MasterChef Season 22 Episode 1

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👨‍🍳 MasterChef (US) - Season 22 Episode 1  The ultimate cooking competition is BACK! In Episode [1], [brief hook: see episode-specific hooks below]. Watch as passionate home cooks from across America face iconic MasterChef challenges, deliver stunning dishes, and fight for the chance to become the next MasterChef champion.  🔹 Episode Highlights: • [E01 Hook: "Audition rounds bring incredible talent—and heartbreaking eliminations"] • [E02 Hook: "The first Pressure Test separates the pros from the hopefuls"] • [E03 Hook: "Mystery Box creativity shines as chefs transform surprise ingredients"] • Signature challenges: Mystery Box, Pressure Test, Team Challenges & Invention Tests • Judges' expertise: Gordon Ramsay, Aarón Sánchez, Joe Bastianich deliver sharp critiques • Emotional moments: triumphs, tears, and the resilience of home cooks chasing dreams  🔹 Series Info: • Format: Cooking Competition / Reality TV / Talent Show • Original Network: FOX (US) / Hulu / International Syndication • Series Launch: 2010 (US Revival) | Season: 22 | Episodes: 1-3 (Season Premiere Arc) • Judges: Gordon Ramsay, Aarón Sánchez, Joe Bastianich + Guest Judges • Setting: MasterChef Kitchen – Los Angeles, USA • Language: English (Original Audio) • Runtime: ~42-60 minutes (full) | Clip/Highlight version: ~10-15 min  🎧 Prefer audio? Listen to MasterChef recaps & food competition podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcasts.  👉 Enjoying the series? Hit LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and comment: "Which contestant impressed YOU most? 👇🍽️" Turn on notifications 🔔 so you never miss the next challenge!  #MasterChef #MasterChefUS #MasterChefS22 #CookingCompetition #FOX #GordonRamsay #S22E[X] #HomeCook #BingeWatch #FoodTV #ChefLife #RealityCooking  ⚠️ Copyright Disclaimer: This video is shared for promotional, review, and informational purposes only. All rights to "MasterChef" belong to FOX Corporation, Endemol Shine North America, and One Potato Two Potato. This upload complies with Fair Use guidelines (Section 107, U.S. Copyright Act). No copyright infringement intended.

Transcript

00:04It's the battle for the ultimate culinary prize.

00:10Brand new competition, brand new judges.

00:14Grace, let's find some talent.

00:1748 of the country's best home cooks...

00:20Come on.

00:21...have their hearts set.

00:23Oh, my dear.

00:25It's fine, it's fine.

00:27Oh, no!

00:28Dropped it.

00:28On the coveted MasterChef Trophy...

00:32It is an explosion of flavour.

00:35This is absolutely yummy.

00:37Fantastic.

00:38Each week, 12 extraordinary amateur talents...

00:43I think I'm struggling.

00:44...battle for a place in the quarter-final.

00:47There's something quite Dracula about this dish.

00:49Ooh, I know.

00:51But only the best can earn their passport

00:54to the ultimate cookery showdown.

00:58The hundred guests are here.

01:01Keep going fast.

01:03Cheers.

01:04If this has been cooked by an amateur, we all need to watch out.

01:17It's the start of a new competition.

01:20We've got cooks raring to go.

01:23And we have got the hottest seats in town.

01:26I've been cooking for over two decades.

01:29And if there's one thing that I can spot, it's talent.

01:33I think this competition is going to be tough.

01:36I live and I dream for the MasterChef apron.

01:42I just love food.

01:44It's kind of a love letter to my friends and my family and my wife and my dog.

01:50I'm so excited to cook for Anna and Grace, but I'm kind of terrified.

02:06Welcome to the MasterChef kitchen.

02:08Our first contestants ready to cook something delicious.

02:13Grace and I really want to get to know who you are as cooks.

02:17Get to know how your culinary mind ticks.

02:20Your first challenge is simple.

02:22Cook us your signature dish.

02:24A plate of food that says loud and clear,

02:28this is why I'm here.

02:31At the end of the challenge, we will choose the two best dishes

02:35and those cooks will get a MasterChef apron.

02:38The rest of you will have to cook again for the final two aprons.

02:43One hour, 20 minutes. Let's go.

02:49Better get on with it.

02:51Not wrecking, but very excited to be here.

02:55The competition has started.

02:57Wow.

02:58The signature dish in a restaurant is the best dish in the house.

03:02I want to see these cooks do their best dishes from their houses.

03:07This is a real test of, is my food actually good or are my family just polite?

03:13Technology program manager Janae grew up in a tight-knit Caribbean family

03:18where a deep love of food was passed down through the bloodline.

03:22My grandma came here in the Windrush generation

03:24and she was a cook in NHS hospitals.

03:29I'm very much cooking from the heart today.

03:34You look comfortable in the MasterChef kitchen.

03:38I'm glad you think so.

03:40Janae, what is your signature dish?

03:42A Thai green curry fried chicken.

03:45I mean, I love Thai green curry anyway, but you're making with fried chicken.

03:50I mean, everything is better deep-fried.

03:53Thai green curry was one of the first dishes that I learnt to make.

03:57We have a family friend from Thailand.

03:59His name is Soup.

04:01We'd all crowd around and watch him cook.

04:03So, I've got to make Thai green curry.

04:07I'm excited about this dish.

04:09This is inventive.

04:12She's making her own Thai green curry paste.

04:15There is lime leaves in there, there's lemongrass in there,

04:18and then marinating her chicken before it goes in the fryer.

04:22Genius idea.

04:24I want that chicken crispy.

04:29Construction company director Brendan was influenced to cook

04:33after taking on a Saturday job at his local butcher's when he was young.

04:39Being in the MasterChef kitchen and cooking for the first time is daunting.

04:43There's no two ways about it.

04:45But I'm hoping I can turn nerves into enthusiasm and excitement

04:49and love up a good dish, hopefully.

04:54This is the sort of dish that I would cook for special occasions.

04:57I should be cooking it today at home because it is my anniversary day of my wife.

05:00Pan-fried chicken with Madeira sauce, a mashed potato,

05:04some roasted onions and some carrots and a bit of chicken skin.

05:08How many years have you been married?

05:10Over eight years.

05:11Congratulations.

05:12Thank you very much.

05:12Do you think it would be a good anniversary present

05:14if you came home with a MasterChef apron?

05:17Yeah, hopefully I can achieve that for her.

05:19Good luck.

05:19Thank you ever so much.

05:20Thank you ladies.

05:24There's some real core skills here.

05:27I walked past the bench at one point and the full chicken had a skin.

05:31I turned round and it had all gone.

05:33I set myself quite a task really, but hopefully there's enough time to get the dish out.

05:39Brandon has to be a bit careful about putting Madeira in a sauce.

05:42Vegetables bring sweetness.

05:43Madeira also brings sweetness.

05:46So if he gets that balance wrong, it could be too sickly sweet.

05:51Okay guys, 20 minutes gone.

05:54You've got one hour remaining.

05:59Born to a Bangladeshi father and Pakistani mother,

06:03However, charity consultant Sabina is passionate about the traditional South Asian flavours

06:08of her heritage.

06:11My signature dish is an achar sea bass with turmeric rice and spiced spinach and a yogurt

06:18curry sauce.

06:20It's my take on this Bangladeshi fish curry, which also is combined with the Pakistani

06:26influence of the achar sauce.

06:32What makes it achar sea bass?

06:35There's two spices, there's fenugreek and nigella seeds, which my mum used in her cooking.

06:41Pickle gives us this pickled flavour to the sauce, so that's why it's achar.

06:45I grew up eating this and it brings back familiar memories of my childhood.

06:54Sounds really interesting, but all of her elements have spice in it.

07:01On the fish, I'm going to be putting red chilli powder, paprika, cumin and also a little bit

07:08of fenugreek.

07:09Jean needs to really control how she adds those spices in or otherwise it's just going

07:14to be too much.

07:16What worries me with Sabina's dish is that she's taking something that she's cooked for decades,

07:22deconstructing it to make it fancy for the MasterChef kitchen.

07:30IT teacher, Matt from Bradford.

07:32It almost looks like I know what I'm doing.

07:35Only fell in love with food when he went travelling in his twenties.

07:40He now spends his time cooking for his wife and Ollie, his nine-year-old border collie.

07:46I love baking for my dog.

07:48Every year for his birthday, I'll bake him a little cake and there is never any complaints

07:53from Ollie the colleague, so let's hope Grace and Anna are the same.

08:00I love desserts.

08:01Every day I will have 90% dark chocolate and I love sesame.

08:06So we've got a dark chocolate Delis with a miso caramel sauce, tahini cream, black sesame,

08:13praline crumb.

08:15This is pretty fancy pants.

08:17Yes.

08:18So you're into the finer cuisine?

08:21I'm into everything.

08:23I'm a new cook.

08:24I didn't grow up cooking.

08:26I didn't eat an egg until I was 25.

08:32This is a dessert for people that don't always choose the sweetest thing on umami, but then

08:38if he takes it too far into umami, you've basically got a savoury course.

08:44It's a very, very ambitious dish.

08:48There's a lot of technique and timing here and there's also a lot of temperature control.

08:52If the chocolate Delis doesn't set, then I've had a bit of a shocker.

08:58OK.

08:59We're halfway.

09:03This can be my kitchen from now on.

09:0739-year-old financial assistant and mum of two, Sam, has dreamt of entering the competition

09:13for over 15 years.

09:17I'm definitely a MasterChef superfan.

09:20I think I've watched pretty much every series and I always think, I can do this.

09:24I want to have a go at this.

09:26Like, just get me in that kitchen.

09:27I'm going to get this off my list before I turn 40.

09:36I'm making for you a fillet steak with triple cooked chips, a parmesan and lemon crumb and

09:43a peppercorn sauce.

09:44Since I was a kid, I've always loved that.

09:46Like, when we were on holiday, I'd have my pepper steak and chips and that would be me for

09:49two weeks every night.

09:51And then my mum sort of started recreating it at home and that's like the family dish

09:55of like, oh, if it's a treat night, then we'll have the steak and pepper sauce.

09:58We're a big foodie family.

09:59If we're cooking, there's like 10 of us in the background and the dogs and the kids and

10:03this is more stressful.

10:05Are you the best at making this family dish?

10:07Of course.

10:11Needs to be a beautifully cooked steak.

10:14Brown, burnished on the outside, a little bit bloody in the middle.

10:18And I want a lovely, buttery peppercorn sauce that means business.

10:24I want there still to be whole peppercorns in that sauce.

10:30We all love steak and chips.

10:31If you're going to cook steak and chips in the MasterChef kitchen, it has to be the best

10:35steak and chips you could ever produce.

10:39I don't want to freak you out, but you've got 20 minutes left.

10:48Nepali-born Rose Dip credits his mum for teaching him how to cook the familiar flavours of his childhood.

10:5416 years after moving to the UK, he now lives in North Shields with his partner and their sausage dog.

11:03I feel like there isn't a lot of visibility around Nepali's food, so I'm really excited to show my heritage

11:10to the judges.

11:11But also slightly nervous about what they might think.

11:15I love coming to somebody's bench and finding things I don't even recognise.

11:20So the signature dish I'm making is a love from my hometown, Dharan, in Nepal.

11:25And I'm making spicy aludum that my mum used to cook all the time, which is potato with cumin, nigella

11:32seeds and pork belly with cumin and coriander.

11:35Then I'm making dal where I will be adding the Himalayan chives, which is the jimbu that you're holding.

11:41So Nepalese flavours.

11:43Yes.

11:43What brought your family here?

11:45So my dad was a Gurkha, so he served the Queen, and I moved here when I was 17.

11:52That pork laden with all of its own spices.

11:57It needs to be soft and yielding.

12:00It can't be overdone.

12:03I always thought dal was lentil-based.

12:05This is black-eyed beans.

12:08I think it's all right.

12:09I just need to elevate it a little bit.

12:12I cannot wait to taste this dish.

12:15We've got three and a half minutes left.

12:19Oh, yes, get in there.

12:30Ninety seconds to go.

12:34We really should have things on plates.

12:38Tittles cooked lovely, yeah, so I'm really happy with that.

12:47Moment of truth.

12:50Medium rare.

13:03Okay, so that's it. Time's up.

13:05Did we enjoy that?

13:07Yes, I think so.

13:09We did it.

13:12Brendan, come on up.

13:16Construction Company director Brendan's signature dish is pan-fried chicken breast with buttery mash, roasted onion and carrots, crispy chicken

13:27skin, mushroom and black garlic puree topped with crispy black pudding, and a Madeira wine sauce.

13:35Your presentation, I think, is really fantastic.

13:44Your mash is mwah.

13:47It is beautiful.

13:48Full of butter.

13:50Your chicken is really beautifully cooked.

13:52It's not dry, but your sauce is too sweet.

13:55That needed slightly less Madeira in there, but I am impressed that you got all your elements done.

14:01I think that's the best chicken skin I've ever tasted.

14:05It's so crisp, so full of flavour.

14:09It's your anniversary today.

14:11Can you tell your wife thank you from me?

14:15I think I set myself quite a tough challenge in the amount of work that I had to deliver, but

14:19Grace then said that it was a fantastic chicken skin and that's good enough for me.

14:27Technology program manager Janae has cooked a play on the classic Thai green curry chicken thighs marinated in chili lime

14:35leaves and lemongrass deep fried on a coconut green curry sauce served with jasmine rice.

14:50The Thai green curry flavours inside that fried chicken, you know, is just perfect. Skin is crispy. Getting your lime

15:02leaves, your lemongrass, your shrimp paste, that is excellent. I've got to eat this morning, noon and night.

15:09Love the Thai green sauce. It's silky, it's sweet in all the right places, it's spicy in others. Impressive.

15:20I could eat the whole lot. I could eat all of that.

15:24To have professionals critiquing your food is a foodie's dream. I don't think I'll ever get over that.

15:34Highlighting Bangladeshi and Pakistani flavours, charity consultant Sabina has cooked sea bass marinated in paprika, cumin and fenugreek, topped with

15:44crispy curry leaves and onions.

15:46With masala spiced spinach on turmeric rice and an achar yogurt sauce flavoured with tomato, fenugreek and nigella seeds.

16:03The yoghurt sauce is outstanding. It's tomatoey and sweet and playful, but bang, it means business. And the spinach. I

16:13love that kick of chili coming through.

16:16I was a bit worried about spice being in everything and would they fight each other for attention? No, they

16:23don't.

16:24Your fish, it really honours fenugreek. The skin isn't as crispy as I hoped, but I liked the addition of

16:32the crispy onions and the curry leaves because it brought in the texture. So well done.

16:40I felt so emotional. I've used more spices than I can count, which is pretty much indicative of Bangladesh and

16:48Pakistan. So I'm fully proud of what I achieved.

16:57Financial assistant Sam is serving her family favourite, fillet steak on garlic and thyme mushrooms and buttery green beans with

17:07a parmesan and lemon crumb, triple cooked chips and a peppercorn sauce.

17:21Your beef has been nicely seared on the outside. We've got a medium rare centre. Your triple cooked chips. I

17:28like a chunky chip. It's got like a crunchy edge to it, but a touch of seasoning and the whole

17:33dish would be elevated.

17:35I like the sauce, but you've taken the peppercorns out of it. So it hasn't got that punch. You're holding

17:42back with that.

17:46I mean, there's always room for improvement, isn't there?

17:48Oh, breathe again.

17:50If I have to kick again, then so be it.

17:54Digital portfolio manager Rose Dip's Nepali dish is spicy potato, tomato and nigella seed alu dum on carrot pilau rice

18:04with cumin, coriander and timour peppered pork belly and a black eye bean and jimbu chive dal.

18:15The alu dum, the nigella seed, the tomato and the garlic mellows really well together when you eat them. And

18:23it is a really unique dal. I can absolutely taste the jimbu in that. This is excellent. Well done.

18:31Thank you. Thank you so much.

18:33I love the use of timouru in the pork belly. It just gives it this sweet fizzing liveliness. You've browned

18:43it beautifully, but there is still there's a stickiness about it. I love that you're bringing Nepalese food into this

18:49kitchen.

18:51You need to pinch me for sure. It's my mom's recipe. So I'm really, really chuffed. I've done a good

18:57job and I think she'll be part of me.

19:01Finally, it's IT teacher Matt with his signature dessert, a dark chocolate delise topped with tahini cream and a brown

19:10butter tuile served with a black sesame and praline crumb, fresh blackberries on blackberry gel and a miso caramel sauce.

19:25I love the delise. It's for real chocolate lovers. It's got that rich kick and the sesame crumb is just

19:34the right amount of sesame and crunch and sweet and a little bit salty as well.

19:40Your vanilla and your tahini cream. It's really yummy, but you've obviously split it when you whipped it. Your miso

19:48caramel, just a little heavy handed with the miso.

19:54Slightly disappointed that I just split that cream right at the end. But you know, dessert's a risk.

20:01We just had six fantastic dishes. I feel like I know you all better.

20:10There was two dishes in particular that we thought really stood out. Well done, Janae. You have secured yourself a

20:17MasterChef apron.

20:19We have one other apron to give away.

20:26Rose dip.

20:28Come and collect your aprons.

20:33Can I run?

20:42Well done.

20:43Well done. Enjoy putting those on.

20:50I just want to hold this and not let go. I am so overwhelmed. I am so happy. I could

20:57scream, I could cry.

21:00over the moon i really hope it's a start of a long journey in my chefs but i'm also equally

21:06trying to soak up this moment and just take it all in right now yeah

21:15don't be disheartened there are still two aprons here on offer this is a classic recipe challenge

21:24we want you to cook one of my favorite brunch dishes an irish potato cake with perfectly poached

21:31eggs smoked salmon wilted spinach and hollandaise you have all of the ingredients on your benches

21:38you also have a basic recipe but it's without timings and measurements so it's important that

21:45you use your cook's intuition to nail this recipe 45 minutes to get yourself an apron

21:53off you go

21:57the recipes shows the ingredients on there and a bit of methodology but there's a few blanks

22:03i think i can probably figure it out as i go along

22:07but we are asking for core skills here poached egg hollandaise sauce things that they should know how

22:15to do if they want to go far in this competition the question is can they perform underneath that

22:23pressure

22:26i have made hollandaise before but if i ruin the hollandaise sauce my dad will kill me because on

22:30the way up here he was like this is how you make hollandaise don't forget your dad foresaw what was

22:35going to happen in here he told you about the hollandaise i'm not quite sure how to cook a irish

22:41potato cake though so don't tell anna

22:45sam doesn't seem plastered she seems to be in control i think i'm okay a really good potato cake is

22:54potato flour egg and then fry them in a little bit of oil or butter i hope it looks something

23:03like that

23:07what we're looking for is a light fluffy but golden brown potato cake

23:14is this something that you've made before no poached eggs do you make them for your family on a sundae

23:20no oh dear is there anything on this dish that you are feeling happy about matt the smoked salmon

23:28it's already been smoked

23:31if matt digs deep i think he's probably got the instinct and the knowledge because it looks like

23:37it's got a nice potato cake a good hollandaise for me is heavenly it's rich from the butter and it's

23:45sharp from the lemon vinegar but you have to create balance hopefully it's going to taste fine

23:53critical moment when you're making hollandaise is cooking your eggs you need to whisk it the whole

23:58time and then to take it off the heat and slowly add their butter if they leave that on the

24:02heat it's

24:03going to be scrambled eggs it looks like a hollandaise that i don't believe it yeah it really

24:10does look like a hollandaise how have you done that man i don't know a bit lemony though

24:18i want that hollandaise to coat the back of the spoon don't want it to be so thin that's just

24:23like

24:23soup around the potato cake hollandaise is too runny at the moment so i'm just trying to

24:29pull it back together and hopefully have it run in time okay guys that's 20 minutes gone now

24:36you've 25 minutes left do you think the hollandaise is the biggest challenge in this recipe um

24:45it's probably the biggest unknown for me yeah brendan's just added flour to his hollandaise

24:52just to thicken it up yeah if you add flour to something you have to cook it i am not

24:59looking

24:59forward to tasting that i think i'm struggling with the hollandaise if i'm honest

25:07poached eggs lovely runny egg with a uniform shape they need to have a big deep pot of water as

25:15the eggs

25:16drop in they get swirled around and it takes exactly three minutes to cook

25:25i can see in front of me one very prettily poached egg

25:29what's your technique i'm trying to make sure that i do the little swirl

25:33in the water so that i can make it form into the perfect circle

25:36i think it seemed to be working and i love eggs so you can't go wrong with that

25:40are all the eggs going to be as nice as this one yes they are definitely

25:46sabina she's like i got this you know prepare yourself for a delicious brunch dish guys

25:56is brunch nearly ready brunch is nearly ready thank you brendan they're starting to talk back it's

26:02brilliant i feel like i've done everything

26:06okay guys final minute you need to be adding the last touches to your dishes now

26:27i'd eat it absolutely

26:32okay that's it guys time's up step away from your benches hollandaise got there in the end

26:45we asked you to make a light fluffy potato cake with perfectly poached eggs serve it with smoked salmon

26:53and a glossy hollandaise right sam you're up first

27:05you hadn't made potato cakes before but the potato mix you've used is absolutely spot on beautifully

27:12cooked two lovely poached eggs but your hollandaise sauce could have been cooked out just a little bit

27:18more so that it creates a much more glossier thick sauce it kind of runs off as opposed to sitting

27:24on

27:25top of the egg but seasoning is very good i was worried about my hollandaise sauce splitting at the

27:33last minute so i decided to take it off heat but i don't think it was a disaster brendan you're

27:40up next

27:45the poached egg did seem to be losing a lot of its white but the yolk runny potato cake soft

27:53seasoned

27:55your hollandaise sauce too much vinegar in there and there is a strange gloopy texture when you added

28:00a bit of flour into it just a small smidge i knew it was wrong sometimes when we're cooking and

28:06something's

28:06not working we should stop and start again it was a tough challenge if i'm honest i think i'll probably

28:14just let myself down a little bit with the sauce sabina

28:23your eggs are absolutely perfect they hold their shape they're running

28:28the potato cakes you've got them absolutely bang on

28:32your hollandaise has a lovely acidity to it and seasonings this is a really good dish thank you

28:42really i hadn't made many of the things before but i decided to embrace it

28:45and i'm proud of what i produced matt it's your turn

28:56the potato cake is slightly dry in parts your hollandaise you got the technique right but a bit

29:03heavy-handed with your seasoning and with your acidity the egg is beautifully cooked however the

29:10hollandaise sauce is vicious it's a good thing right not in this case

29:18when i saw all those ingredients on the table my heart absolutely sank because i thought this is not

29:25going to go well

29:30that was a fantastic round but we can't keep them all

29:36sabina is one to watch there is instinct oozing out of her as a cook perfectly poached eggs beautiful

29:44little potato cakes i think sabina deserves an apron brendan showed real fight but he was struggling

29:53the hollandaise really let him down there's no denying that sam's hollandaise could have been a

29:59little bit more cooked but i was really really impressed by her potato cake and her seasoning

30:04throughout technically matt's hollandaise was as close to the texture of what hollandaise should be

30:12but the flavor was unpleasant and this potato cake was quite dry what are we going to do anna

30:21although cooking is a hobby it's become much more than that and this whole master

30:26shepherd experience it's amazing i'd love to have an apron i think anyone that enters this competition

30:31that's the the whole point of it fingers crossed i don't want to go home yet i'm just dying to

30:37cook

30:37again get back in that kitchen and just show them what i can do

30:49two aprons left on offer

30:53we've made a decision the first contestant getting an apron is sabina

31:04well done sabina thank you the second cook getting an apron is

31:18sam

31:23matt brendan thank you so much sadly you're leaving the competition

31:32it's been a fantastic time i'd love the journey to have continued it'll always be the hollandaise

31:36sauce for me i think that was probably my nemesis i've had such a nice time i've put out some

31:43dishes

31:43which i would have eaten maybe even my dog would have eaten so you know i've got to be happy

31:49with that

31:51oh my god congratulations you two oh my god i can't believe it come collect your aprons

31:58oh my god well done thank you thank you

32:07what are we doing now our aprons on i feel absolutely exhilarated and over the bone

32:16definitely excited for the future oh it suits you can i sleep in it

32:24i can't believe it let's see if i can sleep

32:41nice aprons

32:43nice aprons

32:45but in the master chef kitchen we never rest you're now cooking for a quarter final place

32:54we have invited some very special guests to join us they are the finalists from last year

33:02sophie seguru claire seren and the winner harry mcguire

33:09you've an hour and 15 minutes to cook two of the best courses you've ever cooked in your life

33:16at the end of this one of you will be going home

33:21give it everything you've got start cooking

33:28i actually have to do this now i need to make all of these things in like an hour

33:34let's see how this goes

33:40just trying to stay focused

33:48rose dip you started strong in this kitchen what's cooking today a chicken and cabbage joe momo which

33:54is a nepalese dumpling with soybean and tomato sauce i love a momo earliest memory

34:02of my mom making it in the house bringing everybody together and you try to kind of pitch in homemade

34:08dumplings are the best

34:13the key to a good momo is that you have to have thin dough so i'm just rolling my dough

34:19thin enough to

34:20hold my filling when i steam it if it's thick it's more likely to unravel that beautiful ginger chicken

34:28cabbage filling should really just be an explosion of flavor there's a very specific way of wrapping

34:35the momo you've got the half moon and then you would only just do that i hope i've mastered it

34:43over

34:43the years but if i don't get my momo right i am very nervous about what my mom will think

34:48but also

34:48the whole entire nepalese community that i'm representing i thought that was a recipe at your

34:54bench that's your family in pictures yes it doesn't feel like it's just me on this journey it feels

35:00like my whole family what's your main pan fried cod marinated in loads of cumin with yam potato mash

35:10and then i'm making a garlic and timura pepper sauce i just want to take them to nepal really

35:16through my food today so fingers crossed i like the idea of marinating the fish in spices as long

35:24as he gets the balance right i still want to taste the cod but i want the cod to be

35:29complemented

35:30by that cumin cream white wine sauce but then he's adding that lovely timur that sherbet-y nepali

35:40spice that he's so proud to use that's exciting just trying to work as fast as possible

35:50i do have a little bit of confidence after my my very first cook

35:56it's affirmed that the crazy ideas that live in my brain someone else might enjoy them too

36:07i'm gonna make a sri lankan tiger prawn curry with jamaican rotis if you saw me and my family eating

36:15a bowl of prawns together it's feral so the curry is inspired by the curries that i ate when i

36:22went

36:22to sri lanka and rotis are something that we eat a lot in in the caribbean so i'm really trying

36:28to

36:28bring my culture with the culture of sri lanka i love a sri lankan curry the coconut and the cumin

36:39and

36:40the turmeric but a good curry sauce takes time to spread its wings and she has not got any

36:48pit curry i've made it a million times and try not to chop my fingers off in the process

36:55and the jamaican roti she's gonna put spring onions and lots of butter through that butter

37:02is the fastest way to my heart i just need them to taste good that's all

37:08i used to work in a cupcake shop it was my very first job and my favorite thing that they

37:15made was

37:15the blueberry cheesecake i'll never forget it so i'm gonna make a layered uh lemon cake

37:23with cheesecake icing and blueberry compote jenna is the mistress of reinvention she's taking memories

37:32of a blueberry muffin that she enjoyed in a shop she worked in and elevating it a really delicious

37:40sponge should be light and fluffy

37:52you look bright-eyed and bushy-tailed i'm pretending i'm having a neat party in my head so i've been

37:58singing along trying to calm myself down what's cooking sabina so i'm making a piazu which is a lentil and

38:06onion fritter combined with green chilies coriander and turmeric it's like a fritter that you eat in

38:12bangladesh in ramadan can you fritter a lentil today you will have it and you will see you'll never go

38:18back to regular onion bhaji's again when somebody says they're going to make fritters my heart

38:26flutters a little bit because i want a perfectly crispy fritter on the outside and something

38:32soft on the inside a good balance of spices in there

38:40my main course is my grandmother's table reimagined it's a sunday chicken curry that she used to make

38:46but i've kind of deconstructed it it's usually the makhi sauce is just butter and tomatoes and fenugreek

38:52but i'm introducing some additional spices including cumin and coriander sounds like your passion for

38:59cooking may have come from your grandmother definitely i was in boarding school in india for

39:06two years and i ate a lot of amazing food which inspired the makhani sauce and so i just want

39:12to

39:12show the judges what else i'm capable of and to not stop ever

39:23my menu today is quite classic so there isn't really anywhere to hide also

39:27i don't want to over complicate things and be rushed for time i want to make sure that i really

39:32nail it and don't make any mistakes

39:36we've got a pan fried fillet of sea bass with a pomme puree samphire roasted asparagus and a

39:43beurre blanc sauce in 2021 my dad had mouth cancer and he had to have most of his teeth removed

39:48so when it was like father's day like during his recovery i'd try and make a dish that wasn't

39:52too sort of crunchy and he could eat the same meal as what we ate

39:57but long is buttery heavenly silky sauce but difficult to get right and if you're giving me

40:05potatoes they better be nicely seasoned and with loads of butter no lumps

40:13last year we went to the amalfi coast for a weekend and obviously there's lemons everywhere

40:17everything's lemon lemon lemon so it's a is a lemon posset with a pistachio praline

40:22and raspberry cooling lemon poset is just sunshine in a bowl but if it doesn't set

40:30splits or is too tart it can be unpleasant

40:40right guys that's 20 minutes until the first course is served rose dip that'll be you

40:56so lovely to be back it's definitely a lot easier doing the eating than the cooking

41:00since masterchef i actually started my own catering company food is now the dominant force in my life

41:05and that wouldn't have been possible without masterchef

41:09i remember doing this challenge i was so nervous but it's really important for them to stick to their

41:15style stick to their guns and really just show their personalities in their menus

41:22i came with a huge appetite ready to hopefully experience four incredible cooks beautiful dishes

41:31total stress next door

41:33i feel like we need to put an apron on and go out there and help them no soph no

41:39the time has really escaped me

41:43chicken and cabbage joel momo nepalese dumplings i'm always happy with the word dumpling

41:49it's just a balancing act of making sure that they're wrapped correctly and we get

41:52lots of substance and flavor in there i'm just steaming my momos for about 15 minutes

41:57uh which is what i've got the tomato and soybean sauce sounds absolutely wonderful i'm hoping

42:03there's enough acidity in there to give it a nice balance i'm not gonna have time to pass this i'm

42:08just gonna have to go it's very grainy you've got a couple of minutes left how are you looking i'm

42:14almost there i think are the momos ready that's it yes i think that looks really good

42:26anything else no i'm happy time to go go go go all right smiling good luck

42:39so today i've made for you a chicken and cabbage nepali momo with a soybean and coriander and tomato

42:47sauce i hope you enjoy it thank you thank you it's elegant and i'm excited

43:00technically that dumpling is really good beautiful napping around the edges they're not an easy thing

43:05to get right and the chicken filling is actually nicely seasoned i only tried the tomato and soybean

43:11sauce i didn't really get too much of the tomato flavor which is a bit of a shame i would

43:15have loved

43:16a little bit heat from it as well i feel the dumpling wrapper is a bit too thick but the

43:22chicken

43:23filling is delicious the sauce i was expecting tomato it's soybean it's really subtle

43:30got lots to do 15 minutes until your next course thank you pan fried cod and cumin

43:39i did card in this round you want a bit of color but you don't want on the inside undercooked

43:44the yam and potato mashed i'm hoping there's a good balance of both of them and you get the

43:49yam coming through and not just potato three minutes rose dip the garlic and timo pepper sauce i think

43:56is going to be a really difficult balancing act so you don't overpower the cod let's get this sauce into

44:01the jugs that's your final one going on now thank you thank you thank you

44:15i've made a pan fried cod marinated in cumin yam and potato mash and garlic and timber sauce

44:31the cumin rub is fabulous on a perfectly cooked piece of cod very tasty i really

44:37love the yam and potato mash the yam gives it a little bit of a different texture that sauce is

44:42amazing that garlic and timber pepper has got a lot of depth to it the cumin 100 is complementing

44:50the cod beautifully cooked i would eat the whole lot i feel exhausted after that round it was incredibly

44:58hard so just taking a moment to breathe really so much to do okay well keep going you've got 15

45:05minutes

45:05keep an eye on those prawns they're getting a bit of a char on them i just need to be

45:11careful that they

45:12don't overcook an hour and 15 minutes is not a lot of time to reduce complex sri lankan flavors

45:21i want tiger prawns that are joyous and swimming in a bath of this amazing curry sauce this is an

45:29insane amount of work to do i've definitely bitten a lot and rotis where are they cooking these at

45:37lightning speed right now i love a buttery flaky roti pillowy and soft so that is right up my street

45:46time to take your food and service

45:53it smells delicious jenna has cooked a tiger prawn sri lankan curry flavored with coconut green chili

46:01cumin and coriander topped with crispy curry leaves and served it with buttery jamaican roti bread

46:08filled with spring onions

46:12that sauce is absolute knockout isn't it it's got loads of body creaminess as well

46:17that spicing for me is perfect prawns are cooked really well butterfly beautifully bit of char on

46:22them the roti that's really nice flaky pulls apart there's a nice char on the outside i love that curry

46:31that lovely sri lankan coconutty heat she has shown us that she understands flavor

46:38i'm back i'm back yeah so you have 15 minutes i do i do a sponge is really bold rather

46:47than a biscuit

46:48base you would normally get with a cheesecake which offers the textural difference obviously we want a

46:53nice moist sponge but is it going to be too sweet i'm really hoping the lemon flavor gives it that

46:59little

46:59bit of bitterness that we need time to go

47:08jenna's dessert is a lemon and blueberry muffin reimagined lemon sponge cake topped with lemon

47:14mascarpone cheese and a blueberry compote garnished with lemon thyme and blackberry

47:24i think everything on the plate is really well made to be honest it's a lovely flaky light sponge

47:31the cheesecake cream is fab and so zesty with the flavors of the lemon the blueberry compote

47:37is really lovely it's a nice balance of sweetness and the lemon cuts through that

47:43this is a good cake i would definitely enjoy this with a cup of tea i'm really impressed by this

47:51i'm quite confident in and how the flavors turned out but it was the craziest experience in the kitchen

47:57i've ever had 15 minutes until you're serving your first course great okay i'm doing good on that

48:04you make my heart sing that's the reaction i want bangladeshi chili coriander and ginger

48:12spiced lentils and onion fritters i'm really happy with how they turned out they're nice and golden

48:19lentils can be quite dense don't want to lose that lovely unctuous christmas that comes with an onion fritter

48:26i'm a big fan of tamarind i really like the sourness and with the date chutney hopefully they

48:31marry up it's a big balancing act texturally and flavor wise is there anything else to go on the

48:38plate no that's it let's go thank you

48:47i've presented to you bangladeshi fritter with lentils and onions with a side of tamarind

48:53indeed chutney thank you lovely thank you

49:02those lentil and onion fritters are so crispy a little bit of heat but not too much because then

49:08you've got the heat from the chutney fantastic the balance between the onion and the lentils is bang on

49:14i think that's superb i can't fault it

49:20extraordinary crunchy lentily oniony bullets of joy there's a great balance of spice and flavor in

49:28there 15 more minutes 15 more minutes we're supposed to tell you that sabina let me put the timer on

49:38chicken and buttery makhani sauce with alu palya spiced mash and gujarati carrot salad that is a lot of

49:46spice everything looks like it's in order what else have you got to do i just literally have to take

49:53the sauce and put it in a jug buttery makhani sauce i want it to have a lot of depth

49:59of flavor and that takes

50:00time how are you happy i feel really happy okay okay

50:11inspired by her grandmother's chicken curry sabina has served pan seared chicken with alu palya

50:17turmeric chili and cumin spiced mash gujarati lemon and mustard seed carrot salad

50:25and a buttery tomato makhani sauce spiced with fenugreek chili cumin and coriander

50:36that makhani sauce isn't what i was expecting some nice spicing through it but it's actually a lot

50:41sharper but it works really well with the chicken the potatoes are really really textured curry leaves

50:48going through it which is really nice such distinct flavors of spices in each thing they don't clash with

50:54one another she's done brilliantly the chicken is beautifully cooked it is an explosion of flavor

51:03i cook so many of the things that are about my family

51:10i feel super happy but also simultaneously very emotional

51:19sam's main course is really classical we want that sea bass nice and crispy nice and soft in the

51:25middle as well is it all going to plan timing is a bit stressful palm puree hopefully we won't have

51:33any lumps and that bourbon sauce will be nice and buttery a little bit of acidity are you happy with

51:39your

51:39sauce i am happy with the sauce come on you're almost there you're almost there keep it up keep it

51:45up

51:49you're out of time grab your dishes and serve

51:58i've cooked for you pan fried fillet of sea bass chive palm puree roasted asparagus crispy leeks and a

52:07beurre blanc sauce enjoy thank you

52:15fish is cooked nicely it's flaking away but those leeks were a little bit greasy for me

52:19the beurre blanc is really buttery nice amount of acidity but the mash is lumpy

52:27we probably don't need the leeks and the asparagus but i'll forgive all of that because

52:31i'm in fish and beurre blanc heaven the fish the skin a little bit wobbly but the beurre blanc

52:39is the star of the show here but the potato there's a few lumps in it

52:51lemon posset is a thing of glory when it's done well

52:55perfectly set cream pop your spoon straight through it like silk

53:01i don't like anything too sweet so my only concern is the raspberry kool-aid and praline

53:07do because praline can be quite sweet you would call them as a crumb well it's praline because i

53:14didn't and i didn't want to blast it because i like having some big crunchy bits and some smaller bits

53:19are you happy i am happy yeah yes

53:27i've made for you a lemon posset with a pistachio praline and a raspberry koolie

53:39i would say it's bordering on too sweet for me personally but i'm definitely getting the lemon from

53:45that posset pistachio praline works really really nicely the posset it is a little wet given a little

53:51more time in the fridge that thing would have been banging this sauce for me it's got a good raspberry

53:56flavor but i think it's too tart this praline crunchy crumb you need to refine it right down

54:03so that you could eat it without bits sticking in your teeth

54:09it all came together in the end i was really up against the clock so i'm pleased i couldn't have

54:13done

54:13any more tough round pressure that they'd never experienced before but it is through pressure you discover diamonds

54:26sabina really shone bright today her cooking her timing was excellent the dining room loved sabina's food

54:38she definitely goes through to the quarter-final jane she definitely shows us she understands flavor

54:45she is creative a really authentic sri lancan curry fragrant with coconut and there was something

54:54about that dessert that made me keep going back for more i think jane has done enough to earn herself

55:00a place in the quarter-final rose dips momo although the chicken was definitely

55:06succulent the sauce it was sitting on tomato and soybean was so subtle but the main course

55:14the cod was perfectly cooked and i thought the balance of the cumin on the cod was really lovely

55:20sam's burblanc was excellent but if you're going to do palm puree it should be silky it should be

55:25smooth it was lumpy the lemon posset it was tasty but it was a little bit loose and the pistachio

55:32praline needed a little bit more finesse this whole experience has been amazing i've got the

55:39fire in my belly now i just hope i've done enough i am crossing everything right now

55:53guys thank you so much you managed to impress our guests and us but only three of you can go

56:02through to the quarter-final the contestant leaving us is

56:16sam thank you for all your hard work thank you well done guys you've got so much passion and love

56:23for food you did a great job i am still on a high even though i didn't get through got

56:31my apron i've

56:32had an amazing time and now i can sleep for a week congratulations you three you're through to the

56:40quarter-final i don't think i've ever been so proud of myself i'm just going to try and ramp it

56:47up and

56:47deliver even better exciting and flavorsome food today's cooking was one of the probably hardest

56:56things i've done in my life and i've done many hard things so yeah definitely one in the memory book

57:02for

57:03sure i cannot believe it the masterchef kitchen is unlike anything i've ever done in my life so

57:11bring on the quarter-final but also help next time okay six more home cooks oh my lord compete for

57:26the right to wear a master chef apron shake your hands no fabulous before battling for a place i love

57:36this in the quarter-final the flavors are delicious this is really hitting the spot

57:44so

58:07so

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