Born in Mozambique to an Indian family, 33-year-old Shamia Hajat conquered Portugal by participating in the local edition of Masterchef. Her victory proves that sometimes success can come totally unexpectedly.
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Vegetarian ravioli with low-temperature cooked yolk and daal with tamarind sauce, shrimp Korma (a traditional Indian dish) and carrot halwa with cardamom mousse (a typical dessert from the Arab world) were the three dishes that resulted in Sahima Hajat being crowned the winner of MasterChef Portugal 2023. Sahima moved to Portugal 13 years ago. She is Indian but was born in Mozambique. This 33 years old means business: with her recipes steeped in the flavors and ingredients of her origins, she has conquered the palates of Pedro Pena Bastos, Noélia Jerónimo, and Ricardo Costa, the three judges of this edition.
Eggplant cannelloni filled with sautéed vegetables
A totally unexpected victory and for that reason extremely valuable. Already a mother of three children, it is to one of them, the middle one, that she owes her participation. "My eight-year-old son saw the advertisement for the program on television and told me, 'You should participate, I'm sure you would win.' His conviction ended up motivating me. I began, therefore, to search the Internet for what I should do to apply. They required a photo of a dish, and I never do those; then I remembered a photo of a recipe I took a while back. No plating, the food was in a pan, but I sent it anyway at the insistence of my family. Against all odds, they called me for a casting call.
Two trials later I was notified that I had been selected. At that moment I panicked, because I had never seen ´MasterChef´, and I watched all the episodes to understand the dynamics of the game and the kind of tests; all of which put me a little in awe, because there was a lot of preparation, and my cooking is more intuitive. However, I decided to go ahead; my intention has always been to learn. Before everything started, there was a lot of training: we were taught various techniques, many related to how to handle fish. I found out, in fact, that the theme of the edition was the ocean, which made me more confident. I eat meat, except pork, but there are restrictions in Islamic culture. We only eat halal meat, but since fish was the focus, I felt more comfortable."
Grilled grouper with pickled cucumber yogurt sauce
At the time of selection, Sahima had indicated to the producers her need to abide by certain principles such as halal meat (considered legal for Muslims), plus, she could not use pork or alcoholic beverages. The biggest concern for the young Mozambican woman, however, was about the reaction of her community.
"As a Muslim I was afraid that people in my community would react badly: it is not so common for women to be exposed in this way. But it was my dream. I´ve always been a maid. Then last year I decided to work outside the home even though I didn´t really know where to start because I had never done it before; I got married when I was 13. When my son told me about Masterchef, I thought it might be an opportunity to go further, so I took a chance."
The only cooking Sahima knew was the one from home, first alongside her mother and grandmother, then the one she prepared for her children. She will now attend the culinary techniques specialization and advanced training course at the Basque Culinary Center; then it will be time to realize one of her many dreams, from working alongside great chefs to opening her own restaurant.
Source: magg.sapo.pt
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