Sumeet Saigal, 46, of Punjabi origin, who made it to MasterChef Australia's Top 8, describes her mom as a 'warm and welcoming hostess', but 'Darji', her paternal grandfather, was her real inspiration when it came to choosing cooking. Once a freedom fighter, he adored pottering about the kitchen, cooking up a toofan. Her first cookbook came from Darji.
Sauce Boss, as Sumeet came to be known on the show, spent her childhood in Bengaluru and recalls the lovely parties her parents, Gurkirpal and Kamal held.
She earned a degree in hotel management, but made a career in sales -- all through, though, the kitchen remained her 'meditative space'. She lives in New South Wales with her husband Gurvinder and 17-year-old twins.
She gathered fame in this season of MasterChef Australia for the pani puri preparation she presented the judges, but was eliminated last Thursday after making it through several rounds.
The surprise element in her 'Rani Pink' Pumpkin Beetroot Soup is the addition of prawns which gives the dish its meaty, sweet taste, along with the desiccated coconut. And the prawn head oil makes a quirky finishing touch. Coincidentally, this shade of pink is one of Sumeet's favourite colours.
Photographs: Kind courtesy MasterChef Australia
Pumpkin Beetroot Soup With Butter Prawns
Serves: 2
Ingredients
For the stock
- 150 gm shallots
- 1 green chilly
- 2 celery stalks
- 200 gm carrot
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 black garlic pods, peeled, or use regular garlic
- 2 litres water
- Salt to taste, around 1 tsp
- ½ tsp pepper
For the coconut milk
- 1 cup desiccated coconut
- 2 cups boiling water
For the soup
- 500 gm butternut pumpkin
- 250 gm beetroot
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 black garlic pod, peeled
- 4 large prawns (reserve the shells and heads for the prawn head oil below)
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 neebu or lime
- Black pepper powder to taste, around ½ tsp
- Salt to taste, around 1 tsp
- 2 microwave-safe bowls
- Water
For the prawn head oil
- Reserved heads and shells of the 4 prawns (above)
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 50 gm shallots
- 2 tbsp butter
- Small sauce jar or squeeze bottle
For the cheese cream
- 75 gm goat cheese
- 25 gm cream cheese
- Pinch salt
- Dash pepper
- Piping bag
Method
For the stock
- Roughly chop the shallots, green chilly, celery, carrots.
- In a large frying pan, heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil over medium heat.
Add the chopped vegetables along with 4 garlic pods and lightly saute.
Take off heat and transfer the vegetables to a pressure cooker.
Add the water and season with salt and pepper.
Cook over high heat for 15 minutes and 3-4 whistles.
Take off heat, release the pressure and strain the stock, discarding the vegetables.
Keep aside.
For the coconut milk
- Soak the desiccated coconut in 2 cups of boiling water for 25 minutes.
Blend with a stick mixer or hand-held belder and then strain.
Discard the solids.
Keep aside.
For the soup
- Peel the pumpkin and the beetroot.
Cut both into 3-cm cubes.
Place the pumpkin and beetroot into two separate microwave safe bowls.
Add just enough water to cover the vegetables.
Season with salt and pepper.
Microwave each for approximately 10 minutes or until cooked through.
Drain the vegetables and keep aside in their separate bowls.
- Select 2-3 cubes, each of the carrots and beetroot and further slice these pieces into 15 mm cubes.
Heat 1 tbsp of the butter in a medium-sized frying pan over medium heat.
Add the smaller cubes and lightly toss until golden.
Add a little salt.
Take off heat and keep aside.
- To prepare the soup, combine the remaining pumpkin and beetroot cubes with the 1 pod black garlic in a large bowl.
Add 1 cup prepared vegetable stock and 1 cup coconut milk.
Add a little more of each if required.
Finish with a squeeze of fresh lime.
Keep aside.
- Devein, tail and shell the prawns place in another bowl with 1 tbsp vegetable oil.
Reserve the heads and shells of the prawns for later to make the prawn head oil.
Season with tiny pinches of salt and pepper.
Toss to coat.
Heat the remaining 1 tbsp butter in a medium frying pan over medium heat.
Lightly fry the prawns for 1-2 minutes until cooked through and slightly charred.
- Keep aside.
For the prawn head oil
- Heat the oil in a medium frying pan.
Add the finely chopped shallots.
Cook until translucent and add the reserved prawn heads and shells.
Cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add the butter and mix.
Let the mixture cool and strain into a small sauce jar or squeeze bottle.
Keep aside.
For the cheese cream
- Puree the goat cheese and the cream cheese in a blender or with a hand held mixer.
Transfer into a piping bag and keep aside.
To serve
- Reheat the soup and pour in a large serving bowl.
Arrange the butter fried prawns on top like garnish, along with prefried smaller cubes of pumpkin and beetroot.
Pipe streaks of the cheese cream in swirls around the garnish.
Finish with the prawn head oil.
Serve hot.