Elimination round was good & so was Chef Shai’s appearance in the show. She really lit up the kitchen with her presence & more importantly her positive attitude & the encouragement she extended to the contestants BUT, the best moment of this episode for me was when Saad said as far as Zubaida Apa ain’t the guest judge, he’ll be fine. LOL! I couldn’t stop laughing at that.

Once again we got to see some great dishes but I have an issue like they do tell generally as to how a contestant is chopping the veggies or how are they using the machines but I am kind of missing out on the ‘techniques’. I want to see what techniques they use & how do they plan the execution of the dish. I am missing the while-cooking conversations of the contestants where they talk us through to their thinking process & how are they planning to work on a dish, what problems are they facing & stuff like that. It seems that the contestants only speak when the judges question them but other than that I kind of miss knowing the techniques they are using in their dishes & the talk-throughs.

First challenge was to create a salad in 20 minutes which only Chef Shai would taste so that she could pick a winner. Those salads looked delicious & I am sure any salad-lover like me would’ve drooled over the sight of them. The list of the salads is as follows:

Bean Sprout Fish Salad – Maryam
Ceasar Salad w/ Prawns – Amna
Rocket Leaves Salad – Rayyan
Prawn Salad w/ Honey Glazed Veggies – Khurram
Greek Salad – Gulnaz
Ceasar Salad – Azam
Lettuce Salad w/ Bell Pepper Dressing – Sidrah
My Fresh Salad – Zain
Deconstructed Ceaser Salad – Iqra
No Fat Salad – Mudassir
Italian Dressed Salad in a Nest – Madiha
Walnut Bacon Salad – Ammarah
Mango & Avacado Salsa – Saad.

The winner was Saad because Chef Shai felt that the portion size was just perfect for the entrée as well as the presentation & the grilled prawns. Saad won the advantage of getting a help from Chef Shai that too for 10 minutes in the upcoming challenge.

The last & the elimination challenge was set by Chef Shai where she brought a dish created by her & it was more like a recreation challenge where she provided the contestants with the recipe & they had to come up with a dish exactly like hers but it could vary in the presentation. The dish was Tenderloin Medallion w/ Lemon Chilli Prawns & Curried Quinoa. The contestants got 90 minutes for it with an open pantry & the resulting dishes were good to see. Chef Shai did make it clear that in the culinary world people follow a KIS rule which refers to ‘Keeping It Simple’, so she advised everyone to follow it throughout.

Maryam was the first one to get the feedback from the judges. Chef Shai felt that the Quinoa was under-cooked, the curry was a bit spicy, cheese bowl was a bit thick that’s why it turned soggy but the prawns were good. Chef Mehboob commented that the prawns were good but the sauce was overpowering. Chef Khurram didn’t like the presentation & Chef Zakir felt that the steak had a burnt flavor to it.

Amna got her feedback were Chef Mehboob said he couldn’t eat the under-cooked prawn. Chef Shai also commented that the cheese bowl was too thick & soggy but she liked the steak & felt that the sauce was well seasoned. Chef Zakir commented that raw food is a big no no & it a massive problem.

Rayyan was the next in line for the judges’ remarks. Chef Mehboob liked the prawns, the beef but felt that the sauce was a bit too strong but when combined with the whole dish, it worked really well. Chef Khurram told him that he could do well with the presentation.

Sidrah got the comments where Chef Shai felt that the steak was dry but prawns were good. Chef Mehboob commented that she tried to do well on her part & she succeeded, he told her to keep up the good work. Chef Khurram felt that the sauce was a bit more sour & spicy but if she had improved she was the only one who would’ve gotten closer to the actual dish.

Khurram came in to get a feedback on his dish. Chef Mehboob said that the quinoa was raw, prawns weren’t good as they were overcooked but the sauce & the cheese bowl were right. Chef Khurram didn’t like the presentation. Chef Zakir was as usual stern & said that this sort of food won’t earn him respect (!?!?!?!).

Azam got some great remarks as Chef Shai liked the sauce & Chef Mehboob commented that the beef was well cooked & well-seasoned.

Gulnaz got appreciated as well. Chef Mehboob liked the plating & felt that the dish was ideal because the prawns, the steak, the sauce were cooked perfectly. Chef Shai liked the seasoning of the prawns & commented that if she seeks knowledge of this art, she can become a great chef herself. Chef Khurram felt she gave a good response to her competitors. Chef Zakir named the cheese basket as Chitrali Basket.

Zain was next in line. Chef Shai felt that the steak was dry. Chef Khurram didn’t like the sauce. Chef Mehboob said that the sauce was over-reduced that’s why it lost the flavour & the beef as well as the prawns were over-cooked. Chef Zakir commented that the beef was so over-done that it had no flavour.

Mudassir came to get in his remarks. Chef Mehboob said his beef was a disaster as it was over-cooked. Chef Zakir said because the steak was so thinly sliced it easily got over-cooked & was giving a burnt flavour too & the sauce had a totally different flavour.

Saad was the last one but he got some great comments. Chef Mehboob felt that he chose a wrong plate for the presentation but other than that the steak, the prawns & the quinoa were good perfectly. He felt that by far this was the best dish he had tasted. Chef Khurram commented on the choice of plate to but liked the flavours of his dish. Chef Zakir said he enjoyed eating the dish a lot & also said he has high expectations of him.

So, these were the comments & now it was time for the bottom 5 & someone’s journey to end. Zain, Maryam, Mudassir, Amna & Khurram were in the bottom & Mudassir was eliminated from the competition. Every contestant had some great things to say about him & we wish him good luck too. & once again I feel the judges remarks didn’t do justice to how weak Mudassir’s dish actually was that he was eliminated because going by the remarks that were shown, Khurram had the weakest dish where the 3 main ingredients were bad but Mudassir had only stuffed up the beef component. Not too sure what were they thinking.

On a personal note, I liked how Chef Shai was pointing out the positives in all the dishes even after the contestants had made some massive mistakes. She was being positive about everyone’s attempt & was impressed too. I feel she contributed greatly as a guest judge.

& yes, the thing we all dreaded was covered in this episode & that was the politics & the rift between the contestants. I so wish they had settled it off the camera & had kept the dignity of all the contestants intact. No doubt Gulnaz got some great comments & she won the challenge but that doesn’t mean she comes up with her personal behind-the-scene issues in front of the judges. I think the editors should have edited the whole thing ‘because’ we’re more interested in seeing the cooking & not the drama. I really like Gulnaz & also I like Saad, not too sure about Amna though but then to see Gulnaz taking names of the people involved & later getting the remarks by the judges on them wasn’t something good to see. The judges based Gulnaz’s dish remarks on the rift too where Chef Khurram said ‘this dish was an answer to her competitors who had questioned her’. I feel it’s a cooking competition & it should remain that way. The judges tried really hard to fetch something by stirring Rayyan-Madiha controversy but when they saw that Rayyan & Madiha tackled it brilliantly & didn’t give away much, they picked just the rightly naive person for it. I hope we don’t get to see more such issues that the contestants may be experiencing off the camera because this is MasterChef we’re interested in.

I am kind of curious as to why the clip of Chef Zakir was removed from the previous episode where he was being rude to Madiha when she asked a question. In the preview last week they did show something but when the actual episode went on-air I think that clip was deleted purposely. If they didn’t intend to show it then they shouldn’t have shown Chef Zakir’s remark in the preview too. I hope they don’t do such things for the ratings as they are getting enough already.

Can’t wait to see the upcoming episodes. Share what you felt about the elimination round & then the elimination.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

I know I might be a bit late in noticing but the opening title track of the show is really nice. It’s shot in the typical MasterChef way but the tune is catchy & it’s a great way to help us remember the names of the contestants. This show is something that I look forward to every single week because it goes without saying that the calibre is really top-notch. I thoroughly like the whole lot that has come to compete & the ideas they instil every single time they cook are praise worthy.

This was the very first team challenge of the season where Madiha once again had an upper hand because she won the last challenge so she was not only a captain but got to choose the menu she wanted her team to work with. I do feel that the judges should’ve left it on the contestants to come up with their own menu for the road-side food because the pre-decided menu didn’t help much in letting us know how creatively capable the team leaders were.

It was a typical street food that you get to eat everywhere in Pakistan available at all the times. It was again like a beautiful walk down the memory lane but apart from it, to see how the contestants competed was great too. The lot was divided into Red & Blue teams where Madiha was a captain of Blue team & Saad was appointed by the judges to lead the Red team. The contestants randomly picked the respective aprons. That’s how apart from Madiha, the Blue Team got Rayyan, Sidrah, Aneela, Maryam, Gulnaz & Amna. Along with Saad the Red Team members were Zain, Azam, Khurram, Ammarah, Iqra & Mudassir.

Madiha chose Bun Kababs & Jalebis for her team to create & Saad’s team got Roll Parathas & Gulab Jaman. Saad’s team had a very smooth start because it was Saad whose planning did the trick. He allotted the tasks to all the contestants & didn’t pressurize them much nor did he interfere. He believed in his team & allowed them to do whatever & however they wanted to do the work & later he focused on attracting the people towards his stalls. Madiha being too young to be a captain definitely had to deal with a lot things because her team mates weren’t properly following her instructions. Looking at how Maryam & Aneela were having difficulties in preparing the Kababs, showed they definitely might be having issues in taking orders from a 22 year old girl. Madiha herself was in a state of panic where instead of relying on others completely, she gave her input in everything, so for this right from the start till the end her team was suffering in communicating with each other.

The service began & the people flocked towards the stalls. I must say I was once again impressed by the choice of location & even the sitting arrangement done for the public. The food prep area was prefect as well where the special attention was given to the quality related to everything involved in the task.

It was great to see all the contestants work so hard to win the challenge. Iqra, Ammarah, Rayyan, Amna, Khurram & Saad stood out the most in this episode. To see how mechanically Rayyan worked was amazing. Amna definitely came up with some brilliantly tasty sauces to compliment the Bun Kababs chosen for her team. Iqra definitely had a rocky start but the way she grabbed all the compliments for Gulab Jamans showed how good she was. Ammarah was focused. Khurram’s a treat to watch, he brings in this positive energy & I like to see what & how’s he doing things. Saad was the one who stood out the most in the auditions but ever since he hasn’t been able to make a mark but I am glad the judges thought of him eligible of being a team leader & he certainly proved himself.

Red team won the challenge which by the end of the episode I was rooting for too. Their planning, co-ordination & eventually the taste of food paved the way for their success. Seeing frowning faces of the Blue team was a bit bad too but never mind I am sure the deserving contestants will come out strong after fighting hard.

It was good to see Chef Mehboob & Chef Khurram actually enjoy the challenge, mingling with the contestants, speaking to the people to get ideas of what they liked & in the end being open & comfortable in praising everything. However, I do feel that they are trying to sensationalize the non-existent rift between Madiha & Rayyan. I saw them both working just fine in the same team & even Madiha was happy to see Rayyan in her team but the judges were like ‘the enemies will work together’, I find it kind of unnecessary the way the judges are trying to bring in some sort of politics or are trying to fish for some kind of a reaction by either Rayyan or Madiha. Anyways, as expected, the only Chef who was in his typical mood was Chef Zakir. Seems like he was just there to nit-pick as to where things were going wrong & where the contestants were lacking so that he could comment on it. I actually laughed seeing him quiet especially when the other two judges were praising the contestants because it showed Chef Zakir had nothing good to say that’s why he wasn’t saying anything at all.

Anyways, it was a brilliant episode with a great energy. Can’t wait to see the black apron round to find out who goes this time. Share your thoughts on this episode.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Once again a very interesting episode. The black apron round was a treat to watch. I feel as we’re going along the season, the editing issues are subsiding & this episode was perfect in that regard. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the show & liked the energy of the judges this time around too.

In this round Maryam, Aneela, Rayyan, Madiha, Amna, Sidrah & Gulnaz were competing. The challenge was set by Chef Zakir himself that the contestants had to replicate his signature dish; Chicken Reshmi Karahi. What normally happens is that when the contestants are told to recreate a signature dish of any of the chef, they are provided with all the ingredients & more importantly, the recipe as well but in this round the contestants had to judge a dish based on their own capability & understanding of food, which definitely meant that everyone will be having a respective version of the dish. I feel that if they had at least given them some sort of pointers, than it really would’ve meant that the contestants were recreating Chef Zakir’s dish but nevertheless, what they all created was good to see too. The contestants had a free choice of making any sort of bread to compliment the dish & they did come up with some succulent bread for the judges to try.

While judging Madiha’s dish, Chef Zakir firstly pointed out that the cutting wasn’t the same how it was in the original dish. He also felt that the whole dish was dry. Chef Mehboob felt that she didn’t marinate the chicken long enough for the flavours to get in there. Chef Khurram felt that the sourness was overpowering the whole dish.

For Amna’s dish, Chef Khurram felt that the gravy was nice & had a great texture. Chef Mehboob liked the balance of flavours but Chef Zakir felt that the whole dish was missing a binding factor because of the lack of salt.

Regarding Rayyan’s dish, Chef Mehboob felt that salt was missing but he still liked the gravy. Chef Khurram felt that the gravy had the ratio of tomatoes more than it was required. Chef Zakir said that just because he put in a lot of spices, he had to balance the taste, that’s why he poured in some more tomatoes in the sauce.

In Aneela’s dish, Chef Zakir felt that it had no sourness, no shine in the sauce & just because she didn’t cook the dish properly, the tastes weren’t well combined. Chef Khurram liked the bread she served but Chef Mehboob felt that the dish was incomplete.

Gulnaz’s dish got a lot of compliments. Chef Mehboob felt that she recreated the dish closest to that of Chef Zakir’s. Chef Zakir felt that the balance of flavours was spot on, his only critique was that if she had brought out some more texture of the sauce then this dish would’ve been a perfect replica. Chef Khurram’s only concern was the usage of ginger but otherwise he liked the dish a lot too.

Sidrah’s dish got mixed remarks as well. Chef Khurram liked the bread & also felt that the sauce was nice. According to him, the tomatoes weren’t overpowering & because of that the spices could be tasted well. Chef Zakir felt that the chicken pieces were overcooked which made the main component of the dish a lot dry.

Maryam’s dish was average too. Chef Mehboob pointed out that the cutting wasn’t right. Chef Zakir felt that the sauce was way too thick but the taste was fine. Chef Khurram said that it wasn’t an exceptional dish.

It was now time for the results. Amna, Sidrah & Gulnaz were told that they were safe. Rest of them once again got criticized on the missing factors in their dishes. Chef Khurram said he was disappointed by the bread that Madiha made. Chef Zakir felt that Rayyan was working haphazardly & he seemed lost. Chef Khurram said that Maryam needs to work on her presentation & Chef Mehboob said that the chicken she made was dry. Aneela got the remarks by Chef Mehboob that her dish was incomplete, garnishing wasn’t upto the mark. Chef Khurram said only listening was not an option in this case, she had to practically create a dish of that standard too & just because she couldn’t deliver, she was eliminated leaving Maryam, Rayyan & Madiha safe for yet another week. Aneela’s elimination wasn’t a shocker, she wasn’t performing well ever since she stepped into the MasterChef kitchen but never mind, I wish her good luck.

One thing that I did feel once again was that the judges’ comments were confusing & misleading. While tasting & going by their remarks it felt that all the dishes were weak & the judges didn’t shed a light on any single dish that left them impressed, even Gulnaz’s dish was criticised for some factors despite it being the closest to the original one. Every single time, the judges picked one thing or the other that was lacking so it left me confused as to who deserved to stay in the competition & who didn’t. Sidrah was safe whereas Chef Zakir emphasized on the fact that the chicken was dry. Madiha’s dish was pretty disappointing but Aneela was eliminated. Chef Mehboob mentioned that she hasn’t been performing since the beginning but I think they shouldn’t have judged her cooking based on the past experiences because the clear reason they gave to her was that she remained in the bottom 3 every single week. I think the elimination was supposed to be based on this particular recreation of Chef Zakir’s signature dish & going by the judges remarks I feel Madiha’s dish was the weakest because judges didn’t like anything on that plate that she served. Chef Khurram did like the bread that Aneela served but he clearly mentioned that the bread served by Madiha disappointed him big time.

I feel that if the judges while tasting make up their minds that this dish can put the contestant through to the next round then they need to talk about the positives of that dish as well because I don’t see a reason for why Madiha was safe & why Aneela wasn’t because both of them got harsh remarks on their dish in this round especially. Even though I support Madiha & feel she is a strong contender but she definitely under-performed in this round & I didn’t hear a single positive comment about her dish that’s why I have my doubts. I feel that at least the judges should justify as to why a certain contestant is getting a chance once again like what was that ‘one’ particular factor that gave them an upper hand & a saving edge to continue being in the show.

Overall it was a pretty good episode & even the editing was great this time around too. Share your thoughts on this episode.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

So, this episode began with the elimination. Ali Shah, Aneela & Adnan were in the bottom 3 & one of them had to go. Going by the judges’ remarks, I am not too sure who deserved to go because all three of them were criticized for how bad their dishes were. I think it was important on the judges part to actually elaborate a bit more about the positives of Adnan & Aneela’s dishes which gave them an upper-hand & made them safe because the way the judges gave them the feedback, it went to show that all three of them were eligible of elimination. Like I said, I feel the judges focus more on criticizing rather than appreciating & that’s a downer.

This episode was once again based on a signature dish where the contestants had to come up with their own version of ‘Biryani’. Madiha who won the last challenge got an advantage where she could exclusively pick the meat she wanted to cook with & she also had to make a choice for the one contestant she found was a tough competitor. So, going by the rule she picked Chicken as a protein for herself & gave Rayyan a fish to work with, because according to her she knew he’s a strong contender & she felt he’d have a hard time working with it.

The challenge began & I am glad a little more cooking was shown this time which made the episode a lot more interesting. The judges went to everyone & asked about their techniques & the flavours they were infusing in their Biryani. A few dishes stood out both for good & the bad reasons & those who got their verdict were:

Adnan who presented ‘Beef Biryani’. Chef Mehboob felt that the spices dominated his biryani & the rice was over-cooked. Chef Khurram also felt that the spices over-powered the rest of the dish & also commented on the lack of presentation skills.

Aneela who made ‘Mutton Biryani. Chef Khurram felt that her presentation was weak again & said she needed to pay more attention on it but other than that he liked the food. Chef Mehboob also said that she did well & he was happy for her.

Rayyan made ‘Hyderabadi Fish Biryani’. Chef Zakir said that the taste of fish wasn’t infused much in the rice, which is why the rice was bland. Chef Mehboob commended him for not letting the fish break & felt that he presented his plate well but felt that the taste of sesame was dominant. Chef Khurram said that this dish was ordinary.

Gulnaz made ‘Mutton Nuts Biryani’. Chef Khurram liked her presentation but didn’t say much about the dish.

Zain presented ‘Mince & Prawn Biryani’. Chef Zakir liked it but said that the combination of fruit wasn’t balanced. Chef Mehboob gave him an insight as to how a fusion cooking should be handled. He liked his dish but said that he needs to pay more attention to the flavors which he is trying to work with especially when it comes to the fusion cooking.

Iqra made ‘Prawn Biryani’. Chef Mehboob felt that she pushed herself a little too hard that’s why she committed some mistakes. He felt that the smoky flavour was a bit too overpowering. Chef Zakir felt that the rice was cooked well but when they were combined with the other components, the rice became soggy.

Madiha made ‘Authentic Mughlai Biryani’. Chef Mehboob said her choice was right & she did justice to it a 100%. Chef Khurram loved her dish & said he enjoyed it a lot. Chef Zakir said this is a battle & the one who knows how to play will succeed.

Ammarah made ‘Pakistani Biryani Platter’. Chef Khurram liked the rich flavours. Chef Zakir commented on the uniqueness of the flavours that she induced in her dish.

Amna made ‘Laham Majboos’ an Arabic version of Biryani. Chef Khurram didn’t like her presentation nor the dish. Chef Mehboob said that she needs to come out of the Arab taste & work with Pakistani flavors.

Saad made ‘Sea Food Biryani’. Chef Mehboob liked the sauce that he presented but said that the biryani itself was a disaster. Chef Khurram said it wasn’t his lucky day.

Azam also made ‘Sea Food Biryani’ & Chef Khurram said that his sauce & biryani were poles apart.

I must say I am totally impressed by the ideas these contestants are coming up with every single time. Being the home-cooks mostly, their ideas are just brilliant & the execution is top-notch, which makes this show a must watch. Coming back to the competition, it was now a time for the verdict of the day so for that Amna, Ammarah, Madiha, Rayyan, Adnan, Aneela, Saad & Azam were told to come forward for the final judgement. Aneela, Ammarah & Madiha were safe where Madiha once again won the challenge. This left Rayyan, Amna, Adnan, Saad & Azam in the danger zone where they’ll appear in the black-apron round to compete against each other, which I can’t wait to see because it’s going to be the first ever black-apron round & this will give a chance to the contestants to prove themselves & compete justifiably.

I must say the challenge & the episode itself was great but I am disappointed by the judges & their remarks. It looks like Chef Zakir himself is competing with the contestants & he doesn’t leave a single opportunity that he gets to let others know that he is a successful chef himself. I feel no matter how bad a dish must be, it should never be called a disaster that too on the national TV in such a big platform. I think there are a million ways to give a feedback both positive & negative but being a judge, it doesn’t mean that they have to be so cold-hearted & blunt. Once again I felt that the judges nit-picked & discussed every single ‘negative’ detail while criticizing but didn’t speak about the positive factors of those dishes they felt were great. The only thing they could say was good, excellent & ‘maza a gaya’ but didn’t tell ke kiss wajah se maza aya.

I think Rayyan himself admitted that it was his mistake for which he couldn’t perform & he generally made a comment that rest depends on the judges but the judges got a bit defensive unnecessarily & reminded him of what his position was by saying ‘ke app wahan pe aur hum yahan pe kharay hain’. I think the unnecessary stern attitude of the judges is ticking me off. ‘Hamari nazar app sab logon pe hai’, ‘2 advantages zaya ho chuke hain’, ‘hamain sab nazar a raha hai’. I think the judges don’t know the art of ‘moving on’ that’s why they are stuck in the past about the 2 ‘once in a lifetime’ advantages that weren’t utilized properly, lol!

Relax judges, it’s just a cooking competition matey. :) Share what you felt about this episode.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Finally, finally, finally we got an episode which was perfect in every aspect. The challenges, the coverage of the cooking, the technical judgments & some positive comments from the judges. I thoroughly enjoyed this episode & felt that they lived upto the benchmark of the ‘black apron’ round & made it really interesting for us to watch.

This episode had 2 challenges where in the first one all the contestants had to made desserts, perk was an open pantry & the time limit was 30 minutes. All the contestants came up with brilliant dishes that too in such a short time span, which was great to see.

Adnan tried his hands on a fusion again & came up with ‘Fried Fruit Pakora’. Chef Khurram felt that the taste of desiccated coconut was pretty dominant. Chef Zakir taught him the actual way of working with semolina as he said just because Adnan didn’t opt for the right way of using it, the base that he provided for the dessert wasn’t cooked through completely.

Rayyan came up with the most technique prone dish which was ‘Caramalized Banana & Ricotta Crepe’. Chef Mehboob commended him for the idea but felt that just because the consistency of the crepe batter wasn’t thin, it made the crepes a lot more chewy, but he also felt that the filling was delicious. Chef Khurram liked the presentation but advised him on using a bigger plate to make the dish look better.

Saad made the desi dessert of ‘Qiwammi Sewiyan w/ Khoya Sauce’. Chef Mehboob said that even though these desi desserts may look easy but they’re actually difficult to make. He liked Saad’s dish a lot & felt that it reflected the taste of his mother’s cooking.

Azam made a ‘Bread Pudding w/ Raspberry Sauce & Lemon Curd’. Chef Mehboob felt that he should’ve opted for a different plate but other than that the taste was great.

Amna presented ‘Red Velvet Cheese Cake w/ Raspberry Cream’. She was appreciated by all the judges for her energy & even for coming up with such a complex dish in such a limited time that too under pressure. Chef Khurram felt that the colors she put up were brilliant & the flavors were balanced. Chef Mehboob also stated that people often end up making the cheese cake a lot more sweet but Amna didn’t do it, that’s why the taste was balanced. Chef Zakir praised her for using the oven & liked the way the cake made by her maintained it’s shape & just because the flavors were good, she won the challenge & as an advantage she was safe for the day.

In the next & the final challenge of the day, the contestants had to come up with their versions of Vegetarian Thaali, where they had to pay attention to different texture, color & the taste of the 3 main dishes complimented with the side dishes. The contestants had only 1 hour to prepare the food with an access to the pantry through out the challenge.

Azam was appreciated by Chef Mehboob for the effort, he felt that the curry was good & flavorsome plus the idea was great too. Chef Khurram felt that the texture was great but in some of the dishes, the taste was flat. Chef Zakir said for his effort he deserved an appreciation & he personally liked the curry & the beans better.

Rayyan got a good feedback by the judges as well. Chef Mehboob liked the platter but felt that Rayyan missed out the colors but the taste of okra was great, the lentil hat he cooked has that perfect balance of tamarind. Chef Khurram also said that despite missing out on the colors, he outdid himself in the taste. Chef Zakir appreciated a lot saying that he came up with the perfect Indian thaali that they were looking for.

Saad got an average feedback because the judges felt that his dishes were a bit salty but despite that Chef Khurram liked the spinach & liked it’s color & texture too.

Adnan once again tried to do fusion in one of the dishes & because of that Chef Mehboob didn’t like his dish much. He felt that the tastes didn’t go well together. Chef Zakir also felt that the fusion wasn’t working but commented on the lentil he cooked saying it was perfect. Chef Khurram said that he could feel a burnt taste in one of the dishes & so for coming up with the weakest dish in comparison to the others, Adnan was eliminated.

He was a good contender & took his elimination really well. He talked through his journey & confessed that he has learned so much & now will strive to do better. The judges parted with some good remarks & we wish him good luck too.

So, this was it from tonight’s episode. It was no doubt better in comparison to all the previous episodes & now we can say that the black apron rounds would be worth a wait. I felt that the judges didn’t appreciate the contestants if they took some extra seconds in the pantry planning their dishes & said that open pantry doesn’t mean that the contestants keep on going to the pantry again & again. I think the judges need to understand the literal meaning of an ‘open’ pantry because it does mean that the contestants have an access to it through out the challenge & it depends on them how much time they want to spend in there.

Also I felt that even though Chef Khurram told Amna that her dessert could’ve been better, she still won the challenge whereas Rayyan’s dish stood out the most in terms of presentation, taste & most importantly technique but still he wasn’t selected because of a minor crepe detail, which I feel wasn’t a fair decision but never mind, he along with other good contestants is safe, so that sums it up perfectly.

Next week of MasterChef Pakistan is going to be a lot more interesting because the contestants will be put through a big challenge where they’d have to run a stall on their own in a public place. I can’t wait to see what the contestants come up with. Share what you felt about the black apron episode.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Ohkay so this week ended with a mystery box challenge which also was an elimination round. I feel they have merged two separate rounds because normally in mystery box challenge, top 3 & the bottom 3 are selected. Later in the final cook-off challenge the bottom 3 tend to fight for the last time to keep their spot secured in the competition. In MasterChef Pakistan, they have rolled two things into one & mystery box challenge has been also used for the direct elimination. I feel a little change in the format is definitely required because I think those who don’t perform well in the mystery box challenge deserve another round to show their skills. Usually a celebrity chef is invited with their signature dish & the bottom 3 contestants are told to recreate the dish as close to the original one made by the guest judge. I feel this way whoever falls in the bottom 3 gets to prove oneself & the one who gets eliminated goes justifiably, but the way they have excluded this part from MasterChef Pakistan goes to show that randomly any contestant might end up leaving the competition no matter how promising they might be.

Coming onto the show, I must say the time to time short challenges that the contestants are being put up with are amazing. Initially the contestants had to make meringue by separating egg yolks & egg whites. Constant whisking was the key & Chef Mehboob demonstrated it to the contestants. The old-fashioned way to check whether the meringue is ready or not is to turn the bowl upside down, if it’s ready it won’t come off the bowl & if not, it would fall down. The contestant who won the challenge was Zain & he earned himself an advantage in the actual mystery box round.

The mystery box challenge began with some rules where the contestants had to at least use 6 of the ingredients given in the box & they had to make a savory & a sweet dish that too within the time span of 1 hour. The main component of the mystery box that had all the contestants shocked was the crab that too alive & kicking. A few contestants were scared & a few were excited but to make things easier, they also had chicken as another protein which the contestants could work with. I must say the cooking that surfaced was obviously amazing but a few dishes stood out the most.

Adnan came up with ‘Pineapple Steaks’ as a savory dish & he made ‘Pineapple Kheer’ as a sweet dish. Chef Zakir felt that he didn’t get the right combination in the savory dish plus the sweet dish had a burnt taste to it. Chef Khurram also commented on the burnt dessert, he said that the chicken was flat & the colors of the dish weren’t balanced right. Chef Mehboob said that it wasn’t a good effort. He said that the contestants must focus on making what is asked of them so that they can get the things right rather than trying to make more than what’s been demanded.

Anila made ‘Salty Creamy Chicken’ as a savory item & ‘Sweet Potato Kheer’ as a sweet dish. Chef Mehboob said that he expected something better from her. Chef Khurram commented that her dishes didn’t look appetizing & attractive enough. Chef Zakir asked her if she was satisfied with what she created & she honestly replied that she wasn’t.

Maryam created ‘Stuffed Chicken w/ Rice & Crab’ & a ‘Chocolate Tart’ as both the dishes. Chef Mehboob felt that the carrot puree didn’t compliment the dish. Chef Khurram said that he is upset at himself for selecting her & at her for creating such a dish. Chef Zakir felt that he had nothing to say about the dish.

Rayyan came up with ‘Capt. Saleem’s Crab’ & ‘Pineapple Upside Down Cake’ as both of his dishes. Chef Mehboob liked the food said he did a great effort. Chef Khurram appreciated the presentation but felt that the cake was a bit too sweet. Chef Zakir liked the cake but felt that the crab should’ve been presented differently because it was hard to eat despite having a good taste.

Zain created ‘Chicken w/ Egg Fried Rice’ & ‘Chocolate Brownies w/ Fruits’. Chef Khurram liked the savory dish but felt that the sponge of the dessert wasn’t cooked well. According to him Zain didn’t utilize his advantage properly. Chef Zakir felt that he isn’t taking the challenge seriously.

Madiha made ‘Chicken Rainbow Kabab’ & ‘Crab Dessert’. Chef Khurram liked the taste but commented on the lack of presentation skills. Chef Mehboob said that she took a calculative risk but she succeeded & got commended for it. Chef Zakir said he’d thank her for such a food.

Ali Shah came up with ‘Garlic Chicken Pasta’ & ‘Sweet Eggs w/ Nutty Chocolate Sauce’. Chef Mehboob said it wasn’t even a well-made dessert. Chef Khurram straight away said it was a disaster. Chef Zakir said it was an accident that happened.

Ammarah created ‘Crab Soup w/ Grillied Chicken’ & ‘Pineapple Pumpkin Cakes’. Chef Mehboob didn’t like her dessert. Chef Khurram liked her savory dish & Chef Zakir said he enjoyed the food.

Saad made ‘Crab Cakes’ & ‘Chocolate Tart’. Chef Mehboob appreciated him a lot. Chef Khurram said he liked his ideas & the presentation was good too.

A few contestants who got bad remarks were Iqra for only making Pasta. While explaining herself she got told off by Chef Zakir & he said after putting up a dish like this, she didn’t deserve to be in the competition. Khurram also got criticized for serving a raw crab. Gulnaz was told that if she had opted for some other technique, her dish would’ve been better.

So, those who stood out the most & made it to the top 3 were Rayyan, Madiha & Ammarah but the winner of Mystery Box Challenge was Madiha. She impressed the judges the most with her technique & the risk she took. The bottom 3 were Anila, Ali Shah & Adnan but seems like the announcement will be made in the next episode.

Once again, I felt that the judges were pressurizing the contestants a bit unpleasantly. They held back a lot when they had to appreciate the contestants but when it came to dissecting the dishes & giving a negative feedback, they were a lot more vocal & comfortable about it. Another thing that I noticed was that if the judges felt someone was behind the others during the task, they would call out their name in front of the whole crowd which I feel gets a little demeaning. I think there are other ways of bucking up a contestant & encouraging them but this hasn’t been happening in MasterChef Pakistan. I’d restate that the judges need to act a bit more relaxed & friendly with the contestants especially Chef Zakir. Being such a successful & renowned celebrity chef, I feel he should be a lot more candid & act like a secure senior who is helping the newbies that are stepping in this industry, rather than snubbing them. Take it easy judges. :) Rest’s all good.

Share your thoughts about the episode.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

This was one good episode of MasterChef. Right from the beginning till the end it was a treat to watch because the execution has been perfect. I liked the introductory part of the episode a lot where all the contestants got to share their excitement of stepping into the MasterChef Kitchen for the very first time. They all seemed really excited & were totally in the mood to face the challenge which was great to see.

Coming onto the MasterChef Kitchen, I must say I am totally impressed. The quality of the Kitchen & the Pantry was brilliant & the finesse was evident. The project managers of MasterChef have really outdone themselves & have done justice to the name of the franchise by living up to the standards.

The episode consisted of 2 challenges where in first challenge the contestants got the core ingredient set by the judges themselves, which was an ‘egg’. The contestants had to use it & make it shine through their dish in just half an hour. The access to pantry also had a time limit but I feel in such a pressure, the time limit shouldn’t be there.. The contestants are already under so much pressure & to test it more is equal to making them a lot more confused. Like I have seen usually in the MasterChef shows, the pantry stays open through out the challenge & the contestants get enough time to think about the dish they want to create, later it depends on how much time they take because it affects the challenge time which in other case is again a time-management test for them so I feel that way it’s still another good option to check how the contestant performs.

I was impressed to see the quality of cooking in the first round too but the judges had to pick 5 dishes that appealed to them the most in the presentation. Without tasting the dishes the judges chose Maryam, Rayyan, Zain, Saad & Amna & Maryam was declared a winner. She got an extra minute in the pantry for the next round as an advantage of winning the first challenge.

The real cooking began when the contestants had to present their signature dishes. Some were outstanding & some looked like it but weren’t impressive in the tasting. Those contestants who made it to the bottom 3 were Ali Shah, Anila Kamar & Iqra Yasin because Ali Shah’s dish wasn’t presentable, Anila Kamar’s was too simple & wasn’t up to the mark & Iqra Yasin’s main ingredient of the dish was tasteless as remarked by the judges. There was a planned elimination which had to happen in this episode but it was dropped by the judges because they felt it was too early to let any contestant go as they didn’t get a decent chance to prove themselves. The top three were Rayyan Durrani, Mudassir Ilyas & Ammarah Noman. The winner of this signature dish challenge not only won a chance of getting the signature dish’s recipe published in the MasterChef Cook Book but also the immunity for the week & it was Ammarah Noman who won the challenge.

I enjoyed watching the episode a lot but I feel the editing once again had a few hit & a miss moments because the dishes of those contestants who were selected in the top 3 in the signature dish round weren’t covered except of Rayyan’s, but we have no idea what made Muddasir & Ammarah the winner because they didn’t show anything related to them.

I am definitely rooting for Khurram, Rayyan, Saad, Zain & Madiha Javed. All the other contestants are great too. Rayyan got the chance to stand out in the couple of first challenges. Let’s see how he performs ahead. Ammarah Noman seems like a strong contender too & so does Maryam.

Coming onto the judges, even though they are being extra cautious in the food judging, which is obviously required but other than that I feel they are being a bit too stern. It’s like they haven’t really made an effort of bonding with the contestants & are being too reserved & serious. Most of the time it felt like they were the teachers dictating the students of 5th standard like telling them to raise hands after the cooking time ended. I feel the judges should ease a little & make an effort of having a healthy & casual chemistry with the contestants so that the contestants can learn more from them & the judges can share their experiences with the contestants as well. Other than that, I totally enjoyed the episode & can’t wait to see the next episode which will feature an elimination of a contestant in the typical MasterChef style Mystery Box Challenge.

Share your views about tonight’s episode.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

So, with this episode, the 2nd week of MasterChef comes to an end & also the boot camp has ended where the final selection has been done & we got the first lot of top 16 in our very first season of MasterChef.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the episode & also the challenges that were set for the contestants to make it through to the next level. The first challenge also seemed comparatively simple yet again but it wasn’t because the judges knew what they were looking for. Another 10 contestants were selected in the potato peeling round accumulating the number of selected contestants to 30.

The main & the last challenge of Boot Camp was held in Moin Khan Academy where 30 contestants had to fight for securing the spot in top 16 that too by showing their BBQ techniques & skills. The contestants got sea food, red meat & white meat randomly & they had to decide what they were presenting the chefs spontaneously.

I am glad that we got to see some brilliant performances because one really can’t experiment with the looks of the barbecued meat but the way the contestants presented the food was brilliant. The judges set the criteria of ingredients, taste, presentation & creativity on which they’d be making the judgments & they themselves were glad to see the contenders coming up with absolutely brilliant dishes that too in the time frame of 60 minutes.

A lot of great contestants made it to the top 16 & a few were left behind. It may be wasn’t their day but I am glad that they showed a sportsman spirit & accepted the decision of the judges pretty well. I was glad to see Adnan Qureshi, Iqra Yasin, Madiha Khalid, Maryam Nida, Amna, Gulnaz, Ali Shah, Saad Ali, Azam Hafiz, Rayyan Durrani, Khurram Haroon, Ammarah Numan, Anila Qamar along with few others making it to the next round.

I was hoping that they’d unveil the MasterChef Kitchen this week but it didn’t happen. The preview did show a few glimpses & I must say I am totally impressed. Everything looks top-notch & the finesse is praise worthy. The project managers have done an amazing job in providing the quality that was required of this kitchen. I thought by the end of the selection process they’d show a ticker of the top 16 with their names & their respective cities but it didn’t happen. By this time around they should make a move & help us in memorizing the names of the contestants because it gets harder to remember & keep a track of them. But never-mind, 2 weeks down & still totally impressed. The team has done their job really well.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

So, with this episode the introductory week of Masterchef Pakistan comes to an end. Once again no other complaints but I felt that the episode started way too suddenly as if the editor was in a rush but other than that the auditions couldn’t get any better because we got to see some amazing cooking skills by some very genuine people. I enjoyed this episode a lot because of a certain contestants & I can’t wait to see more.

This episode showed a lot more contestants who came & won the apron to get through to the next round. Next time there will be a boot camp where top 50 will strive to earn a place in the top 16 & then the real competition will begin. I must say once again that I am totally impressed by the level of cookery we’re seeing on this show, that too people from normal backgrounds & all walks of life are coming up with something unique is striking a chord hard.

The contestants who won the apron in tonight’s episode were:

Almira a young lady from Bhawalpur who presented ‘Meaty Muffins w/ Garlic Mashed Potatoes’.
Anila Kamar a mother from Faisalabad who came up with her own technique of ‘BBQ Biryani’.
Maryam a housewife & a mum from Lahore & she made ‘Chicken Permesan’.
Khurram Haroon a businessman & a Rugby player from Lahore who presented Japanese dishes ‘Sushi & Calamari’.
Zaid Rasheed a fashion designer from Peshawar who presented ‘Jin Min Rolls w/ Self-cooked Sauce’.
Zainab Majeeb a fashion designer who learnt the cooking from her bro-in-law & she made ‘Pecan Crushed Chicken w/ Tomatoe & Spinach Pasta’.
Dr. Maryam Soomro of Karachi & she made ‘Japanese Cuisine’.
Gulnaz from Chitral who came with a support of her husband & she made the traditional ‘Ghulmandi & Randeru’.
Denis Fernandis of Karachi who left a job to participate in Masterchef, he made ‘Stove-cooked Chocolate Cupcakes & Chicken Breast w/ Cheese’.
Misbah Imran from Lahore & she came up with ‘Sajji’.
Faiza Siddique from Egypt & she made the Arabic dish ‘Chicken Dunni’.
Ali Shah a student & the most interesting contestant who came up with ‘Accidental Dish’ but later the judges named it as ‘Mun Mun Chicken’.

So, these were the contestants & I must say a few were really interesting. I liked Mrs. Gulnaz because of the determination she had & the funniest comment she came up with was that her area had no cable & because of that her family won’t be able to see that she came up for the auditions. The best thing to see was that her husband was supportive of her & was encouraging her to participate in this show. Ali Shah, he himself had no idea & no hope of getting selected came up with interesting conversation & engaged the judges as well. I had a good laugh seeing his excitement & he was like even the Australian Masterchefs won’t reckon that he got selected that too in Pakistan, lol. Other than Gulnaz & Ali Shah, I am also rooting for Khurram Haroon, Zaid Rasheed, Zainab Majeed, Dr. Maryam Soomro & Faiza Siddique. I hope all these people make it to the top 16 & shine in there.

I am totally loving this show because of the fact that they have kept it very simple & haven’t turned it into a melodrama where every single contestant is coming & shedding tears sharing their miseries to earn the apron. Yes, the narration can get a little filmy as pointed out by a reader earlier & the editing issues must subside so other than that, I am enjoying it a lot. Can’t wait for the next week because of the Boot Camp. The contestant there will be facing a lot of challenges set by the judges, so let’s see what do they come up with!

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Ohkay so firstly I must say WOW! The very first seaon of the most awaited Masterchef Pakistan has begun & I am totally impressed. The very first episode was enough to let us know the scale at which this show is going to be conducted. I liked the simple approach where they didn’t try to dig deeper into the backgrounds of the contestants but in stead sticked to their cooking skills which they came to show in this competition. First episode down & can’t wait to see what’s more to come already. :)

The judges of the show are Chef Mehboob, Chef Khurram & Chef Zakir. I must say the judges kept their grace & were to the point. They were lenient & friendly with the contestants but were strict when it came to the judgement, just exactly how the judges should be like. At the beginning of the episode they announced that the title winner will be awarded with PKR 50 Lacs & a chance to publish their own cook book, which I must say is a huge pay off in any reality show ever seen.

Now coming onto the auditions, I liked the fact that they didn’t go all over Pakistan to show where & how they picked which contestant. The show has commenced at a point where top 100 have been selected & now the battle for the top 50 spots has begun. The judges didn’t give much of a critera of their judgement but by looking at the auditions they certainly selected those who came up with their own mind in the cooking. The judges are definitely looking for some creativity & mostly those contestants who attempted fusion cooking got through to the next round.

I must say to be honest I never expected to see such advanced & diverse cooking in Masterchef Pakistan, not underestimating our talent by any means but I didn’t know people all across Pakistan would marvel at different techniques of cooking that well. All those contestants who came forward for the auditions presented something unique & fascinating which proves that this competition is going to be a lot more interesting & there’s no chance left to miss this show.

A few contestants who got selected in tonight’s episode were:

Mudassir Ilyas the GM of Medical store from Karachi & he presented ‘Fish w/ Garlic Rice & Vegetable Sauce’
Madiha Khalid a housewife from Islamabad & she came up with ‘Grilled Salmon w/ Smoked Salad & Orange Sauce’
Kaneez Zehra a housewife from Karachi who made ‘Hindustani Platter’
Adnan Qureshi a student from Islamabad who did a fusion of ‘Rice Macaroni & Steaks’
Bushra Fatima who came up with ‘Chicken Biryani & Cake Rusk Sweet Dish’
Ainne a yoga instructor who made ‘Steam Roast & Chicken Kastoori’
Madiha a student from Islamabad & she came up with ‘Chicken Mushroom w/ Bashindo Sauce’
Saad Mustafa a CEO who presented ‘Mutton Chops w/ Brown Gravy, Mesh & Fig Chutney’
Ammarah Numan a housewife from Karachi & she made ‘Mexican Enchiladas w/ Salsa Sauce’
Ammar Afridi a student & a fan of Gordon Ramsay who made ‘Indo Chinese Chicken Chilli Dry’
Ambreen Tariq a Government employee & she made ‘Chatni Fish w/ Spicy Veggies’
Some others who got the aprons were Sobia, Sidra Tariq, Raheel Fatima & Ali Baloch.

So this was the list of the contestants who got the white aprons in these auditions & they qualified for the next round. One thing that’s worth mentioning is that these contestants went through live cooking challenge where they got a time limit of 1 hour in which they had to present the food to the judges & to cook such amazing dishes in an ultimatum with such a pressure on your head is amazing.

I am glad that they kept the spirit of the show light-hearted & the contestants kept their calm as well. They did show their excitement which was obviously justified but none of them actually went on a sympathy spree in front of the judges. This was the only thing that I was dreading in Masterchef but I must say I am glad our weekends are now going to be filled with something worthy & we’d have something to look forward to & discuss every week.

One thing that did bug me a little was the choppy editing because some contestants weren’t introduced properly & some didn’t tell which city they belonged to. I think it would’ve been better that along with the dish ticker, they had shown the ticker having the details of the contestants so as to remember them easily but never-mind.

Of all the contestants in this episode I found Madiha Khalid, Ammarah Numan, Madiha, Ammar Afridi & Ambreen Tariq really interesting & I am definitely rooting for them all. Really happy with the curtain raiser of Masterchef Pakistan & can’t wait to see the rest of the season, bring it on!!! :)

Share your views about the very first episode.

Keep supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

So, the very first season of MasterChef Pakistan is about to end. This was the Semi Final & with this we got our first three finalists. As much as I liked the theme of the challenge, I am unhappy about the results.

The challenge that the contestants got was to create their signature dishes, that they have imagined serving in their dream restaurants. They got the time span of 2 hours & by the end of it they had to make sure it was of restaurant quality, they had to do the costing & pricing keeping every component in mind & also they had to name the dish too. The winning dish of the challenge would not only have earned a spot in the finale but also was promised to be included in the menu of Movenpick Restaurant.

I believe it was more like an invention test but then again the contestants were free to do whatever they wanted to create a dish that they liked. I wish the challenge was a bit more dynamic where they had asked them to come up with something totally different that the judges themselves had not tried before, because then I am sure by doing that everyone would’ve been pushed harder to come out of their comfort zones in order to win a spot in the finale. The dishes that surfaced were good no doubt but I am not too sure about the decision. The dishes that the contestants presented & the comments that they got were:

Rayyan came up with ‘Sam Pla’ (Smoked, Steamed & Seared Fish). He chose Thai language to name his dish where Sam means 3 & Pla means fish, referring to his three ways cooked fish. The cost price that Rayyan put up was Rs. 312 & the selling price that he decided was Rs. 1092. Chef Mehboob liked the smoked fish along with the veggies but he felt that the tofu should’ve been seasoned because it had no flavour whatsoever. Chef Khurram liked the usage of lemongrass because he felt it gave a very nice flavour to the dish however, he felt that only the crust of the fish had that flavour & no taste was instilled inside the fish. He felt that just because Rayyan had kept the portion size a bit too considerable, the costing & the selling price got affected. According to him, this dish shouldn’t have costed more than Rs. 900. Chef Khurram also complained that there was too much going on that plate & the serving was too big for a single plate. Chef Zakir felt that all three fish fillets were overcooked. He liked the bean sprouts but he felt that just because rice & fish were dry, they should’ve been complimented with some sort of a sauce to balance it out.

Gulnaz presented ‘Kalli, Scherachapik & Suleimani Chai’. The cost that Gulnaz calculated was Rs. 330 & the selling price that she chose was Rs. 850. Chef Mehboob appreciated the fact that she chose the local dishes to present this time. He liked the traditional pasta that Gulnaz made & felt that the minced meat used in kalli had a very nice flavour; however he felt that scherachapik could’ve been better. Chef Khurram didn’t like the presentation & he felt that the tea was necessary to be served with this dish because it was too rich in flavour but he also commended that the flavours were instilled in every component of the dish. He felt that the bread in scherachapik was good & so was the filling but he felt that it lacked seasoning. He agreed with the selling price but felt that she should’ve cut down on the cost price a bit. Chef Zakir felt that kalli had such nice flavour that makes you want to eat it more. He also commended her for making pasta the traditional way & appreciated that effort a lot.

Amna came up with ‘Road House Steak Special’. The cost price of this dish was Rs. 300 & selling price was Rs. 799. Chef Mehboob liked the sauce a lot but he felt that the chicken was overcooked & was a bit dry. He also felt that sweet corns weren’t cooked properly therefore they weren’t tender. Chef Khurram felt that the dish on the whole was too creamy as every component of the dish like mash potato, mushroom filling, mushroom coating had cream. Chef Zakir liked the flavours of chicken steak but he felt that the core of chicken had no flavour at all.

Madiha presented ‘Special Smoked Chops w/ Creamy Dip’. The cost price was Rs. 352 & the selling price was Rs. 985. Chef Mehboob felt that the basket that she made should’ve been a bit thin. He liked the flavours of mutton chops a lot & also felt that the veggies had a very good flavour. Chef Khurram felt that she should’ve rearranged the plating but the taste was good & the chops were tender. He also felt that she miscalculated the prices & going by the serving this dish should’ve had a selling price of Rs. 800. Chef Zakir liked the level at which the mutton chops were cooked & he liked the colour as well.

Ammarah named her dish ‘Grilled Chicken & Prawns w/ Unique Mushroom Sauce’ which was later changed by Chef Zakir & renamed as ‘Casablanca Grilled Chicken’. Cost price was Rs. 400 & the selling price was Rs. 999. Chef Mehboob liked every single component of the dish, he felt that everything had a unique flavour from prawns to chicken to the mushroom sauce & the chicken was cooked to perfection. Chef Khurram loved the presentation but felt that the costing & selling price wasn’t right. Chef Zakir felt that the chicken was flawless & every component on that plate was perfect.

It was now time for the results. Everyone got well-deserved comments & I feel that the judges this time around didn’t change any of their comments; they stated the same thing in the final verdict that they discussed at the tasting table. It was pretty evident that Ammarah’s dish stood out the most & yes, she was declared as a winner of the semi-final round & also got a reward of having her dish featured in the Movenpick Restaurant’s menu. The second contestant that became a finalist was Gulnaz. Third & the last finalist was Madiha, leaving Rayyan & Amna behind & eliminated.

As much as I am happy for Ammarah & Madiha I am extremely sad at Rayyan’s elimination. I think it was a poor decision taken by the judges. All this while, in almost every single elimination round, we’ve seen the judges saving those contestants who may not have performed well in the current challenge but were saved because of their previous track record, so why that couldn’t happen for Rayyan? I mean Rayyan has been the only contestant who has showcased some amazing techniques but sadly he was eliminated because definitely the judges had a personal vendetta against him. Chef Zakir may have tried to justify his behaviour with Rayyan labeling it as ‘pyaar’ but sorry he fell short on that justification. As far as I know, the contestants were asked to create ONE dish but Gulnaz came up with 2 dishes & none of the judges raised an objection on it. Though the Riwaitee Pasta (Pasta being a riwayat of MasterPasta Pakistan) may have earned her a spot in the competition but then is creating local food & playing it safe is what the show’s all about? I wish Rayyan had a better sob story so then he might’ve earned himself a spot in the finale. I think Chef Zakir didn’t even have good things to say about him while bidding him a goodbye even where he felt the need of revising the name he gave to him.

I think the contestants may have gotten a good treatment behind the camera where they got to stay at Movenpick Hotel & worked under a professional environment, observation of a huge team & crew but that doesn’t mean the judges can literally sideline you or speak openly against you by calling you names. Even the ladies were shocked at Rayyan’s elimination because deep down they also knew that he deserved to be a finalist as he has been a very good contender. Really disappointed at the result of this round & brace yourselves as Gulnaz might be the winner, she has been awarded with advantages before where once she stuffed up every single component on her dish but was saved, so this time around I am sure the smoke of her local food will cloud the judgement of the judges once again. Share your thoughts on this.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Finally, with this episode, MasterChef Pakistan has come to an end. It was a tough fight & all the contestants made sure they raised the bar high. All the finalists; Ammarah Nouman, Madiha Khalid & Gulnaz pushed themselves really hard to fight for the title but only one could win it. The Grand Finale episode was good & I couldn’t wait to find out who has won.

The challenge was pretty simple with no rules whatsoever. The finalists got a leeway of creating 3 course meal in 3 hours with an open pantry. I thought they would be asked to have a certain theme flowing in their menu but none of that was included in the description when the judges gave the briefing about the challenge. However, the dishes were good with some amazing plating that we got to see.

The dishes that the contestants served & the comments that they got are:

Gulnaz’s 3 course meal consisted of:

Entrée: Grilled Prawns w/ Pumpkin Salsa. Chef Mehboob felt that the salsa should’ve had a bit more seasoning whereas the prawns were cooked perfectly, they were juicy & succulent. Chef Khurram liked the presentation of the dish & also felt that the prawns had a very nice flavour however, the salsa lacked seasoning. Chef Zakir liked the dish on the whole too.

Main: Dumpukht Chicken w/ Ratatouille Vegetables. Chef Mehboob liked the fusion of traditional chicken with the French veggies. He felt that they were cooked just rightly where they weren’t under or over cooked. Chef Khurram liked the taste, the texture & the colours that the vegetables had. Chef Zakir felt that the usage of vegetables in this dish took it to another level where the juices of all those veggies went really well with the chicken.

Dessert: Mamul Joz w/ Chocolate Ganache. Chef Mehboob liked the presentation & he felt that she gave a new dimension to the local sweets with the usage of coffee because no one uses it that way. Chef Khurram liked the tastes that coconut, honey & coffee gave but he felt that the walnut was overpowering it & made it a bit too strong. Chef Zakir liked the plating of the dish.

Madiha’s 3 course meal consisted of:

Entrée: Crumb Fish Fried w/ Tartar Sauce. Chef Mehboob felt that the fish wasn’t smoked enough as it should’ve been but the fish on its own had a very nice flavour & it was cooked beautifully where it was moist. Chef Zakir liked the fish as well & felt it was cooked perfectly & had a great taste. Chef Khurram felt that the salsa was a bit too oily considering the portion size.

Main: Singaporean Rice w/ Hot Sauce. Chef Mehboob liked the flavour of the sauce & also the veggies but felt that the chicken was overcooked & a bit dry. Chef Khurram liked the texture of the rice & also the sauce but felt that the presentation wasn’t MasterChef quality. Chef Zakir felt that he could name this rice as vegetable fried rice as according to him, they weren’t Singaporean at all.

Dessert: Panna Cotta w/ Blueberry Sauce. Chef Mehboob liked the texture of the panna cotta & also the usage of blueberries. Chef Khurram liked the idea & also the flavour of panna cotta. Chef Zakir liked the flavour of blueberry syrup as well.

Ammarah’s 3 course meal consisted of:

Entrée: Couscous Mango Salsa w/ Grilled Prawns & Chilli Sauce. Chef Mehboob liked the salsa a lot & felt that it had some fresh colours & it was very light. He also liked the prawns & the sauce. Chef Khurram liked the presentation & felt that the portion was perfect as an entree dish but he found the sauce a bit too sour for his liking. Chef Zakir felt that the usage of avocado took the salsa to another level because it balanced the flavours really well.

Main: Pan Fried Salmon w/ Orange Sauce. Chef Mehboob felt that the fish was cooked to perfection as it maintained its shape, yet it was moist from the inside. He liked the usage of asparagus & felt that they were cooked perfectly however he had an issue with the sauce as he felt that flavour of honey was dominant in the whole sauce. Chef Khurram felt that the consistency of the sauce wasn’t right & it wasn’t as thin as it should’ve been. He found the potatoes a bit tasteless & slightly undercooked however he liked the fish fillet a lot. Chef Zakir liked the usage of crushed black pepper on the skin because he felt that it gave a new flavour to the skin as it was pan fried properly.

Dessert: Brownie w/ Cream Cheese Frosting, Raspberry Sauce, Chocolate Mousse & Nut Crumble. Chef Mehboob felt that the chocolate mousse along with the nut crumble was exquisite. Chef Khurram liked the sponge of the brownie but felt that the usage of sugar in cheese cream frosting made the dish a lot sweeter. Chef Zakir liked the presentation & the usage of colours on the plate. He also liked the nut crumble in the chocolate mousse & felt it balanced out the flavours really well.

It was now time for the final announcements but the judges had some great surprises in store for the finalists. First one was the announcement of the prize money that all three of them will get, which was a very good idea & just the right way of acknowledging the finalists & their efforts. 2nd runner up was to get get Rs. 0.5 Million, 1st runner up would get Rs. 1 Million & the prize money for the winner was Rs. 5 Million. After that announcement the finalists got another pleasant surprise & that was their reunion with their families. It was good to see the support they got from their families & I had a huge smile on my face seeing Gulnaz’s husband & Ammara’s husband supporting their wives. Finally, Gulnaz’s husband had good news to tell that the people in Chitral were showing great response to Gulnaz’s decision of coming to MasterChef & they were proud of her, which is good.

So, it was now time for the final announcements. 2nd Runner Up was Madiha Khalid, 1st Runner Up was Gulnaz & the well-deserving, the most consistent & the perfect contestant who won the Title of First Ever MasterChef Pakistan was Ammarah Nouman. I think this result was an icing on the cake. The season on the whole was enjoyable with a few hits & misses but the note at which it ended makes it a memorable journey. I am extremely happy at the decision taken by the judges but then again, Ammarah’s food spoke volumes about how good it was. Really proud of Ammarah Nouman & I congratulate her & wish her good luck. Share your say on her win & the grand finale episode of MasterChef Pakistan.

In the end I would like to thank all the dear readers who appreciated my efforts & liked the reviews that I wrote for MasterChef Pakistan. Just wait for a little while & you’ll be seeing an overview on MasterChef Pakistan in a couple of days. :)

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

ps: Since it’s my last review for the week, so I am wishing all the dear readers ~*Eid Mubarik*~ in advance. :)