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June 18, 2023 49 mins

Get geared up to gaze out and explore the world of cooking with Master Chef winner Abinas Nayak on the astrix show, Join us as we discuss the Odia prodigy's journey through Obstacles to triumph. Get set up, all you ambitious chefs, as we plunge into his life to discover the compromises he made in order to follow his heart. Prepare for an exciting conversation with one of the state's ideal chefs. Supported by #redbull 00:00 Intro 00:26 Cooking a Necessity or a Passion? 01:45 Gazing the Realm of Cooking 02:30 Sacrifices and Family's Support 04:08 Passion or Money? 05:05 On the Sets of MasterChef 06:35 Cooking Influencing Emotions 08:10 The Judges 09:34 Me or Who? 10:41 The Luck Factor 12:09 Abinas's Mission: Food from Odisha for the World 13:55 Life Before and After MasterChef 15:08 Rasogola: An Odia or Bengali Dish? 17:02 Cooking a Passion or Business 19:44 Nayak's Thought About Pattnaik 21:46 Challenges of the Show 23:00 From an Engineer to a Chef 25:09 Rapid Fire Round 27:55 Audience Questions 28:00 Tip for Beginners 28:58 Job of a Chef 30:45 Is MasterChef Scripted? 32:13 Know MasterChef's Famous Recipe 33:23 Difficulties with Ingredients 34:27 Most Difficult Dish 35:32 Abinas a Anime Lover? 36:14 Guess the Food 36:30 Cheese Cake 38:03 Walnut Brownie or Apple Pie? 41:18 Risotto or Italian Khichdi 45:10 Aglio Olio 46:13 Guess the Pizza Topping (The Astrix Show - Season 2, Episode 15) Episode hosted by: Shruti Sinha and Gargi Priyadarshini Dash Idea and creative by: Shruti Sinha, Gargi Priyadarshini Dash, and Ansh Patnaik Edited by: Nilesh Pattnaik and Siddhant Tripathi Graphics by: Arindam Panigrahi  Show Notes by: Anushka Behera Crew: Anirudh Das (for photoaddictvibes), Amritansu Sahoo, Arindam Panigrahi, Nilesh Patnaik Location Courtesy: Kruti Coffee, Patia Produced by: Siddhant Tripathi


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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hi guys, I am sukhasana. Welcome to the asterisk show,
today we have Master Chef season, 6 winner, abhinash nyak
with us. Hi sir.

(00:23):
How are you doing? I would like to start with the
very basic questions first that everyone wants to know.
So in your Ted Talk, which I wason YouTube, you said that food
was always a part of your life, but somehow it was never the art
of your life. So what exactly happened that

(00:46):
you were attracted towards cooking and You look up it as
your passion, you know, what is one thing?
Which pleases or lessons? Like all the 56 seconds, but not
quite sensitive and from childhood, I wish to eat and
enjoy eating, but never got the time or never got the chance to

(01:10):
cook for myself a friend. But when I started doing that,
that is when I understood that. How beautiful this Performance
and how the process of ending isn't changing a beautiful,
plate of food is amazing. And that is where I understood

(01:31):
he had to do something with foodand I have to do something with
the Journey of the book. And from then onwards, like I'm
completely associated with food and have been cooking in trying
to do new stuff. Yeah.
So you started it after you got the job?
Yes. So I was working as an IT guy

(01:52):
completed, my engineering and but got into it job.
And then I started exploding cooking because that is when I
had to stay alone and prep my own meal earlier.
I was lucky that I had some goodroommates or friend who used to

(02:13):
cook for me. But when I started living alone
and started missing her, Hannah,that is when I started exploring
cooking. And yeah, at that point of time,
I was working as an IT guy. So you are a btech.

(02:33):
So when you decided to leave a high-paying, MNC job and pursue
cooking. Go to MasterChef.
What was your family's reaction?You know, after winning also,
they didn't you that that I haveleft the job the earlier the
reality was I had to leave my job to audition for the Masters

(02:56):
at but you know some point of time you have to take that risk
and I thought I have been preparing and practicing myself
to represent my culture and my Fusion in a platform and master
said gave me that space so I thought this is the only chance
and I have to take a risk and I went For the audition without

(03:19):
knowing that I will qualify or not.
And that point of time, I didn'ttell my family, they used to be,
they were very supportive because I lived before.
Master Zabuza is to participate in lot of competition and
luckily I was winning it so theywere curious and they were
supportive. So Telugu getting care Gia

(03:43):
capture the next board. So but they came to knew that I
I've left the job when after winning the mastership so I told
then and there were okay, they understood that this is my
profession now and this is whereI want to head myself very

(04:03):
supportive. So you chose work satisfaction
above money, of course. So money is a byproduct to get
mother. What I understand if you give
love attention And you passion into something, whatever it is,
may be quoting made be designing, whatever it is.

(04:25):
Money is by product. And if you do it with complete
satisfaction, then that that happened is will give everything
and money will eventually come sooner or later money will come.
But having said that, you have to be little practical and take
calculated risks. Not like me.

(04:48):
Mieke's job forget your legs hurt.
Okay. Audition the regular putana
care, so you have to be little calculative, but you should take
that big step towards your passion or whatever that makes
you happy. That's it.
What was your experience in? MasterChef, like we have these
see the show. It's pretty serious.

(05:09):
Yeah. So, are there any bloopers of
funny incidents that happen? Yes.
A lot of bloopers lot of mistakes happen Chand.
That is what the overall, the overall.
So, is he the home cooks that are amateur chefs Those Who Come
Those, Who audition, and eventually they learn from their

(05:32):
mistakes and, and, and up winneror learning from that
experience, right? So we there was a lot of
mistakes that a lot of bloopers.There's a lot of flaws during
the show. Sometime the equipment from work
the time. There will be stipulated time
and your dis is not complete, you had something else in your

(05:53):
mind, but when the time is up, you have something else on your
plane. That's how the life also of you
always plan for something else, but on the process, you have to
change few things to just get itdone.
Nothing and is perfectly planned.
So and you can learn from that experience and then make the

(06:14):
things better in the next time and there was the whole show.
Of myself was for me at least like I took every episode as my
last one so I gave my best and whatever I knew and yes each
episode I started Brewing at setting getting more confidence.
So yeah. So any funny incident that

(06:37):
happened on the said, oh honey, I was very serious.
I think I was very serious during the show.
I can't remember funny. But we had a lot of fun like
whenever it was grouped as it was a lot of fun where we will
fight for ingredient. We will like have lot of class

(07:01):
to another time ever. They they eat in here.
Are those things are there but one beautiful incident for me
specially and I was not part of the contest.
Like it was an elimination task and I remember vividly that
serve because has created it. It was a pressure test and it
was about Lotus how we can use notice and go.

(07:23):
And from seed to leaves two petals everything and when he
revealed the this, I was on the side and I started crying and I
didn't know why. I am, I was saying, I was not
even the part of the elimination, but the dish was so
beautiful. And you want to create.
This is like that. That is your inspiration.

(07:45):
That is your I do. Will creating that this so that
made me emotional and that made me realize how powerful the food
is and how beautiful like simpleingredient can be and then draw
a lot of emotion out of you. All the judges, we are really

(08:07):
great guest celebrity chefs. Who inspires you the most of the
poet. The favorite yoga zebra to have
Sara Hammond the inspiration by his be they are all legends.
They have created. They have been through Lord
through Inspire as they have done, a lot of great things and

(08:27):
I will tell you individually, saffron be rare is a Storyteller
heat. He makes you visualize food.
So when he started telling aboutthe details about the story,
Behind it disorder ingredient, you you travel with him.
So that's his power and the selfbeneath is amazing and the

(08:50):
coolest desert among all the judges.
So initially I thought you will be the most serious and the
deadliest one but he was the coolest one and his dishes were
amazing world-class and surf, because is an artist, like he,
he visualizes the This in a verydifferent way.

(09:11):
Multi-dimensional, lot of difficult, techniques and
everything. So all of them has inspired and
paid us learned a lot of things from the aircraft.
So I can't pick one of them as my favorite but yes, three of
them, all three of them so you won't MasterChef.

(09:35):
If not you. Who do you think should have
worn the mask? Chef in the law or smoothie
should because we saw that you three were constantly in the top
three and we're doing really well.
So who do you think should happen according to everyone
deserve to win? Like we're on the final file.

(09:58):
I can trust with this Leon real army everyone deserved and you
know sometimes what happens the last day of the day of the event
your this is the best one. Or there's some floor.
That is not your day. I think everyone deserves to be
the winner and I think I do but little, but everyone's, this is

(10:21):
amazing. They have great talent.
Great skill in the hand. Everyone is different from each
other skill wise and technique where they have their own style.
But yeah, everyone deserved whenthere are winner in their own
way. Yeah.
You think that luck actually matters?

(10:42):
If you want to win a reality show.
So not only reality show, you know, I believe after the
mastership only, I believe he you have to keep doing your
work, like whatever you like whatever you want to pursue, you
have to keep doing it. No matter.
What is the result? And some way or other, the

(11:03):
destiny, the luck or whatever you call the Play Your Role to
make you reach there. So for me, I think everything
happened in a particular way andmastership was money ultimate
title but before that, every twomonths, I used to push myself to

(11:25):
participate in some competition to be out of my comfort zone and
after every competition is thingup next cap and I believe that
all things made me reach MasterChef and Liberal.
And I believe I was the lucky one out of everyone who's
Artisan that I could impress that day.

(11:49):
Just good thing, whatever I had to create.
So somewhere, the luck factor isalways there, but you have to
work for yourself. No matter, you get success or
you, fail, whatever you want to try, but we have to keep doing
what you love. So, not Not Indian food is going

(12:11):
viral internationally, butter chicken on and Britain's
national food is chicken tikka masala.
So where do you see odia food? International, that's my
mission. This is that is what I want to
do and that is what I have been doing to portray to put our

(12:33):
cuisine on world map and with that mission only, I went to
mastership. I had to No, with my, this
audition this chicken breast or so to tell allodial people that
we have a beautiful fusion and there are dishes that we are
losing. So let's stretch the right.
Let's start giving the space in our daily life.

(12:56):
That is one mission for all odias around the world and
second is to all Indians and to everyone in the world that are
using is very beautiful and can be presented in a world-class
fine. In the storm.
So that was my to Mission duringthe audition.
And I truly believe that the with the growing generation and

(13:21):
the way we are loving and showcasing a food, The Taste
closer when we could see audio foods and some Western and even
like for faction of photo has reached New York, Australia and
every word like it is one of thefever.
This nowadays. So there there are restaurant in

(13:45):
New York the restaurant in Australia where they're serving
chain up or do so. Yes, we are slowly.
Yeah, how was your life before MasterChef?
And then what changes you faced after MasterChef?
Because winning, MasterChef is not a little thing.
It's a big deal and with it comes a lot of Fame and

(14:07):
everything. So yes, the Life has definitely
changed, not in terms of feel, of course I have got lot of
cream, love and visibility afterthe show, but also changed me in
terms of how I used to see life and how I used to pursue.

(14:32):
So earlier, I used to think about chemo.
J. Ackerman, I want to do certain
things now after my Masters of Ithink I have got more
responsibility that I have to take my cues in and put Mike
Eugene and the whole Indian Fusion on world map.
So I'm thinking from that perspective.
So in that way also it has changed and now I think I have a

(14:54):
voice now which I could say to alot of people and take them with
me to tell something that also has that opportunity.
I've got after them. Fun.
Controversial question, and I would like the viewers to also

(15:15):
comment down their opinions rasagulla, kakihara, West Bengal
now, disa. Okay.
This is this thing has been going for very long, and there
are a lot of saying via Segovia once again, but also globally
sir about that, okay? That there are a lot of other

(15:39):
fighting of the mediation board exam or been working, but near
piura worldwide met the fights for food and which is, I think,
which is the cutest thing you like you're fighting for food.
So the Schooler de S Collision, enjoy every food, I don't think
on the run, will be really happywith the size it is, and which

(16:05):
is present in Kolkata, which Bingo lead repair is completely
different than the rasulullah weeat.
So if they are claiming the restlies there, That is different,
not the baby not that we eat. So as good as origin is from
Odessa and our Lord jagannatha, he loves it and I think that's

(16:32):
the way that is where there is blessed Creator, God created and
the theater is here, so beautiful thing to his wife.
So whenever logic, Lord Lakshmi,Me goddess Laxmi is angry.
So Lord jagannath serve rasgullato please her happy.

(16:54):
Yeah so I think from there we can figure out that.
Let's go to Second. So do you think that a
successful Hotel business can beestablished by an Hoon who does
not know anything about cooking?Or is?
Not actually a chef because the world-class restaurant we see

(17:15):
belongs to chefs only see. There are two different world
cooking for passion, looking foryourself, cooking for families,
and friend creating recipes is completely different from
running an institution or running and hotel.

(17:35):
Running and hotels required lot of calculation, lot of other
things that will help to sustainthe institution and food is very
small part of it, okay? So everything revolves around
the food but still food is very small part of it.

(17:56):
It has like, if you want to build a restaurant, you have to
understand numbers. You have to understand labels.
Like you can understand people. Skill, you can understand how to
like engage with people. So not of other factors come in
when you're trying to build a restaurant and anyone those who

(18:20):
have good management skills, those, who understand the skill,
it requires to handle everything.
Of course they can run also and as a lot of money, yes money is
big business. So it is an important.
Art and one thing. But if you have everything but
not a good plate of food, then also it won't it won't work.

(18:44):
What is important apart from that?
Everything else is also required.
If you want to build a restaurant of build a food in
like food institution, but cooking, I think everyone can
do. Whoever don't know how to cook.
They can try make mistakes. Yes.

(19:04):
And I think it, It's a mandatoryskills that everyone should
learn to cook because I think it's the survival Instinct.
Like, if you are alone, you haveto bring your own food and you
have to understand why that ingredient is the how it
function, what are in critical value.

(19:28):
So it is part of life and I think no matter whoever you are,
you should learn to cook at least, Who builds of yourself?
Big first lunch dinner when I live?
So another question is that whatare your thoughts on a banana
Sputnik? Who recently came to season
seven? MasterChef, we couldn't win, but

(19:50):
yeah. Again, meaning is not a big
thing like have to participate and I, I was very happy when I
saw another video guys. Another beautiful name.
I know him before this show we have been friends and we've been

(20:11):
sharing food thoughts and I've been knowing him for a long time
because his work and his intelligence, his research is
very beautiful and the way he see ingredient is amazing like
we he has formal education to understand an ingredient, he

(20:32):
comes from Agriculture and That background as a culinary battle.
No, no he is studies of plants and farming with specific.
So he understand ingredient fromthat perspective, he has
beautiful collection of flowers and recipe related to flowers.

(20:55):
And for fact he is his knowledgeabout the culture.
The food that is associated to the judges duties.
And I know him personally, so I can tell him, he has his title,
was not from Odessa he stayed outside but then also he

(21:17):
understand hand, he is deeply into the culture and the rituals
at this followed, during the festivals and all our job
perverse. So yes, and that way is amazing.
And I have got the opportunity to eat and the to share food

(21:39):
with him also. So it's amazing friend.
So yeah, I'm got very happy whenI saw him.
So why do you think he didn't win the show?
See, winning and losing happens.When there are a lot of
challenges you know. The so is designed in such a way
that it will push each and everyaspect of cooking.

(22:00):
Some time, you will be put into certain situation where you
don't have a certain skill. But another episode there are
skills that still they will enhance the particular skill
that you have. Like for me I think ingredient
and pleating is the best part pairing.
The ingredient is like my strength for him, all the

(22:25):
traditional things is his strongest suit, so maybe some
episode it didn't work for him, and yeah.
Yeah, that's why maybe he didn'twin but winning and losing is
part of the game. So this gate agreed that he
represented, what he saw once again.

(22:46):
And also took that one more steptowards putting more disarm old
map. I'm happy for him and I'm sure
he's been great in his life withhis own word.
My last question to you is, do you believe in destiny because
engineering and King is no whererelated.
So if do you ever feel like? So I believe in destiny for

(23:10):
spark, I completely believe in destiny and as I told you
earlier, also, because where I am now, I would have never
believed all like, I always wanted to do something with
food, but not what, I have like place where am I now?
I have never dreamed about it, so I definitely believe believe

(23:31):
in destiny plays a big part, butsecond Point your toe, Told he
engineering or cooking Allah like you know food is like it
has a lot of Science in it. So cooking if you vote deep down
cooking is like the biggest biggest science project can take

(23:53):
out every spoonful of this spoonful of food is surrounded
by a lot of molecules heard of scientific reactions.
So science of food is not a different hair, okay?
Molecules and you know Saddam Hussein's here, the taste that

(24:16):
we get the experience like smellSave The Taste and answers
fermentation says paste an answer.
So cooking is completely like science and art Cumberland so
yes so everyone can cook and Engineering with you get them.
Extra advantage of knowing the ingredient better.

(24:38):
Yeah. So you ever feel like you were
meant to be here? I think now, I know like, I
believe that I was meant to be surrounded with food and do
whatever I'm doing. Yeah earlier, but Annie here,
question, guns and deeper thinking, but now I know this is

(24:58):
what I meant, so I guess that isit.
Now. I would like gargi to take over
for the special segment. Thank you, thank you so much.
So now it's time for Rapid Fire.You need to answer Within three
seconds. And if you lose then I will be
no point and if you answer within three seconds then it is

(25:19):
yes, right. So you could only eat one food
for the rest of your life, then run Point, Okay?
Then if you were a fruit or vegetable,

(26:07):
so, if you could do a cooking show down with the celebrity
chef, Would would be white to people that I want to post a

(26:33):
question, and I. Okay, so is 21 degrees.
So the next question is the, if you had a superpower related to
cook it, Then what it will do. I feel like I could get all the

(27:17):
lost this is once again, they goback in time.
Yes. Okay.

(27:38):
Then come to the nickname that you have.
That's my nickname for this. Let's go now, it's time for
some, you know, the questions that were asked by our audience.
So, starting with the most askedquestion, what are the few

(28:00):
things? Beginner should keep in mind
while cooking? I think the secret is no one
will. Then everyone should be in the
sense. What we eat?
- lights from Life. Darling order from there
onwards. Start building is about

(28:23):
ingredients read about them. So even if you're not reading
about them and get your hands dirty like country, unless you
do you won't understand, my cooking is Wake start chopping
and then wash my hands. Then again, do still didn't wash
my hands. The process of

(28:58):
how much one can earn on averageby becoming a shred, when you
take, it's not important that everybody will get to some
level. So, let's see this move.
Certain number to it but approximately This, and I can
State a number, right. That you are skilled enough to

(29:19):
manage properly, then you can learn whatever you want.
Like, you can have number of restaurant, still have time for
yourself and manage everyone on your team and this ridiculous

(29:47):
This is not an easy job in and you have to give a time job.

(30:15):
In this profession, that is one thing.
I think I want to get rid of him.

(30:45):
Is everything clear in MasterChef?
Nothing is scripted or plotted, see?
Right big guy and get this question a lot of time.
There's nothing worse than and as a contestant to know what is
happening. That is reality software.

(31:09):
And we do not know what is happening and different people
reacting situation and that is what they want to take out.
Like that is the producer. Moby.

(31:39):
That's how the story. Although this I don't think
there's anything was there. It is for unlike other, but
there is always it, hill behind it.
Like they know what exactly eachepisode has to.
That is pretty bland. Of course, they know he Arch or

(32:02):
great challenge the where they don't care.
Larger group that has proven that they know but what will
come at the end of the show? They don't do it.
So the next question is your recipe of chicken breast.
I think I have put it in my social media or so and really
simple recipe. The traditional one.

(32:23):
Yeah, the dish that I did in Monsters, a completely
different. Having the soul intact, that
will take around. Each description.
Like the simple basic recipe here, for part of mustard.

(32:44):
One, part of human, part of garlic.
The chili is Blended. It was a tough onion chicken or
mixed vegetable to get Triple the space race and I think
everyone should the recipe one because chicken vegetable want

(33:07):
this that be? We're losing it and I think I
was lucky bless that people tookfrom there and yeah, I've been
talking about it. One thing that the your the hate
to cook P.E. He is a strong word.

(33:35):
But II still. Now I haven't got any such
incident between which I hate because every ingredient is very
different and I get to learn from every single ingredient is
now I don't hate anything as of now.
But yeah, definitely why is there are a lot of ingredients

(33:58):
that I preached Jackfruit is onething that Vishal.

(34:25):
So this one is what's the most difficult dish that you've
prepared. Most difficult is there was what
more days, which is called chocolate in knowledge learned,
which I created from every audition that did come on TV.
So it has around 16 to 17 elements of chocolate and

(34:48):
orange. So it was one of the difficult
complex dish of my Janet createdits time.
We are a family one and half to us.
Maybe this one question is, frommy side, how to eat like, you

(35:11):
know, greasy and tasty food without getting fat.
Okay, so this one will be the last question.
Jason anime fan are not like these days.

(35:34):
This gen Z is going wild for youknow anime.
So So, this part will be, we will

(36:16):
be tasting food, and there will be five, dishes, coming one by
one. And as you can see, we are, you
know, okay, let's start Who is the food?

(36:40):
He'll help us. I'm going to be.
There's some kind of cake. Okay.

(37:04):
What is this? I can't recall this week about

(37:28):
them. Take maybe, okay.
I can see, I can smell a little bit of coconut, but no sides
here, which I was not part of the this C.

(37:55):
Is it cheesecake? Cashew nuts.

(39:02):
I need a little help. Elicit, nice.
The exactly. This year Krishna.

(39:28):
Not a brownie. This is not some crumble.
Here. Okay, finally competitors.
But would this hack a optional for Pekka?
Please take we know but this is Walnut Burl.

(39:55):
Walnut cake. I'm written, she said, 55 years
while not by cashew pie, apple pie Hi, I'm just guessing it's

(40:21):
some parts. I told apple pie chart, I told
apple pie we're on. Hold on.
Oh, nice. Can I see?
Yes. Okay.

(40:45):
Where do I go? I was thinking this has spoken
it randomly gets creepy. There are the ground 22nd.

(41:24):
What the heck? No please please.

(41:44):
yeah, but yeah. Seriously.

(42:18):
Yeah, I see this here. The quadrant.

(42:40):
Battalion. reports that is camera, but I can Mel.
Oregon on something. Cheese coffee favorite.
But you look, Alfred Alfred. Wedgie.

(43:19):
Ginger. Night.
What a continuum? Faster.

(43:42):
Go smash cookie. Dear girl.
Well polenta. What is that?

(44:06):
I give up. I give our testing good.
What is this? Result.

(44:32):
Is it is good? Please.

(45:20):
Okay. Spaghetti.

(45:43):
I don't know if I know. The League this too personally.

(46:10):
And one do. The desert a gift.
Because he's sick. Is that a bee?

(46:35):
Why? Don't boobies up with a
different opinion. Geez.

(46:56):
Fun. Is this us?

(47:19):
Wow. onions one because it's, you know, How much mushrooms?

(47:40):
I need a change. Did you meet any other prove to

(48:02):
get tired of being good? YouTube.
Yes, they're a little bit sweeter.

(48:24):
Oh yeah. Memphis.
Nice. So guys, I really hope you
enjoyed this podcast and for more such videos.

(48:45):
Stay tuned. Yes.
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