MasterChef Australia season 13 ended recently with youth Pastor Justin Narayan winning and taking the trophy home. Many contestants have gone from appearing in the show to opening their own restaurants and becoming successful in the culinary industry. It is a place where you can showcase not just your talent in cooking but also pay homage to your country’s cuisine.

It was a tough fight between Justin, Kishwar, and Pete. These finalists were ready to battle it out in the kitchen. After two rounds of cooking, there was not much difference between them on the scoreboard. It was Pete leading with 53 points, Kishwar on 51, and Justin was with 50 points and in the last position. As we are here to talk about Kishwar’s smoked rice water dish, let us tell you that the judges were stunned by it.

Kishwar Chowdhury brought them a homely yet very fancy meal. She made a dish that hits back home. A dish that is loved by people in Bengal and other Indian states. It is called panta Bhat or pakhala bhaat. She tapped to her roots and made this dish in the finale.

The rice was cooked well and was smoked with red chilli. It isn’t your typical rice dish as Kishwar soaked it in water and served it as is. Well if you want to make the dish too, then here is the recipe. Give it a try.

Pakhala Bhata Ingredients

Cooked Rice 2 cups
Water 1 cup
Curd 1 cup
Salt to taste
Ginger 2 juliennes
Curry Leaves 4-5
Roasted cumin powder (as required)

How to Make MasterChef Australia's Smoked Rice Water

Mix everything in a bowl. Rice should be completely immersed in a curd-water mixture. Leave it overnight.
The next day, garnish with coriander leaves, mustard seeds, etc., or consume as it is.