Secrets From The MasterChef Kitchen...

MasterChef India Judges Vikas Khanna, Ranveer Brar and Pooja Dhingra answer a few spicy questions in the MasterChef kitchen.
Rediff.com's Mayur Sanap and Rajesh Karkera soak up the flavoursome conversation.

Lady Gaga has a soft corner for Chicken Lababdar and spicy curry.

Tom Cruise is a huge fan of Chicken Tikka. As is Matt Damon.

Julia Roberts -- surprise, surprise! -- enjoys Aloo Gobi.

Bill Gates likes a Lamb Curry and 'eats far more than he should' when he comes to India.

Madonna can't resist Idlis.

Brad Pitt will happily tuck into Butter Chicken and Garlic Naan.

And no wonder.

India's cuisine is as varied as its geography.

And its population of 1.4 billion people has created a melting pot of cultures, habits, values and traditions.

Our food is an integral part of this rich diversity. 

Our heritage, which sees food as sustenance for the body and soul, has made undeniable contributions to world cuisine.

Then why, for the longest time, were we not amongst the most respected cuisines in the world?

"The world did not understand the intricate tapestry of Indian food because we (as Indians) lacked pride," says celebrity chef Ranveer Brar. "It took some time for the West to tell us that it is about time that we took pride in who we are and what we stand for."

Ranveer, with Vikas Khanna and Pooja Dhingra, are the three careful chefs who are judging the culinary hopefuls in the eighth season of MasterChef India.

Taskmasters later, friends first, the Punjabi connect between the chefs is visible in how they jam with each other. Yet, Ranveer calls Pooja a "fake Punjabi". Why? Find out in the video below.

Pooja, Vikas and Ranveer also tell you the one person they would like to cook for; their choice, and the reason for their choice, will surprise you.

And then, Vikas shares one of his favourite desserts -- it was a discovery that he made in Goa and he makes it sound so mouthwateringly good that all you want to do is rush to the beach state and take a huge bite of the...

Many years ago, in 2015, Vikas had the opportunity to cook for Prime Minister Narendra D Modi in the US.

The celebrity chef, who made ravioli that danced in tandem with the Gujarati khandvi, explains how it helped increase global awareness about Indian cuisine.

The pride, says Ravneer, in Indian cooking is finally being seen in India. And that, he says, will lead to "Virat Kohli"-like superstars emerging in the food world tomorrow.

It's a dream that Pooja sees as well and, when she explains why, it made Vikas do this.

While hosting the show, there have been a few dishes that have blown their mind.

But ask them to turn from judges into competitors who'd like to steal skills from each other and this fun moment ensues :)

Do you want to be a great cook to?

Vikas and Ranveer share a couple of secrets that you definitely want to tuck into your culinary kitty.