Masterchef UK Professionals
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Squash, Cashew, and Chickpea Curry
Butternut Squash, Cashew, and Chickpea Curry with Khichuri, Courgette and Sweet Corn Fritter, and Tamarind Yogurt.
Returning for the cook-off, Ismail drew on his Bangladeshi roots for a vegetarian dish inspired by home cooking. {name}: "I'm very comfortable cooking without meat and fish. I love vegetarian food. Back home, vegetarian food is quite a big thing. When we eat, we always have some side dish which is veggie. I also cook a lot of vegetarian curries." On his dish: {name}: "I'm making a butternut squash, cashew, and chickpea curry. I want to bring back a lot of flavour." {name}: "A little taste of home. What I want to show now is that I deserve my place in the semi-final." A judge described the elements: {Judge}: "Ismail is back to taking inspiration from Bangladesh. Excited about the butternut squash and chickpea curry. We've got spiced rice and lentil, it's called khichuri." Another added: {Judge}: "Then he's giving us a fritter using courgette, more spices and some sweet corn. On top of that, this cooling tamarind yogurt, which would be lovely." {Judge}: "Loads of spice everywhere. It's what we're looking for. I'm expecting this to be good." On focus under pressure: {name}: "When you are cooking in front of the judges, sometimes my brain stops working. So my aim is to do what I do in normal life and come up with the best dish I can." The narrator described the finished dish: to secure his place in the competition, Ismail made butternut squash, cashew, and chickpea curry with rice and lentils spiced with chili flakes, crispy kale and chili, served with a courgette and sweet corn fritter topped with tamarind yogurt. Note: during preparation, Ismail described the dish as including mango; the narrator's official description at judging cites cashew.
{Judge}: "Ismail, I like your presentation. It looks great. I like the curry. You've got the sweetness of the butternut squash in there. I really like the fritter. The sweet corn, you've used chickpea flour to bind it. The yogurt on top has got a bit of sharpness, so citrus-like. It's a nice little treat on the side." {Judge}: "The curry's delicious. You've got a fantastic level of heat, just right. Lots and lots of flavour in there without being overpowering. So well done for that." {Judge}: "I'm finding the rice a bit on the soft side. Your curry and your squash are very soft as well. The kale, crispy kale, it's lost its crispiness. It's really soft. That's not quite the next-level cookery that I was looking for." In post-cook discussion: {Judge}: "Ismail gave us a butternut squash cashew nut curry." {Judge}: "I love that little fritter, that sharp addition with the yogurt and the tamarind." {Judge}: "You can't deny it had great flavour, but it was just all a little bit too soft." Ismail was eliminated from the competition.
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