Randy and Sue are truly smoking hot
TEAM “Smoke ‘ n Hot” will take their love and passion for food a step beyond the kitchen as they compete in Season 5 of South Africa’s Ultimate Braai Master challenge.
The team, comprising Randhir Parbhunath and his partner Surika Singh, better known as Randy and Sue, are set to turn up the heat on television next month.
For the Chatsworth couple, their diversity and the fact that they never like repeating dishes will give them the edge.
“We love to cook. It began with surprise breakfasts for each other and we never liked repeating dishes. We then grasped this crazy idea that we need to share our hidden love for diverse dishes so we joined thoughts and started experimenting with different dishes which we tested on family,” said Parbhunath.
He said they were an instant hit.
Singh said: “One of our signature dishes included succulent pieces of chicken, marinated overnight in a medley of yogurt combined with a selection of spices – dried, ground and fresh – along with lentils, wrapped in rotis and then in foil, and then buried under the coals for a few hours.”
Parbhunath is a huge fan of the show and initially entered the competition with his friend, Ronald Bismuth. Then Bisnath couldn’t attend the call-back and Singh stepped in.
Parbhunath said: “To secure a place in the competition we had to enter online and answer a few braai-related questions. Afterwards we had to go for our auditions in uMhlanga where we had to be screen tested as well as show our cooking skills. Finally we got the call to be on the show.”
This was the first time the couple had entered a cooking competition and they were thrilled at the opportunity.
He said: “We were so excited. We’d never been on television before. At first it was strange having all the attention and always having people around us, following us. Even if we ran, the camerammen or women would run behind us capturing everything.”
He said people who knew them might not recognise their on-screen personalities, “considering elements, location, circumstances and time that was against us in challenges”.
“But we hopefully put on a good show and represented our skills and our community to the best of our ability.”
Parbhunath said their main ingredient for success was discussing rather than disputing recipes.
So how did they come up with the name Smoke ‘n Hot?
“Sue chose the name because she felt it represented the two main elements to cooking on a fire. The right amount of smoke for a braai flavour and the right amount of heat for braaing to perfection.”