Banyard adai, desi granola bars, horse gram curry with thinai paniyaram, mudakathan dosai and keppai roti shared space with labaj, pandan leaf rolls, banana bread, millet muesli muffins and egg tarts at the MLC Master Chef 2018 cooking contest, themed on ‘Healthy breakfast for kids’, organised by Sindhi Council of India Madurai Ladies Chapter. Nearly 100 women and a lone man showcased their culinary skills with a wide range of innovative dishes that were both traditional and experimental. From new age healthy ingredients like quinoa rice, chia seeds and oats, to forgotten native condiments like thrikadukam, panakalkandu and karupatti, it was a colourful fare of flavours and tastes.

A panel of four judges including a chef and a dietician selected 30 winners apart from top three contestants who were awarded kitchen appliances. “The idea was to spread awareness on the importance of breakfast and eating healthy,” says Madhu Rajani, president of the Ladies Chapter. “I used to do part-time teaching job and found that many children skipped breakfast while rushing to school. And sometimes, working mothers tend to resort to easy-to-make, ready-to-cook food items like noodles to save time. I felt there’s a need to make parents think on health aspects when it comes to breakfast,” she adds, “and people have come up with interesting recipes that are healthy as well as tasty.”

“Some of the preparations were so creative that they can be incorporated into the hotel menu,” says Chef Andavan of JC Residency who judged the dishes. “For instance, labaj is a lesser-known Kutchi dish but is a great breakfast that has a variety of healthy ingredients. Likewise, thakkadi, a popular breakfast in Muslim households around Madurai, is also unique and packed with goodness.”

“Cooking is meditative for me. The kitchen is my lab where I experiment and when I heard of the contest, I referred my mother’s diary of recipes and picked some forgotten recipes,” says Sharmila Arunkumar, a home maker from Anna Nagar, who displayed ulundhakali, bamboo rice puttu and sweet potato laddu for the contest. “Every family may have a heirloom recipe and such contests are a great platform for people to exchange cooking knowledge.”