Diced Paneer or Cottage Cheese in a Green Bowl – stock photo
MasterChef India judges have been criticized on social media for letting a vegetarian contestant use cheese (paneer) instead of fish for a cooking challenge.
Aruna Vijay used paneer while four others cooked with salmon as they battled to win an “immunity pin” that would save them from being knocked unconscious.
The judges did not justify their decision.
Other contestants appeared to have no objection in the episode, which aired on Friday.
The current season of MasterChef India, streaming on the SonyLIV app, has three celebrated chefs as judges – Vikas Khanna, Garima Arora and Ranveer Brar.
The controversial decision, made in Episode 35, was presented in a matter-of-fact way and Ms Vijay didn’t seem surprised to hear she was allowed to use Paneer.
Ms Vijay had also reportedly refused to cook a dish with eggs earlier on the show. She comes from the Jain community, known to be strict vegetarians.
The latest decision drew some criticism on social media, with some viewers accusing the judges of favoring Ms Vijay.
However, others praised her for sticking to her religious beliefs.
The judges and producers of the show have yet to respond to the criticism.
Ms Vijay’s dish – stuffed squash with strawberry and basil sauce – received mostly positive comments from the judges and she came second in the round.
While India is often stereotyped as a largely vegetarian country, several studies have questioned this – some researchers have actually said that only around 20% of Indians are actually vegetarian.
But food, especially meat, is often a divisive and controversial issue in the country due to religious and political fault lines.
In 2014, MasterChef’s producers sparked controversy by announcing an all-vegetarian season of the show – the restriction was lifted after a few seasons.
But while contestants can cook with egg, chicken, and seafood, beef and pork are never used on the show.
India’s mostly Hindu population worships the cow as a sacred animal. According to Islamic law, Muslims are forbidden to eat pork.
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