Ahead of their appearance at the World on a Plate festival, chefs Gary Mehigan, Adriano Zumbo, Janice Wong and Elena Duggan talk 'dirty chai', spices and Goa
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Winning stories
Last year, Elena Duggan won Season 8 of MasterChef Australia. Since then, she has toured all over Australia and is now travelling the world. "I've been working with young people in schools, people with special needs and giving them cooking skills for life," she says. This is her first visit to India.
Elena Duggan
"India always represented a feast for all of the senses, so I'm excited smell and to taste different flavours and spices," she says. Duggan will whip up a summer dish, utilising local fish. "I love seafood and I grew up by the coast, so I was hoping to be able to bring that here. The dish will have quinoa in it as a healthy substitute," she says.
Edible art
Pastry chef Janice Wong is better known as the creator of marshmallow icicles, edible moss, sugar crystal corals and rocks, chocolate water and recently, her glow-in-the-dark flower installation. Her first visit to India was over 15 years ago when she represented Singapore in squash. Since then, she has returned for work and leisure.
Janice Wong
"Every time I come back, it is for various individual projects, or for leisure, when I go to Goa to just really enjoy the beaches," she says, adding that it has been a wish to experience Holi in India. Wong's masterclass is going to be more about the philosophy of food and not just making food. "The food and culture is vibrant here, and people know the spices really well. I want to talk about how the world can be your imagination when creating something," she says.
In the Boathouse
Gary Mehigan is a regular visitor to India; this will be his sixth trip. His love for Indian food is legendary. "I love the South Indian cuisine, anything with a turmeric base, and dishes sautéed in cinnamon, curry leaves, cardamom, and different types of chillies.
Gary Mehigan
I am also a big fan of appams, idlis and dosas," he says, adding that he hopes to have a meal at Indian Accent and meet Manish Mehrotra. Mehigan's masterclass will feature a sea bass dish with vegetables. Dessert will be a creamy rendition of frozen roasted beetroot, blackberry and chocolate.
Adriano Zumbo
Dessert talk
This will be pastry chef Adriano Zumbo's first visit to India, and fittingly his masterclass will feature masala chai. "This version has a shot of coffee in it and is called Dirty Chai because the coffee makes it dirty. The dessert looks like a regular cup of tea and features textures of tea, coffee, raspberry and a spicy honey," says Zumbo, who is currently working on a new line of cakes and studying to be a DJ.
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