Curry contest finds missing ingredient

An Indian competition had always lacked a sponsor

Adam Mynott BBC South Asia correspondent

One of the most prestigious international cooking competitions, the Indian Cook of the Year, has had something missing in its 11-year history.

It has never been open to chefs from the country where the cooking originated.

Organisers could not find a sponsor for an Indian leg.

Everything went well, starting from the morning... everything was going perfect. I knew I was going to win

Winner Sham Gungani

But this year that has been put right and the final in Scotland will include a young chef from Bombay, also known as Mumbai.

The Indian representative won through in a frenzy of chopping, stirring, steaming and frying in a cook-off at a country club near Delhi.

Heat rises

The cooking competition is one of the first of its kind in India.

To add to their stress, the chefs had to perform while judges probed them with questions, demanding to know how they managed to time their cooking and whether they could repeat their feats in a hotel situation.

As the final minutes of the three-hour cooking time approached, the heat in the kitchen rose metaphorically and physically - this was the all-important presentation time.

''I'm adding some saffron water to the rice, and I'll steam it for some time,'' puffed one hopeful.

The eight-strong final is in Edinburgh on 20 February

Three of the finalists were top hotel chefs and one a housewife from Delhi.

One of the judges was the revered master Indian chef and food expert, Jiggs Kalra.

"As in any other place, some have good quality and some are a little lacking,'' he said.

''But there is one dish that stands out, the one that's made with jamun [the fruit of the jamun tree]. But you know, at the end of the day, you can't have a 100% score.''

Last eight

So the judges did not take long to make up their minds, quickly announcing Sham Gungani from Bombay the winner.

A confident Mr Gungani felt from the start it was going to be his day.

"Everything went well, starting from the morning... everything was going perfect. I knew I was going to win. I know what my food is.''

The final will be held in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, on 20 February, when Mr Gungani will be up against seven other Indian-cookery chefs from around the world.