Ajay and Rahul Kuruvilla spent much of their school years in the kitchen – stirring pots, licking spoons and getting early lessons on the chopping board. “Both our grandmothers were fabulous cooks, “ says 26-year-old Rahul. “If they didn’t put a five-course meal on the table when they had company, then it probably wasn’t a good party,” he reminisces. The brothers are whipping up a lavish home spread at the moment. While Ajay, the investment banker brother handles the savoury portion: bruschetta carved out of a freshly baked baguette loaf and Thai steamed cabbage stuffed with chicken mince, Rahul, the IT professional, handles the sweet offerings: a lemon cheese cake, biscuit pudding and golden slices of french toast with a light coating of icing sugar.
As it turns out like most amateur chefs, these brothers consider Masterchef viewing a religious affair. “And it’s going to take a couple of months for the next season,” Ajay sighs. But with three back-to-back seasons of Masterchef, Masterchef All Stars and Junior Masterchef, the brothers are running on enough steam to keep cooking over the weekends for friends, for a while to come. WhatsApp group messages are sent to friends with themed menus to let them know what to expect: “Mexican, Vietnamese, Italian, you name it...” Ajay smiles as he dices fresh tomato for their bruschetta topping. He adds a little later, “I just bought our first bamboo steamer for sushi.” Today though, he’s using it for his impromptu cabbage wrap innovation and he lifts the lid to poke gently with a toothpick and checks if they’re ready.
Ironically, the only cuisine they don’t know how to cook is ‘Indian’, the bro-chefs think this is very funny. But, given their Masterchef habit, it’s probable that this is only a few Sundays away. Ajay reveals, “We’ve even had a few cook-offs of our own: main course vs dessert.”
Fortunately their friends always settle on a tie, keeping the next weekend’s dinner in mind. In fact, it seems their cooking enthusiasm has been rubbing off on their foodie mates as well. “One of our friends who just got married didn’t even know how to fry an egg,” says Ajay and boasts, “Now he holds down a saucepan like a pro.” On the flip side, did we mention both brothers are single?