Pumpkin, peanuts, shepu (dill), ragi flour, finger millers, chana dal and coconut — these were the ingredients for a mystery box challenge, at Magazine Street Kitchen in Byculla on Thursday. And the contestants were women from vulnerable communities, selected and trained by NGO, Foundation for Mother and Children Health India (FMCH). This outreach event was held as part of the Australia Fest, and the special judge for the evening was Australian chef Gary Mehigan. The winning team prepared a meal with rice, dal, roti, a curry, and a pumpkin and rava sheera. A first for these women in a commercial kitchen, Mehigan provided constant encouragement to the women to ace the challenge.
