I LOVE Top Chef! It's definitely my favorite show, and you can only imagine how happy I was to see that Top Chef New York (Season 5) included Radhika Desai, a chef of Indian origin.In the first episode of the season she mentioned that just because she was Indian she hoped that everyone didn't think that all she cooked was rice and curries. She makes a good point, a lot of people (Indians included!) think that it's impossible to create an Indian inspired menu without rice or "curry". That's hardly the case, and Radhika proved it time and again as she infused Indian spices or elements into her dishes on the show. My personal favorite was her "kabob dog", where she created a lamb and pork spiced sausage with mint and tamarind chutney, garnished with onions, cucumbers and lemon. However, sometimes she seemed to fall short, particularly when it came to leading others in the kitchen. Considering her forced leadership role in restaurant wars, it's not surprising that she was cut at the end of the episode.
I think Radhika sets a great example for starter chefs experimenting with Indian food: you don't have to overload your dishes with numerous unfamiliar spices to pick up Indian flavors, and other cuisines lend themselves to "Indianization" if you are thoughtful with flavor combinations. Despite your family background, Indian cooking may not be innate (It wasn't for me!). It takes time, effort, and patience to perfect your skill. Experiment and practice! It's the only way to become truly comfortable in the kitchen.
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