Do you remember the first dish you cooked? Our childhood memories are often woven around the kitchen and our mothers. For Akash Muralidharan, his introduction to cooking began with a rather challenging dish — the Mysore pak, a delicacy that melts in your mouth.
He was hardly eight years old, watching his grandmother and cousins in the kitchen as she mixed the sweet with great care. She held Akash’s hand, teaching him how to blend the ingredients meticulously, leaving him with an unforgettable first memory of cooking.
“Be careful and keep mixing to ensure that the sweet does not stick to the utensil,” she told Akash.
Around 21 years later, the same boy wowed the judges at MasterChef India Tamil by cooking ravioli with blueberry rasam (spicy soup-like dish), eventually winning the title. By combining Italian ravioli with South Indian flavours, he gave the humble rasam an international twist.
Akash also resonated with a lot of viewers when he spoke about living with ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) and how it affects his work and cooking.
‘Food is therapeutic’
“Food has always been therapeutic for me. I enjoyed eating as well as helping my mother, aunts and grandmother in the kitchen since I was a child. It was where many happy memories were created,” Akash tells The Better India.
However, the 29-year-old Chennai resident only began cooking regularly after he left home for an internship in Bengaluru, following his degree in architecture. It was there that he started to enjoy the process of cooking and appreciate its finer nuances. He found that cooking was a great way to unwind and destress after a long day.
Yet, it took him a few more years to realise that his true passion lay in food, as he continued to experiment in different avenues. “I worked as a teaching assistant at an architecture firm. I even did a diploma in animation to see if that excited me. After trying out different things, I came across a course — a master’s in food design in Milan, which interested me deeply,” he shares.
The idea of doing something in the food domain where he could use his creativity and artistry motivated Akash. After completing his degree, he spent a year travelling across Europe, engaging in various internships that helped him uncover his future path.
“I learnt about how food is viewed outside India. I worked with a food designer in the Netherlands, but what I missed there was a genuine connection with food. I couldn’t work with Italian or Dutch food. I wanted to work with South Indian food and bring out the elements of our cooking and showcase it to the world,” he says.
Akash wanted to share the stories and history behind everyday food in a modern way. So, in 2021, he founded ‘Vizha Medai,’ a design studio started with two of his architecture college mates. It’s a multidisciplinary studio specialising in event design and decor, menu curation, outfit design and styling, and creative direction. They curate “food, clothing, and art” with a common thread of local essence, says the entrepreneur.
Weaving a story around food
A common thread throughout Akash’s life has been his need to share food stories. In 2021, he undertook a 100-day cooking project to shed light on forgotten vegetables. His vision for participating in MasterChef India Tamil was also driven by a desire to share the story of South Indian food.
“South Indian cooking has a lot to offer. It’s not explored as much as it should be. When Indian food is spoken about internationally, it’s usually identified with breads like naan. I want to make equivalents from the Southern part of the country shine,” adds Akash.
That’s precisely what he did during the show. His finale dish, which included a main course and dessert, celebrated and elevated the humble pongal (made with rice and green gram), both savoury and sweet.
His savoury pongal, titled ‘Where is My Pongal’, was a deconstructed version of the traditional rice-based dish. Akash employed a traditional technique of smoking ingredients inside a coconut, complemented by a deconstructed eggplant gojju (gravy), ginger and turmeric sauce, and orange peel thuvaiyal (paste).
However, the standout dish that earned him a standing ovation from the judges and was instrumental in his winning the title was his dessert titled ‘Where is my Sakkarai Pongal?’. This deconstructed version of the sweet pongal, traditionally cooked during Tamil Nadu’s harvest festival ‘Pongal’, elevated the dish while paying homage to its origins.
The dish featured a green gram mousse, cashew milk, kavuni arisi (black rice) crisp, moong dal ladoos, jasmine spheres, and orange meringue — each element a tribute to those who taught Akash cooking: his grandmother Kamala, mother, and aunts.
‘Be kind towards yourself’
Besides wowing people with his dishes, Akash resonated with many viewers by speaking openly about living with ADHD. During one of his lowest points on the show, after a particularly difficult week, he shared his diagnosis and how it affects his life.
Diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, Akash says he has been consciously working on himself through therapy and self-discovery.
“I started noticing that on some days, I could focus and get into the ‘zone’ where nothing and no one could disturb me till I finished the task at hand. It could be painting, cooking, work or anything else. On the other hand, some days were really difficult where I was constantly fidgeting and found it difficult to sit still. My mind would not allow me to write or complete the task,” shares Akash.
Wanting to understand the reasons behind his struggles led to Akash’s ADHD diagnosis. Being aware of his mental health brought about many positive changes, shares the MasterChef contestant.
“I’m able to handle things better on a day-to-day basis. I’m able to foresee situations where this might affect my work and think of ways to tackle it. It has also helped me find support amongst people going through similar situations, leading to me treating myself better,” he adds.
How does he deal with life on days when he just can’t focus?
“Therapy sometimes helps but what really helps is just understanding why it is happening and being kind. If I can’t focus on some days, I just let myself be. I don’t force myself. Ultimately you just have to remind yourself that some days are difficult and that’s perfectly fine. Good sleep and good food do wonders for me too,” he shares.
Winning the title has brought Akash increased visibility and love from all around. He hopes to continue exploring South Indian food and presenting it in new ways through pop-ups and by starting a supper club.
We leave you with Akash’s recipe for this mouthwatering dish — Sapota Kesari.
Edited by Pranita Bhat; Images Courtesy Akash Muralidharan
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