Lucknow's Pankaj Bhadouria crowned India's Master Chef

Pankaj Bhadouria, a school teacher from Lucknow, has won the reality TV show Master Chef India, a competition for amateur chefs hosted by Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar.

The 38-year-old beat off competition from the other two finalists, Jaya Nandan Bhaskar and Radhicka Aggrawal, to take home Rs1 crore of prize money along with a contract to host a cookery show and release a cookery book.

Bhadouria's final entry was a meal of Drunk Chicken Log, Cheesy Dill Salmon and Cranberry Cheese Blossom.

She was announced the winner after voting by host and judge, Akshay Kumar and his co-judges, noted chefs Ajay Chopra and Kunal Kapoor, in the finale.

Started in October 2010, the culinary show was a platform to acknowledge and encourage the skills of passionate cooks and groom them to become professionals.

The special guests of the grand finale were Bollywood filmmaker-choreographer Farah Khan and actress Katrina Kaif, who stars along Akshay in the film Tees Maar Khan.