Mumbai/Bhubaneswar: The four finalists of MasterChef India Season 6, which included Odisha’s Abinas Nayak and Smrutisree Singh, were in for a surprise when their family members were invited to judge the dishes prepared by them in the first round of the grand finale.
The finalists had served their childhood on plate during this round.
‘Mutton Dhaughalri’ by Smrutisree was served first and she was unsure whether her mother, Rita Singh, would be able to recognise her dish, which had elements from her childhood. She hoped that she would from the ‘manja’ (banana stem) curry she had cooked. The tension on her face was palpable.
Abinas’ ‘Mitha Bhatta’ (sweet rice), a quintessential Odia dish, was served next. Parents of the finalists from Odisha were seen relishing it. While Abinas felt that her father did recognise his dish for its flavour, Smrutisree said that her mother seemed equally confidant that it was her’s.
Smrutisree’s mother gave a 8 out of 10 to her dish and so did Abinas’ father.
Abinas’ dish, on the other hand, got a score of 10 on 10 from the duo.
While Abinas with his score totalling to 61 made it to the next round with Oindrila Bala (64) and went on to win the title, Smrutisree (56) had to be contend with the third slot.
