Gary Mehigan: Wiki, Restaurants, Recipes & Facts About MasterChef Australia Judge

Credit: Instagram/Gary Mehigan

Gary Mehigan is on the judging panel of one of the most popular television reality shows, MasterChef Australia with other judges, George Calombaris and Matt Preston. He also co-hosted two shows on Australia’s LifeStyle Food channel, Good Chef, Bad Chef, and Boy’s Weekend.

Gary Mehigan on MasterChef Australia Season 9

Gary Mehigan seemed quite impressed with the dishes put out by contestants in the audition process itself.

Gary Mehigan on MasterChef Australia

Mehigan said that MasterChef Australia helped increase his passion for food while taking his career in different direction. When talking about the MasterChef contestants, he said he and the other judges always support the contestants by teaching them to improve their craft. The better they cook, the further they will go in the competition.

He confesses to asking the contestants for their recipes so his own chefs can try them out at his restaurants. He feels the success behind MasterChef is the chemistry between the judges, and the fact that the show is a good one to watch with family.

Facts about Gary Mehigan

Gary Mehigan is an Ambassador for Ariston Appliances, Masterfoods, Brita, and Citibank.
Early in his career, he worked under the incredibly famous chefs, Peter Kromberg and Michael Bourdan, and learned modern and advanced approaches to cooking while he was in Britain.
Comfort Food by Gary Mehigan and Your Place or Mine? are some of the books he published.
His professional life started working at Connaught Hotel for four years.
The Fenix and The Boathouse are Gary Mehigan’s two award-winning restaurants in Melbourne.
He is the founding judge on MasterChef Australia.
He headed the kitchen in some of Melbourne’s most prominent restaurants including Browns, Burnham Beeches Country House, and Hotel Sofitel.
He was selected as one of the entrants to the Who’s Who in Australia for the 2012 edition.
He appeared at the 2011 Good Food & Wine Show.

Gary Mehigan’s Favorite Recipes

Here are two of Gary Mehigan’s recipes.

1. Kimchi Stew Recipe

Ingredients:

2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp peanut oil
1 tbsp ginger, peeled and grated
2 tbsp Korean chili paste (gochujang)
2 tbsp apple vinegar
2 cups of aged kimchi
2 cloves garlic sliced
300 g pork belly, skin removed and flesh diced
½ onion, diced

3 cups dashi stock
1 handful snake beans, cut into batons
4 pieces fried tofu, cut in half on the diagonal
4 spring onions, cut into batons
1 tbsp fermented shrimp, rinsed
1 tsp castor sugar
3 x 6 minute boiled eggs, optional
Dash sesame oil to finish

Directions

Place a pot over a medium heat. Add peanut and sesame oils and some garlic; cook until fragrant. Add the onions, pork, grated ginger and cook for three to four minutes.

Add the Korean chili paste, vinegar and stir. Simmer for two to three minutes. Add kimchi, dashi stock, and fermented shrimp, stir and add a teaspoon of sugar. Simmer for 20 minutes and add water occasionally if it reduces too much.

Then, add the snake beans and tofu, and simmer for three more minutes. Add spring onions and remove the pot from heat. Pop the eggs into the stew and season with sesame oil. Serve with rice.