by Karan Kundrra once again joined the fun on Laughter Chefs Season 3 episode 17, which aired on January 17, 2026, on the Colors TV channel and streamed simultaneously on the JioHotstar app. During this episode, celebrity contestants were seen competing in two exciting cooking battles, preparing complicated dishes like Suji Rusk, Desi Masala Chai, and Hanson Ka Joda.
The winners of the cooking battles were awarded team stars, and with the finale of this Team Chhuri vs Team Kaanta format drawing near, both teams were seen putting in their best efforts to impress Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi. Bharti Singh was once again absent from this episode due to the recent birth of her son, Kaju.
Celebrity Pairs and Teams
Team Kaanta
- Abhishek Kumar & Samarth Jurel
- Aly Goni & Jannat Zubair
- Krushna Abhishek & Kashmera Shah
Team Chhuri
- Karan Kundrra & Tejasswi Prakash
- Elvish Yadav & Isha Malviya
- Gurmeet Choudhary & Debina Bonnerjee
- Vivian Dsena & Eisha Singh
Episode 17 began with Karan Kundrra making a grand return to Laughter Chefs Season 3. Upon his comeback, he pledged that he would win both cooking battles for his team, Chhuri, or else he would switch teams. Chef Harpal then announced the first cooking battle of the evening.
Cooking Battle 1
In the first battle, contestants were tasked with preparing a popular Indian evening combo — Desi Masala Chai along with Suji Rusk.
Criteria for Desi Masala Chai:
- 2 cups of chai
- Should be kadak (strong)
- Perfect sweetness
Criteria for Suji Rusk:
- 3 rusks
- Texture: Crunchy and airy
- Elaichi (cardamom) flavour
- Classic rusk colour
- Perfect sweetness
After the announcement, pairs from both Team Kaanta and Team Chhuri began preparing their chai and rusks at their cooking stations. Once the time limit expired, Chef Harpal tasted all the dishes and announced the results.
Winners:
- Winning Pair: Abhishek Kumar & Samarth Jurel
- Winning Team: Team Kaanta
Chef Harpal loved the taste and crunch of the Suji Rusk and was equally impressed with their Desi Masala Chai. Complimenting them with his signature line — “Zubaan Ki Ho Gayi Balle Balle!” — he awarded them golden stars along with one team star for Team Kaanta.
Cooking Battle 2
In the second battle, contestants were tasked with preparing a unique momo-based dish named Hanson Ka Joda.
Criteria for Hanson Ka Joda:
- One pair (Joda)
- Minimum height: 3 inches
- Perfect shaping
- At least 15 pieces kaliyaan
- Proper thickness
- Flavourful filling
- Presentation replicating the given image
After announcing the criteria, Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi revealed the contestants who would go for the pantry run to collect ingredients for Hanson Ka Joda.
From Team Kaanta:
- Abhishek Kumar
- Jannat Zubair
- Kashmera Shah
From Team Chhuri:
- Debina Bonnerjee
- Elvish Yadav
- Karan Kundrra
- Vivian Dsena
After collecting ingredients, all the pairs began cooking the momo-based dish. Once time was up, Chef Harpal tasted all the preparations and declared the winners.
Winners:
- Winning Pair: Karan Kundrra & Tejasswi Prakash
- Winning Team: Team Chhuri
Chef Harpal was impressed by the perfectly cooked outer layer and delicious filling of Karan and Tejasswi’s momos. He praised their dish, repeating his catchphrase, “Zubaan Ki Ho Gayi Balle Balle!”, and awarded Team Chhuri with one team star.
Leaderboard Standings After Episode 17
Below are the leaderboard standings of Laughter Chefs Season 3 after Episode 17, based on the total number of team stars earned.
| Team Name | Stars Earned |
| Team Kaanta | 24 Stars |
| Team Chhuri | 21 Stars |
With the finale approaching, Team Kaanta still holds a three-star lead over Team Chhuri — a gap that won’t be easy to close in the remaining episodes unless a special last-minute twist changes the game for the trailing team.
Next Episode Precap: In Episode 18 of Laughter Chefs Season 3, Nia Sharma and Sunny Leone will appear as special guests to promote MTV Splitsvilla 16 (Pyaar Ya Paisa). Both stars will join the celebrity contestants in the kitchen for some fun-filled cooking moments.
Stay tuned for more updates on Laughter Chefs Season 3! If you have any questions related to Episode 17, feel free to leave a comment below.
