Avinash Patnaik impresses MasterChef India judges with traditional Odia recipe

Bhubaneswar: Avinash Patnaik, a home chef from Bhubaneswar became the first contestant to gain direct entry into the kitchen of MasterChef India.

The much-awaited cooking show to be judged by Chefs Vikas Khanna, Ranveer Brar, and Garima Arora, has started on January 2 on the Sony Entertainment Television channel.

Known for his experimentation with different ingredients and coming up with unique recipes, he presented a traditional Odia recipe Kheera Gaintha Pitha with a twist. Made with rice flour, he used blue pea flowers to give blue colour to the pitha, which was served in coral jasmine-infused milk, flavoured with pandan leaves and Indian almonds.

Impressed with his passion to take agriculture and cooking to a new level, the three chefs appreciated Avinash and his innovative cooking ideas.

Avinash is all geared up to infuse his ideas to create unique recipes in upcoming rounds of the show.

A food blogger and home chef from Bhubaneswar, Avinash has been sharing various recipes through his social media handle @bhukadinshan.

Apart from being a good home chef, he is an amazing digital illustrator and painter. He is also pursuing his Ph.D. in Horticulture.

He was a Government official in the Agriculture Department of Odisha, but he left his job to follow his passion.