Meet the MasterChef: George Calombaris

During his recent visit to India for the American Express CEO Series 2017, Australian chef, restaurateur and celebrity judge George Calombaris spent time curating bespoke dinners for the country's top corporates. But with a swelling soft spot for desi gastronomy, the 38-year-old also found time to discuss his favourite spices, the omnipresence of butter chicken, and the Indo-Greek food connect.

MasterChef Australia is so popular in India that much of the family audience refer to you, Matt and Gary by first names. How does it feel, so far away from the home turf?

It is incredible. For us, India is the biggest market in the world and that's a pretty amazing feat. We love the fact that we are loved and adored, it drives us more to stay together and bond.

The show is in its 10th season. What keeps it from getting monotonous?

It's like Premier League Football, everyone waits for it; everyone wants to follow it and their favourite team. We colour every season with something new, but the format needs to stay true to itself – that of the mystery box, the invention test, the pressure test, team challenges and masterclass. People want to see these as they love it.

You've been to India earlier. What flavours stood out for you?

Every time I come, I'm blown away by the incredible regionality of the food. Every region is different, spices are used differently. So for me, it's exciting. My favourite thing here is the pani puri. I love to indulge in jalebi for a little bit of sweet kick. I love the spices, the lassi, I just honestly love it all. People think that Indian food is just butter chicken. But, as I say that, in my last visit I probably had the best butter chicken in the world!

Has your wariness of heat and spice changed in course of these Indian visits?

I've never said that I don't like spices. I don't like it when it burns so much that you can't taste the food and Indian food is not that. It is balanced, harmonious and spice driven in the right way, rather than just blowing people's head off.

So your favourite spice is...?

I love a lot of spices but for me, cinnamon, which is common in Greek and Indian cuisines, stands at the top spot. I also love the use of star anise, coriander seeds and clove. I see a lot of similarities between Indian and Greek cuisine.

The Greek staple of yoghurt lends itself to many Indian dishes...

Yoghurt is just one thing. If you look back at history, there is this tale about Alexander the Great, that he brought coriander to India. Coriander is used a lot in our cooking. In the cultural aspect, it's the way that Indians and Greek say – ''I love food''. We love our table laden full of it.

How do you see the global market receiving the modern Indian cuisine?

I think the modern Indian cuisine is taking off in a big way. Manish from Indian Accent is, I think, one of the godfathers. It's about being able to cook with a modern intent, but holding on to the cultural values and the authenticity in the dish's flavour. There is no point in modernising the butter chicken if it doesn't taste better than the original.

Indian mum-style cooking is known to depend more on spontaneity and improvisation, rather than clinical measurement of proportions. If made to choose, would you put passion before technique, or vice versa?

My mum cooks with a sense of courage. It's not about the sense of measurement or recipes. Their theory is that food is a setting stone; it is about a feeling, a place or time in memory. It comes down to intricacies like the same rolling pin that got passed down from generation to generation, a certain type of cup that's used to cut down a certain thing. There are these cultural things and they play a big part in the authenticity of the food.