Take a look at the Indian-inspired dishes that helped him secure the win!

By Ashima Sethi

27-year old Fijian-Indian contestant Justin Narayan has bagged the MasterChef Australia Season 13 trophy, beating strong contenders Pete Campbell from Australia and Kishwar Chowdhury from Bangladesh to be crowned the winner in a heated finale.

In addition to bragging rights, Justin has also won a sweet cash prize of $250,000 dollars, which he will put towards opening a food truck or a restaurant serving up his take on Indian cuisine. He has also expressed his interest in launching programmes that will help feed the children of the slums in India.

Despite coming out as number one, Justin was considered the underdog at the beginning of the competition and his journey was inspiring to many. Throughout the competition, he infused his dishes with Indian flavours and aromas as a nod to his heritage, which he did well enough to earn praise from some of the world’s leading gastronomes.

Some of the highlights include his Daal Bhatt,  a lentil curry with pickled onions served with a coriander chutney and a crispy rice cracker; his take on his mum’s Chicken jalfrezi that featured a charred chicken marinated in onion, garlic, and ginger served with a tomato-based curry sauce and naan bread; Cauliflower tacos with a mussel emulsion and pickled muntries; and Spiced lamb backstrap with a carrot purée, pickled turnip, lamb curry sauce, and native thyme oil.

Check out Justin’s Instagram page for a look at all the dishes that helped him secure the win as Australia’s next MasterChef!