Age: 38
From: East London via Tehran
Occupation: University drama lecturer
How did you fare on the show last time?: "I was in Heat five of Series 18 in 2022. I scraped through the first rounds and got an apron, then to my surprise did very well in the market test and got dish of the day! I was lucky to get through the critic's challenge, and then got through the Quarter Finals with a controversial dish of octopus, lentils and bone marrow. Then I got to the Semi Finals, where I chose a very difficult dish and burnt it several times. I called myself a 'porky Sisyphus' on national television!"
Cooking Style: "My cooking is a combination of narrative and experimentation. I want my food to be a story: to surprise, confound, and convey ideas and concepts, not just flavours. For me, food isn't just something to be tasted – it is seen, thought, felt, and experienced. I'm inspired not just by different cuisines, chefs, and ingredients, but by art, culture, films, literature - basically anything that engages human senses and emotions.
"I use experimental techniques to create unusual and unexpected experiences: creating transparent crisps with potato starch, pressure-cooking bananas for three hours to create pure banana caramel, concentrating rhubarb juice in a vacuum chamber and cooking beef for three months to make beef-flavoured soy sauce."
Ambition: "Last time I was on MasterChef, my food dream was to run an experimental supper club – whilst continuing to work as a lecturer I have had the privilege of doing Supper Clubs. Bookings have included everything from cooking a menu inspired by the city of Liverpool to designing menus inspired by art exhibitions.
"My next food dream is to use the Supper Club as a platform to for developing an 'anti-cookbook', where the focus isn't on specific dishes, but unusual and creative ways to come up with food ideas, recipes, and techniques."
MasterChef continues tonight at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
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