Welcome to the Super Chef kitchen

As seen last week, the participants didn't have an easy start to their careers in the Super Chef kitchen. Sharmin Lucky, the face of Bangladesh's most beloved cooking show, “Siddiqa Kabir's Recipe”, arrived as a guest judge on Bangladesh's most popular culinary competition - Rupchanda-The Daily Star Super Chef. The challenge was then announced. A lottery would be held with each participant blindly picking a piece of paper. The paper would contain a name of one of the three recipes selected by the judges from Siddiqa Kabir's book- “Ranna, Khaddo Pushti”, and the participant would then have to replicate that dish. The worst dish would result in the first elimination in the kitchen. 

Masum, a former pastry chef of a five star hotel was seen working frantically, almost as if he had developed a sudden fierce edge. “I don't have an option but to win now,” Masum declared, in between his preparation. Behind the scenes, Masum had just been informed that his job was in a vulnerable state. Torn between work and competition, Masum had chosen the latter and he had paid a price. “There is no going back now,” Masum said, more to himself than anyone else, eyes narrowed in concentration and locked firmly on the recipe before him. 

Masum's gesture of narrowing his eyes and leaning over the recipe was mimicked by the almost everyone else. The judges themselves fell into silence. In that instant, time had momentarily frozen with even the cameras refusing to whir. This was to be the prospective Super Chef's first real impression; their first claim to the bragging rights. No one would go down without a fight and no one did. 

While Masum breezed through, Utpal's lalmohon let him down. A small town boy, Utpal found his way into the Super Chef kitchen on the back of three yeses from the judges. While his use of coconut in his dishes may have won them over then, his elimination was a stern reminder of the error of resting on one's laurels at this level. “I came here to make something of myself and to bring honour to my family. Perhaps, I may have accomplished that a little but more importantly here I found a new family,” Utpal said in his farewell, reminding us how the bonds remained strengthened despite the pressure of   competition. 

Friendships will once again be put on hold this week, as the pressure begins to boil over. A special judge will once again put forth another challenge. This time the guest will be Chef Dominiq Gomez, one of the most well known culinary names in the country. Cross that and a fight for survival will greet them on Sunday. Legendary cricket Sachin Tendulkar once described his batting technique as simply a matter of trusting his own instinct. That is the kind of mentality the chefs must have regarding their cooking if they wish to become Rupchanda-The Daily Star Super Chef 2016. Tune into ntv tonight and tomorrow at 9:00pm to see what is in store. 

Flip to page 5 to take part in the Rupchanda-The Daily Star Super Chef quiz and win a chance to dine with the Super Chefs!