Of pumpkins and potatoes...

There were two challenges at the Rupchanda-The Daily Star Super Chef kitchen last night. And as usual, a contestant had to bid farewell at the end of a tough night.

The first challenge involved pumpkin. The participants were perplexed when a pumpkin tree was unveiled to them. From flowers to leaves to the pumpkin itself, the contestants had to make dishes with this plant.

And the contestants brainstormed. Eventually, the six of them came up with various dishes. Bipasha, for example, made pumpkin pasta and a beverage. Maymuna Akter prepared 'Snow White Pumpkin' and 'Stuffed Pumpkin Fritters'. But their fates did not take the same direction. While Maymuna went to the 'safe zone' – along with another contestant – Bipasha was thrown into 'danger zone'.

Surviving the danger zone was absolutely necessary to move forward to the next round. Among the four contestants fighting in this challenge, one had to be eliminated.

Therefore, the pressure was more than that of the previous pumpkin challenge. And this time, it was all about potatoes. The contestants were given various kinds, and they had to prove their culinary worth to continue their journey in Rupchanda-The Daily Star Super Chef 2017.

One participant, of course, had to go home. And it was Bipasha. For her, the journey had come to an end, but she had left the kitchen with many lessons and knowledge. “We have cooked something every day. Judges and experts have commented on our food, sharing with us many tricks and tips. There have been classes taken by eminent chefs,” she says. So, although her race at the Super Chef kitchen was over, she had not gone home empty-handed.

On the other hand, for Maymuna, it was a very successful episode: she had won the badge for the best dish in last night's episode. The icing on the cake was that she had received it from the guest judge Kalpana Rahman. “Getting the badge from Kalpana Rahman was a matter of honour for me,” she said. A chef, TV personality, and the founder of the culinary school, Mishuk Academy, she is very well-known to those with a passion for the culinary arts.         

Now, with Bipasha gone, the Super Chef kitchen is host to just five participants. The culinary war is gradually coming to an end. The kitchen has gotten quite empty, with the cream of the crop remaining. And it will become emptier. Next episode, yet another chef will visit the Super Chef kitchen, and make a Japanese delicacy. Afterwards, the contestants will then make the same dish as she will sit on the judges' panel to decide how well they had learned from her. And, in the end, one of them will need to go home. Who will remain? Who will be defeated? Time will tell!

Tune into ntv at 9pm, every Saturday and Sunday to find out what happens next in Rupchanda-The Daily Star Super Chef 2017.