Kishwar, who ‘reimagined’ Bengali dishes in MasterChef Australia 2021, finishes third

Kishwar Chowdhury of Bangladeshi descent has finished third in the 2021 edition of the prestigious MasterChef Australia competition, coming behind Justin Narayan, who finished first, and Pete Campbell.

The 38-year-old residing in Melbourne went through weeks presenting Bangladeshi culinary heritage to the astonishment of a panel of judges in an emotional journey which culminated on Tuesday.

A pastor of Indian descent, Justin grabbed the highest points to be declared the winner. He picked up a cool $250,000 for his efforts – but it was an admirable showing for all of the top three.

The contestants began with golden crackle as Kishwar began presenting two immaculate-looking dishes -- a 25-minute plate-up of squid noodle dish accompanied with the golden crackle. She said she felt like she just climbed Everest as she was in tears.

The Australian High Commission in Dhaka congratulated Kishwar on her “fantastic achievement.”

Justin was the self-proclaimed underdog heading into Tuesday night’s MasterChef grand finale, with 51 points to favourite Pete’s 53.

But in the end, Justin romped to victory with a total score of 125 points to Pete’s 124 and 114 from Kishwar.

“The extraordinary chefs and mentors I met on my journey here, inspired me to research ancient techniques and reimagine dishes that have been passed down from generation to generation,” Kishwar said on Facebook as she posted a picture of her final dish for the 2021 contest.

She said culinary genius of celebrity chef proprietor Heston Blumenthal of The Fat Duck Restaurant in the UK had her thinking about the concept of “Smoked Water”.

Smoked Rice Water, Kishwar Chowdhury's final dish at MasterChef Australia 2021.

Meeting another celebrity chef, Scott Pickett of Australia, and finding out he has Charcoal Smoked Water on his menu, gave Kishwar the confidence to reach into her repertoire of dishes that people from her culture only serve at home in Bangladesh.

“So here is my last and final homage to a dish that deserves this stage. As Jock Zonfrillo (MasterChef judge) put it, this food belongs here. It’s been an honour to be able to bring this food to the Masterchef Australia platform.”

Watching their regular dishes becoming famous with a magical touch by Kishwar, Bangladeshis all over the world threw their support behind the “Royal Bengal Tiger Mum”, as she describes herself on Instagram, with the hashtag #GoKishwar on social media platforms.

"Did Kishwar Chowdhury win the 250k ? - NO/Did she win a million + hearts - HELL YES!!" her spouse Ehtesham Newaz, who is also from Bangladesh, wrote on Facebook.