Kishwar Chowdhury was one of the three grand finalists of the recently concluded cooking reality show MasterChef Australia 2021. Indo-Bangladesh origin Kishwar wowed the judges and viewers with her Bengali dishes. Indian origin Chef Justin Narayan went on to lift the trophy. Pete Campbell was declared the first runnerup, and Kishwar became the second runnerup.
But Kishwar did not leave the podium empty-handed. As prize money, she received 20,000 dollars. But most importantly, she won the hearts of millions by taking her traditions to an international platform. Throughout the competition, Kishwar prepared dishes that represent Bangladeshi culture and history.
Kishwar Chowdhury’s passion for Bengali tradition and cuisine is immense. Her dishes, Lau Chingri, Aamer Tok, Khichuri with Begun Bhorta, Maach Bhaja, Bengali style crab curry, Khasi r Rezala(Goat Rezala) with Parantha, impressed the judges on the show. Judges loved her Rangamati Barramundi Curry, a dish from the hill tracts of Bangladesh.
She also prepared her version of Misti Paan as desserts on the show. A Bengali wedding ceremony is incomplete without serving decorative betel leaves with nuts and sweets at the end of the feast. She presented the betel leaves with ice cream, coconut, and dry fruits. Viewers admired her unique creativity.
Fuchka(Panipuri) and Samosa with chutney made their way on her Bengali street food platter in the invention test.
But, it was her final dish that made the netizens go berserk. She prepared Panta Bhat and served it with Aloo Bharta(Aloo Makha), Sardines, and Salsa. She called the Panta Bhaat as Smoked Rice Water in the show. The dish is quite common among Bengalis.
It was a bold and daring decision on her part to go with that dish. Well, it was also not her first choice. She was preparing some other recipe. But judges did not find it impressive as it missed the personal touch. That is when she decided to make the comfort food of Bengal, Panta Bhat, and Aloo Makha. While presenting the dish to the judges, she mentioned that this type of food, one will not see in any restaurant. She felt scared, but it was also rewarding for her to prepare it as her last feast.
Judges loved the potato mash with burned red chili and gave her full marks. One of the judges, Melissa Leong, commented that this food is powerful with history and flavors.
While Kishwar impressed the judges with her dish, viewers got divided on her dish selection.
Some viewers believed that Kishwar lost because of the primitive dish she prepared in the finale. The simple dish, Panta Bhat, is prepared by first cooking and rinsing the rice and then soaking it in water overnight. Some thought that it was not correct for her to represent such an easy dish on that platform. After all, it just takes salt, water, and rice to prepare it. As Bengali dishes are rich, she could have tried making something else.
While some believe that it takes immense guts to prepare the food that makes Bengalis nostalgic. Many found her move brave and confident. It showed her passion for food and love for her traditions.
This dish is also popular in Orissa as Pakhala.
Also Read: Famous Bengali Sweets And Their Fascinating Tales
Kishwar Chaudhury Biography
The 38-year-old Kishwar Chowdhury is born and brought up in Melbourne, Australia.
Kishwar’s father, Kamrul Chowdhury, is from Bikrampur, Bangladesh. He was a freedom fighter. Fifty years ago, he moved to Australia as a student. Here he met her mother, Laila, who hails from Kolkata. She got to taste the delicacies from both sides of Bengal since childhood. Married to her high-school sweetheart, Ehtesham Nawaj, she has an 11-year-old son, Mikayle, and a 4-year-old daughter, Seraphina.
Kishwar completed a Bachelor of Commerce from Monash University, Melbourne. After completing her graduation in Australia, she pursued her post-graduation degree in Graphic Design from the University of the Arts in London. After a stint in Germany, she moved to Dhaka and lived there for five-six years to establish her business. She came back to Melbourne in 2015.
Her family is in the printing business. They are well known and well respected in Melbourne amongst the Bangladeshi diaspora. Her parents founded the Bangladeshi community in Victoria.
Her in-laws live in Dhaka, and she regularly visits them. That made her more connected to her Bangladeshi roots.
Kishwar Chowdhury admits that food is at the heart of her large Bangladeshi-Indian family. She learned cooking from her mother and grandmother. They have a home garden where they grow vegetables. Her father is passionate about catching fish. So, since childhood, Kishwar learned to prepare food from fresh fish.
Having lived on three different continents, Kishwar’s knowledge of mixing spices and understanding ingredients from across the globe gave her an edge in the MasterChef kitchen.
How Kishwar participated in Masterchef Australia?
Before Master Chef, Kishwar was worried if she could pass on her family recipes to her children. On her son’s persuasion, she participated in Master Chef. Her husband supported her in this journey. With dreams of sharing Bengali cuisine with Australia, she entered the Masterchef kitchen.
Her ultimate dream is to write a cookbook with Bangladeshi food and flavors.
Watch the inspiring journey of Kishwar on Disney+Hotstar.
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