MasterChef is one of the culinary television reality shows in the universe. About 40 countries around the world have their own MasterChef program. 'MasterChef Australia' is at the top of the list in terms of popularity among the MasterChef events in the world. This is a game show of competitive cooking.

Recently a few cooking videos from MasterChef Australia that contain the most popular Bangladeshi dishes went viral on social media. Kishwar Chowdhury, a cook of Bangladeshi descent, got famous overnight by cooking traditional Bangladeshi dishes like Chicken Korma, smoked eggplant (Begun Vorta), Goat Rezala, Rangamati Barramundi curry, etc. Preparing delicious dishes one after another, Kishwar attracted the attention of the audience of different languages, including judges.

Kishwar Chowdhury is participating in the popular television reality show MasterChef Australia. But whether she will win the title of MasterChef Australia or not, everyone will know in a few days.

Read: Kishwar wins Australians hearts with her Bangladeshi recipe

Who is Kishwar Chowdhury?

Kishwar Chowdhury, a native of Melbourne, Victoria, was born and raised in Australia. Although she is Australian, her family atmosphere was always 'Bangaliana.' She is a 'business developer' by profession. Father Kamrul Hossain Chowdhury, a prominent businessman, social worker and freedom fighter, living in Victoria, and mother, Laila Chowdhury. Although both his father and mother are Bangali, her father is from Bikrampur, Dhaka, and her mother is from Kolkata Bardhaman. Both of her parents came to Australia in the 1980s, and they met in Australia. Later they got married.

Kishwar studied at Presbyterian Ladies College. She did a Bachelor of Commerce at Monash University. After that, she earned a postgraduate degree from the University of London in Graphic design.   

There has been a debate whether Kishwar is Bangladeshi or Indian, while a piece of Indian news claimed her as one of their own. However, she is 100% Bengali, but Half Indian and Half Bangladeshi. So, none of the nations can claim her as one of their own. She has an extended family in both Bangladesh and India.

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The Way Her Interest in Cooking Grew

However, despite living abroad, Kishwar's parents have maintained the language and culture of their country, and they have encouraged their children to adopt it. From childhood, she was taught about cooking as well as the source of cooking ingredients. In their garden, the Chowdhury family produces everything from herbs to vegetables, peppers, and pumpkins. Moreover, Kishwar's parents have involved their children in these activities since childhood. Therefore, Kishawar's cooking experience did not build in a day.

She has a cooking habit that she inherits from her family. Her father loved fishing, and she used to go fishing with him as a child. Moreover, she grew up seeing fresh fish cooked at home whenever her father brought fish from fishing. In fact, the environment was always at home like that.

Although Kishwar could not remember the age at which she started cooking, the first memory revolved around cooking. And that memory is her mother making a cake with a 3/4-year-old Kishwar next to her. She had been trained in chopping vegetables, onions, cutting fish and chickens since childhood. Sometimes, Kishwar's mother used to give the responsibility of cooking to her sisters as well. They used to cook pasta, noodles, etc.

Overall, Kishwar's cooking started with her parents. No matter what the type of cooking, there was always a menu of Bengali food at home, especially for dinner. That's how Kishwar learned cooking and grew her passion for cooking.

Read: Famous Traditional Sweets and Desserts in Bangladesh

Kishwar Chowdhury's Journey in Australian MasterChef

The thought of participating in MasterChef came to her mind after the coronavirus situation started in Australia in 2020 like all over the world. One thing that kept popping up last year was the way her parents had instilled the culture, the food, everything in them, whether she could pass it on to her children or not. Moreover, she was sure that all the parents who live outside the origin have this thought too. And with that in mind, Kishwar plans to write a book for the next generation.

However, Kishwar never had any desire to apply to MasterChef Australia. It was her son's dream, and he often used to tell her to participate in MasterChef. However, Kishwar's son is also a good cook. She told her son to try for a junior master chef. But the son suggested she apply for MasterChef. That is when Kishwar decided to apply and set an example for her son as well as the family.

Thinking about four-year-old daughter Serafina and eleven-year-old son Mikael, Kishwar's efforts seem to be gaining momentum. And her family and life partner Ehtesham Newaz were always by her side.

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Challenges She Thought She might Face

Presenting Bangladeshi food in the international arena was as challenging as it was fun for Kishwar. She always cooked for family and children. Her friends also like Kishwar's cooking. But there was a thought about how useful that cooking would be in such a competition. But her confidence and cooking skills have already made her one of the top three among the 24 contestants. Now she is one of the finalists in MasterChef Australia.

Kishwar has always wanted to introduce all the different Bengali dishes to the Australian natives. They were quite interested in Bengali cuisine, and had questions about the foods. Hence, it was challenging for her whether the Australians would like it or not.

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Why Did Kishwar Choose Bangladeshi Food?

There are many Bangladeshi restaurants in Australia, London, and other places abroad, but there is not much Bengali food available in those restaurants. Most of the dishes are Indian. Even though the owners of those restaurants are mostly Bangladeshi, Bangladeshi food is not seen in that way. Her wish was to highlight 'Bengali Food Identity.' And that is what she has accomplished in MasterChef Australia.

Final Words

Kishwar Chowdhury has already reached the final round of MasterChef Australia. She has risen to the top three after battling Masterchef's last service challenge on Sunday. Chowdhury had to cook three restaurant-type meals in 4 hours. Justin Narayan and Alice Pulbrook are the other two contestants. However, Kishwar reached the top three first in the judge's verdict. But, she took a serious risk on the last ride and cooked complex items like the traditional 'Nehari.' The 13th season of the show will be finished on July 12 and 13 at the end of a total of 3 hours and 40-minute show. After that, we will know the winner.

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