Musings of a Fijian-Indian MasterChef: 2021 winner Justin Narayan on his culinary journey

In the city for an evening of culinary conversations, MasterChef Australia 2021 winner Justin Narayan sits down for a chat with CE as he traces back his journey
MasterChef Australia winner Justin Narayan
MasterChef Australia winner Justin Narayan

The one question that the viewers and the judges of MasterChef Australia 2021 had in mind whenever they saw Justin Narayan cooking was how the chef was maintaining his pace despite being under a lot of pressure. Justin clarified that doubt in the Grand Finale episode. He said, “My goal is just to be consistent regardless of what the scoreboard ends up like.”

This consistency not only made him win the title that year but also opened up the possibility of expanding his culinary skills to contribute to society. When this man of few words who believes in letting his knives and ladles speak returned to his roots in Tamil Nadu for a special Rendezvous night at Taj Coromandel, he unfolded his food memories and the journey so far, while curating a special dinner for the guests.

Into the culinary world

The Fijian-Indian chef ventured into cooking at the age of 13. It was his inclination towards watching TV shows related to food made him pursue the art of cooking. He recalls, “Growing up in Australia and having an Indian influence at my house, everything kind of revolved around food. When cooking shows became popular during my teenage years, I used to watch them with my grandparents. It always used to interest me to see something different being cooked. It felt cool to explore more, practice different things and taste the dishes.”

Growing up, food was synonymous with celebration and bringing people together for Justin. It was his family’s encouragement that made him explore more. “During Christmas or New Year’s Eve, we would make the Fijian Lovo as a group. Digging a hole in the backyard, wrapping up the lamb with banana leaves and covering it in the hole with dirt, waiting for eight hours for it to cook and finally eat with everyone we used to do it all,” shares the chef whose comfort food continues to be the food cooked by his mother.

Mastering the skill

Justin applied for MasterChef while pursuing his Masters in Psychology. He describes the experience as “a rollercoaster ride with both fun and scary parts.” “It was a last-minute thought. My fiancé (now wife) and friends had convinced me and I applied for the competition on the last day of submission. I went into it thinking of giving it a shot and it was almost shocking when I won the title. The whole thing was a life-changing experience and taught me a lot,” he says. The different experiences elevated his culinary skills within a short span of time and gave him a new start. 

Justin also tries his hand at experimenting and creating fusions. His exposure to both Fijian and Indian culture and food also contributes to his strength in cooking. He says, “The cooking styles of fresh seafood and seasonal vegetables are very similar in both regions. I think that is a factor that connects them. What makes it interesting for me to explore the dishes is that most of the dishes in Fiji have lost their regionality because of the cultural mix.

This creates unique combinations and that is a whole new area to be explored.” Not diluting the authenticity of the dishes while staying true to it is a difficult task but the chef achieves it with consistency and dedication. “While creating a fusion, I try to understand the history or the story behind the original dish. There has to be a bigger reason behind creating a fusion and it shouldn’t be made for the sake of preparing. Even though fusing two different cultures or ingredients is the best thing, it should be done only when it is essential,” he says, adding that one should be open to adapting the cooking styles of different countries to end up creating the best results. 

With his MasterChef journey, he has already reached an audience of millions and through his website justinnarayan.cooking and his social media pages, he aims for a wide reach. On a parting note, Justin shares his future aspirations. “I will continue to explore cooking for restaurants especially, some based in Sydney. I would love to create more content online because it is a really fun way to connect with people and everyone has been really encouraging,” he signs off.

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