Pakistani Sensation wins Masterchef 2017
Saliha Mahmood-Ahmed, 29-year-old doctor from Watford is crowned winner for Masterchef 2017. The Mother-of-one stunned judges with her Kashmiri-inspired three-course meal.
It’s East meets West and it is stunningly good – Gregg Wallace
Saliha swapped her hospital scrubs for an apron and a chance to change her career opportunities
With her medical knowledge she wants to follow in the footsteps of TV chef Jamie Oliver, who famously campaigned to improve school dinners a decade ago and was enlisted by former Prime Minister David Cameronto draw up a strategy to challenge the problem of obesity among primary school pupils. Will she be the new Jamie Oliver? Who knows, we will have to wait and see.
‘I think that as a doctor, I have lots to offer,’ said Salima, who lives with her doctor husband and their two-year-old son, Aashir Ahmed. ‘I would love to work in a national campaign to tackle obesity and develop recipes for people with Coeliac disease and IBS,’ she said.
SALIHA’S WINNING MENU
Starter: Venison shami kebab with cashew and coriander green chutney, chana daal and a kachumbar salad – in memory of her grandmother’s house in Pakistan.
Main course: A Kashmiri style sous-vide duck breast, with crispy duck skin, freekeh wheatgrain, spiced with dried barberries, walnuts and coriander, a cherry chutney and a duck and cherry sauce.
Dessert: Saffron rosewater and cardamom pannacotta, served with a deconstructed baklava (inspired by her childhood love of baklava), including candied pistachios, pistachio honeycomb, filo pastry shards and kumquats.
By Saafi Khan