
She has also cooked “Kala bhuna” -- following her father’s recipe, traditional “Macher Jhol” -- earning praise from international media and fried sardines with green mango broth that earned her the reputation for being a strong candidate in this season.
Kishwar, the mother of two, wants to write a Bangladeshi cookbook to keep the legacy of her family alive.
