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2026. S 18 E18 >>> https://dai.ly/xaa86ro
Transcript
00:16Oh, here we go.
00:17Oh, yeah.
00:18Woo!
00:23Oh, no!
00:25They've got nationalities on the scene.
00:27Country flags.
00:30Oh, damn.
00:32Today is another elimination day,
00:34and you can feel, like, the energy of everyone just being low.
00:38They look nervous.
00:39So nervous.
00:40Wearing a black apron, it can feel extremely daunting.
00:44Come on.
00:45No one is doing the washing up today.
00:47You just see these five cloches with flags of countries.
00:50I got nervous.
00:51And you don't know what's ahead of us cooking today.
00:57Okay, guys.
00:59Bonjour, mes amis, les cuisinières et cuisiniers.
01:03Comment ça va?
01:05Ça va.
01:05Ça va bien.
01:05How are you?
01:08This week, we are taking your test pods for a culinary exploration around the world.
01:18But I need to remind you, today, it is a black apron day.
01:27And unfortunately, someone will have to go home.
01:32Don, I've got to admit, it was a very sombre, slow walk-in today.
01:38Yeah.
01:38Is that kind of how everyone's feeling?
01:41A little bit nervous?
01:42Are you all kind of bricking it at the moment?
01:45Yeah.
01:46The nerves are high.
01:47Everyone is just so great.
01:48And it could really be anyone, and you just don't know.
01:52Yeah.
01:52Every elimination, it does get harder and harder.
01:57So everyone should be at the top of their game.
01:59You're going to need to be.
02:02Jackie.
02:04As per the rules this season, you're going to need to decide whether you're going to play
02:08your immunity pin just before the cook starts.
02:14All right.
02:15You ready to hear what today's challenge is?
02:17Yes.
02:19You can see from these cloches that today, we're focusing on five specific countries.
02:25Vietnam, Mexico, Lebanon, Japan, and Italy.
02:36The good news.
02:38You get to choose which of these five cuisines you want to cook.
02:41Okay.
02:43The not-so-good news.
02:45Under each of these cloches is a secret ingredient that you must feature if you choose to cook
02:52that country's cuisine.
02:55And you won't know what it is until after you've chosen your cuisine.
03:00Oh, you're kidding me.
03:02That's a joke.
03:03That's ridiculous.
03:06All I hear is bad news.
03:09Knowing that we don't actually know what the ingredient is before we select the cloche
03:13is definitely getting my mind working.
03:15Definitely hoping for not something really obscure that I haven't worked with before.
03:21All right, everyone.
03:22It's time to make your choice.
03:24Please stand in front of the cuisine that you would like to cook today.
03:28Let's go.
03:28Oh, my God.
03:29Oh, my God.
03:30Straight away, I'm drawn to Vietnam.
03:33That is my background and heritage.
03:35Hopefully that can help get me through today.
03:38This is crazy.
03:39Make safe choices.
03:40Safe choices.
03:41It's not safe until we know it's under there.
03:44Well, Mexico.
03:46Jeez.
03:47We're the most popular.
03:49Lucy and Erin, you picked Vietnam.
03:52Hopefully my home country doesn't send me home today.
03:55LAUGHTER
03:57Well, the feature ingredient for Vietnam is...
04:04LEMONGRASS.
04:05LAUGHTER
04:07Someone's happy.
04:08Come on.
04:08Happy about that, Aaron?
04:10The lemongrass is used all over Southeast Asia.
04:12I'm Malaysian, so I'm loving it.
04:14I'm loving it.
04:14Lucy, you're going to be happy with that.
04:16Yeah, that's pretty good.
04:17Lovely.
04:17I'm happy.
04:18OK, we're going to Mexico.
04:20Quite in the line here.
04:22The biggest.
04:25The Mexican ingredient that you have to feature is...
04:33Corn!
04:36Corn is so sweet.
04:37Huh?
04:38Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
04:39Corn is pretty good.
04:40That's very Mexican.
04:41There's a lot we can do with that.
04:42Petrolidia.
04:43Lebanese ingredient that you have to feature in your dishes...
04:47Oh, God, no, you regret.
04:51Eggplant.
04:52Ooh.
04:54All right.
04:55Lydia, head in hands.
04:56I thought you'd be happy with that.
04:58Yeah, yeah, I am.
04:59I am.
05:00You are.
05:00I do enjoy eggplants.
05:03Oh, do I?
05:04Yeah.
05:05Oh, God.
05:06Oh, God.
05:08OK.
05:09Jackie and Emily, you've chosen Japan.
05:12Shall we have a look?
05:14Yes, please.
05:14Feature ingredient for Japan is...
05:20Miso!
05:25That's a good one.
05:25That's a good one.
05:26All right, Jackie, time to make up your mind.
05:28Are you playing your pin or are you cooking in the challenge?
05:32I...
05:33I'm not going to play the pin.
05:34She's cooking.
05:36Yeah, Jackie.
05:38Nice.
05:40All right, on our final trip, we're going to Italy.
05:42Italy, the feature ingredient for Italy is...
05:51Tomatoes!
05:54It's good.
05:59You'll have 75 minutes to cook us a dish
06:03that transports us to the country that you've selected.
06:07The garden and pantry will be open.
06:10But don't forget, you must feature the ingredient
06:13that was under your cloche.
06:16There is a lot at stake.
06:19As the bottom dish will be eliminated from the competition.
06:26OK, guys, it's time to take us around the world
06:31and your time start now.
06:35Let's go!
06:39Let's go, guys!
06:40Let's go!
06:40Let's go, guys!
06:41Let's go, guys!
06:41Let's go, guys!
06:42I should probably get some tomatoes.
06:44Big plans.
06:44Any parsley, anyway.
06:46Do you know where the cognitos is?
06:47Oh, there you are.
06:49Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
06:51Go, Em!
06:51Woo!
06:52Let's go!
06:53Yeah, go, Don.
06:54A lot of tomatoes.
06:55Beautiful!
06:57Oh, it's not a gym session, Petra.
07:00Every day is a gym session.
07:01Yeah.
07:03I chose Italian today, but I'm pretty happy with the choice
07:06considering tomatoes are, like, in my blood.
07:09So I'm going to be making a ricotta-stuffed pasta
07:12with a roasted tomato sauce,
07:14so hopefully I can bring out the flavours of them really well.
07:16I really don't want to be in the bottom today.
07:18Lucy, fur?
07:19Yeah.
07:20Well, lemongrass and beef Vietnamese noodle soup.
07:24Yeah, yeah, yeah.
07:25I chose Vietnam because I'm pretty familiar with the flavours.
07:30I'm going to punch the lemongrass really heavy in my soup,
07:33as well as those beef flavours.
07:35Really making sure that lemongrass shines through.
07:41What is that?
07:42Mexican chilli?
07:43I don't know how hot they are.
07:45See you soon.
07:52If that had stayed in my mouth any longer,
07:54I would have been in pain.
07:55OK, we'll just use a little bit of these.
07:59I love Mexican food.
08:01I spent some time in Mexico last year with my brother,
08:05eating heaps of tacos, street food.
08:08It was just awesome.
08:09Like, it's really vibrant, super punchy, just delicious.
08:13As soon as they lifted the cautions of corn,
08:14I was like, I love corn.
08:15It's one of my favourite foods.
08:16So I'm really happy.
08:18I'm obviously heroing corn.
08:22Just going to keep it super simple and not do anything crazy.
08:25I've only got three elements.
08:27That seems to be the thing that I do that, like, kind of gets me through.
08:30So I'm just going to stick at it.
08:33So I'm going to be doing some seared scallops in their shell,
08:36with, like, a sweet corn butter on the bottom,
08:39then a scallop and then, like, a salsa matcha on top
08:40and then some lime and coriander.
08:42So, like, super Mexican flavours.
08:44Maybe elevate it a little bit.
08:46And I know it'll taste good, because I have had this before.
08:49I like to play it safe when I'm wearing my black apron.
08:53That's so hot.
08:58Delicious.
09:01Emily's so precise.
09:03So beautiful.
09:05I'm trying.
09:06Little baby daikons.
09:08Em, what are you doing?
09:10Making a Japanese dish called jibuni.
09:12Uh-huh.
09:13Yum.
09:13Which is kind of like a duck with a broth.
09:16Miso will go into the broth.
09:17In your sweets mop, make the broth.
09:19Yeah, man.
09:20I feel like I'm quite familiar with Japanese cuisine,
09:23because I've lived there for eight and a half years.
09:25Don't want the fat.
09:27But I'm doing my own little twist on it
09:29by adding in miso,
09:30which is not traditionally used in this dish.
09:33I'm going to add that at the very end,
09:35because I'm not meant to overcook miso.
09:36Miso is a marmi bowl.
09:38I need to make sure that I have a great balance.
09:43It's a very delicate dish with very delicate broth,
09:46but I feel this would be a great dish to push myself
09:49to balance flavours.
09:50I just want to make sure that my flavours are actually banging.
09:57It would help if I turned this on.
10:02On Elimination Day,
10:04it is vitally important that you play to your strengths.
10:08Calm down.
10:09We don't want you to get too gnarly.
10:12The flavours of Lebanon are familiar to me,
10:14because they're very close to Greece.
10:16OK, garlic.
10:18With Greece, we share a lot of overlap.
10:21Don't be too garlicky.
10:24Today, I'm going to stuff some eggplants
10:27with typical Lebanese herbs and spices,
10:31rice and lamb.
10:33We're making room for the stuffing.
10:35There's a fine line between stuffing an eggplant
10:38and it feeling Greek or feeling Lebanese.
10:41So, I'm going to make them distinctively Lebanese.
10:45Pomegranate juice.
10:47By just balancing of the spices.
10:49Oh, come on.
10:50Trust your palate, Lydia.
10:52Yuzu, cumin, coriander, mint and Aleppo pepper.
10:56Carissa.
10:58Hi, Lydia.
10:59Hi, Paul.
11:00How are you?
11:00Are you taking us to Lebanon with eggplant?
11:02I hope so.
11:03Tell us what you're making.
11:05I'm stuffing my eggplant with a lamb mixture.
11:08Oh, nice.
11:09And lots and lots of herbs and a little bit of rice.
11:11This sounds like it's right up your wheelhouse.
11:13Why are you not looking incredibly confident?
11:16I think we just have to accept that this might be my face.
11:20Are you feeling confident?
11:21I am feeling confident.
11:23I'm just, time-wise, very nervous.
11:24Yeah.
11:25I'm worried about it roasting for long enough
11:27and it being tender.
11:28You do not want undercooked eggplant.
11:30You want that beautiful silky texture.
11:32Yeah, yeah.
11:32You want that seamless bite.
11:33But these are your flavours.
11:35You can do it.
11:35Yeah, I'm hoping I will pack a flavour bomb today.
11:39Lebanese flavour bomb.
11:40All right.
11:40Well, good luck.
11:41Thank you, Paul.
11:42So, in a normal cook,
11:45you would let this eggplant be in the oven
11:47for well over an hour or two.
11:49I don't have that time today.
11:51So, I'm going to crank up the oven for a little bit.
11:54All right, my little babies.
11:55Braise away.
12:01Centre.
12:03Centre.
12:04Centre.
12:05Centre.
12:05Give it everything you've got!
12:0760 minutes to go!
12:08There we go, buddy!
12:10Time to move!
12:10Let's go, guys!
12:16I love eating Italian food and I love cooking it as well.
12:21So, I am doing Italian today and my hero ingredient is tomato.
12:25Put this together.
12:26So, I'm making a spinach and basil ricotta filled pasta with a beautiful tomato and india sauce.
12:35I've made this all before at home though, which is much more relaxing than the MasterChef kitchen.
12:42I'm doing a Lebanese dish and my feature ingredient is eggplant.
12:48So, I'm making a loaded eggplant dip with hummus and flatbread.
12:53Go on, puff!
12:54I'm cooking Mexican.
12:56I'm using the corn.
12:57I'm going to do birria tacos.
13:02Read them, wait.
13:03Oh, hell yeah, Luke.
13:04I'm hoping that today my dish doesn't just get me through elimination but actually blows the rest of the Mexican
13:09dishes out of the water.
13:12I'm feeling good!
13:15Today I'm cooking Japanese and I'm going to be doing a miso pumpkin cake.
13:20It's not super strong, mate.
13:21The cake is composed of a miso sponge cake with a miso cream, a pumpkin cream and an umeboshi plum
13:27jam.
13:29Japanese cakes are traditionally very simple but very beautiful as well.
13:34They're always very light and definitely not too sweet.
13:41I've just got the cake in the oven.
13:43Are you sitting on like carrot cake vibe with the pumpkin?
13:45No, I'm just going to make a pumpkin cream.
13:47Oh, yeah.
13:48And now I'm going to focus on the creams.
13:52It's a miso cream?
13:53Yeah.
13:54Quite savoury.
13:56It is quite savoury.
13:57Yeah.
13:57I thought it was going to be a pumpkin cream.
14:00Um, both.
14:01I was going to have both.
14:01Double cream?
14:02Yeah, double cream.
14:02Yeah.
14:04Alright, the one thing I will say is think about how flavours carry.
14:09We really need to know this is Japanese and be able to taste the miso against that pumpkin as well.
14:13Yeah.
14:14Keep tasting.
14:14Yeah.
14:20I'm starting to feel really nervous.
14:21I need to make sure that pumpkin's not overpowering.
14:24At the start of this challenge, I decided not to play my immunity pin.
14:28So you need to be able to taste the miso so that the cake transports the judges to Japan.
14:35Um, what do you want to do?
14:37Otherwise, I could be going home.
14:51I'm feeling a bit nervous.
14:54I'm just trying to stay calm.
14:56The balance of the miso and pumpkin cream, my cake needs to be so right.
15:01So that pumpkin, it's not overpowering on the miso.
15:04I need to concentrate on getting the balance right.
15:07But I've chosen not to play my pin today because I really want to back myself.
15:12And so I really want to trust my instincts.
15:15I just need to keep moving.
15:17So I add more miso in it.
15:19I don't want to punish them with miso either.
15:24That's miso.
15:25I can definitely taste the saltiness, but I don't want it to be overpowering
15:28because there will be layers of miso in the cake too.
15:31It's actually lovely.
15:32I'm happy with the balance of it.
15:33When the judges taste my dish, I'm really hoping it takes them to a little tea house in Japan.
15:39Yay!
15:42Okay guys, don't be the one to go home.
15:46You have 45 minutes left to go!
15:49Come on!
15:50Come on!
15:57March that lemongrass, Aaron!
16:00I chose Vietnamese and I'm quite happy with the ingredient that I got, which was lemongrass.
16:04I'm trying to make a Vietnamese lemongrass chicken.
16:09I picked Mexico and the ingredient is corn.
16:12And so I'm going to make beef pesadillas with a corn salsa.
16:17Pesadillas use a lot of the spices that I like in Nigerian food.
16:20And so I hope I do it well.
16:23Today I chose Italy.
16:24So I'm doing tomatoes.
16:27I'm going to feature that in a seafood marinara.
16:29So I've got prawns, mussels, pippies, scallops, and also those beautiful cherry tomatoes in there as well.
16:35Just got to go.
16:37Today I chose Mexican and I have to feature corn.
16:40I'm cooking Mexican tacos with a pork.
16:46With a pork.
16:48I'm working on my corn salsa.
16:51Like corn in every element.
16:53I was like, I'm just going corny, like everything.
16:56Hey Vinnie, have you got olive oil?
16:59Legend, thanks so much.
17:01I picked Italian.
17:02So the hero ingredient today is tomatoes, which is, you know, classic Italian.
17:07So I'm doing a tablanera and ricotta tortellini.
17:12And that'll be in a tomato water.
17:14Tomato water I find is a really beautiful element.
17:17It's really simple to make actually.
17:18You just get tomatoes in season and beautifully ripe and sweet.
17:23Today I'm going to put a bit of cucumber and just a little bit of chili so there's a bit
17:26of a hum of heat.
17:27Whoa, that is a full blender.
17:30And you just blend them down.
17:33And then you just need to make sure that you strain it really well.
17:36So when you pour it in, it's crystal clear in the bowl.
17:40Yeah, super happy.
17:41I think it's a bit more of a modern take on a classic flavor combination.
17:44So I've just, just got to bring it together.
17:47A lot of pastas.
17:48I know, isn't it?
17:49You've got to do what you've got to do.
17:51I think we're all making ricotta and we're all making pasta.
17:53Yeah, I know.
17:55It's a good combination.
17:56Battle of the pasta.
17:57It's a good combination, you know.
17:58Right, you can't beat the classics.
18:03It's never fun to cook in elimination.
18:06But I am feeling excited because I've got my favorite cuisine.
18:12My family, my girls, my husband, we always love eating Mexican food.
18:18Can I also do that?
18:19When I came to Australia, the first time we went out was actually a Mexican restaurant.
18:26Let's do one more.
18:27My girls love tacos.
18:30Okay.
18:31So today I'm going to be making prawn corn tacos with corns three ways.
18:36So I'm going to incorporate prawns in a fried corn salsa.
18:41I'm going to incorporate corns in a fresh smoky salsa.
18:45And I'm going to incorporate it in the flour as well.
18:50I feel like it's highly ambitious today doing corn three ways.
18:54There's just so many elements in this dish that I've got to do everything in a sequence and get it
19:00right.
19:00Kanika, you got this. Let's go!
19:06We've given them cuisines that have a very, very solid foundation.
19:10And then we've given them very simple, quintessential ingredients from that country.
19:16I'm a little bit worried about everyone who's doing Mexican.
19:19Keep an eye on my corn.
19:21Copy that!
19:22Yes.
19:22Because it's just one of those cuisines that tends to go cliché very easily.
19:27I feel like Annabelle's got it.
19:28She's doing these beautiful seared scallops with a roasted corn butter.
19:32And then she's got like a salsa matcha on top.
19:36Oh.
19:36Yes.
19:37Do you know what she's also not doing that everyone else on Team Mexico is?
19:41Tortillas.
19:42Yes.
19:43I think Mexico is a tricky one.
19:48I think people underestimate that cuisine, how complex it is.
19:52Yep.
19:54Get in the zone, because you've only got 30 minutes to go!
19:57Woo!
19:59Come on!
20:06My eggplants with the stuffing, the roasting in the oven.
20:09Now making the yoghurt tahini dressing.
20:15And I'm just going to fry off some pine nuts for ghee kind of dressing as a crunch element.
20:21So I'm just trying to balance the flavours at the moment.
20:24My eggplants are...
20:29One second.
20:31Ah, Jesus.
20:33I can...
20:34I can...
20:34I can smell...
20:36Something's burning.
20:38Oh, dear lord.
20:40It's just taken too much colour on top.
20:44The colour on these eggplants is worrying me, because they haven't been in long enough for that rice to cook.
20:49It has to turn that oven down.
20:52It's a tricky balance to get right.
20:56Um...
20:56So I'm just going to pop it back in the oven and cross my fingers.
21:00Oh!
21:02Ah, Jesus.
21:11Do not take your foot up the gas!
21:14You have 15 minutes to go!
21:16Woo!
21:16Go, guys!
21:17Come on!
21:18Keep pushing!
21:24Things are looking alright.
21:26That's the basil ricotta filling.
21:29I'm pretty happy with the texture of my pasta dough.
21:31Vinny, when are you starting your sauce?
21:32It's in the oven.
21:33Oh, okay.
21:34Phew!
21:36I hope this dish saves me from elimination.
21:38My nonna would be very, very angry at me that I go home on a tomato challenge and I've made
21:41pasta.
21:42She'd be like, are you for real?
21:44So I've got most of my elements done.
21:46My Lebanese loaded eggplant dip.
21:49Now it's really just a flatbread.
21:51What is that?
21:52I'm just frying some bits of chips.
21:54Bitter chips?
21:55Yeah.
21:55Oh, hell yeah.
21:59I feel okay.
22:01Today, my pressure cooker's done with my beef and lemongrass soup.
22:05We're just gonna put it on the stove and start balancing those flavours.
22:09Today's all about that lemongrass, so I really want to make sure that's shining through.
22:13I have my corn salsa and my quesadilla filling is in the pan.
22:18Hitting the brief is authentic Mexican has corn and tastes good, so I want to make sure I get that
22:23right.
22:28I'm having such a good time today.
22:30Like this is food that I love to cook.
22:34Mexican flavours and just like beautiful corn.
22:37I think I've got corn in my tooth.
22:38Corn sauce is tasting good, I'm just balancing it now and I want to get it like super duper smooth,
22:42so I'll pass it through a sieve.
22:44I need to get my scallops cooked and then I just need to like give my chilli salsa matcha just
22:49a bit of love and then I think we're good.
22:52Salsa matcha is something that I came across in my travels in Mexico and I am obsessed with it.
22:57It's got like peanuts and Mexican chilli, so good.
23:00I don't even just put it on my Mexican dishes, I put it in like nearly everything.
23:05Like poke bowl, add some salsa matcha, dumplings, add some salsa matcha, it's unreal.
23:10Moment of truth.
23:20Yeah, like...
23:21Oh!
23:25Oh wow, you did buckwheat?
23:27Yeah, yeah, yeah.
23:28Can I have one?
23:29Yeah, sure.
23:29I think they're pretty balanced.
23:35I am making my Japanese dish for jibuni and I'm going to hero miso.
23:40So the broth is very ducky at the moment, so I've just added it to the dashi made from bonito
23:45and now I just have to do a lot of seasoning and then add in the miso.
23:50I am trying to season this broth to perfection because I have this black apron on.
23:55Go Em, nice work Em.
23:57Miso happy!
23:58And I'm spooning tablespoons and slowly incorporating my miso into my combined stock.
24:05I really need to make sure that this broth delivers them to Japan.
24:12Bring it together!
24:1410 minutes to go!
24:16Let's go guys!
24:19Let's go guys!
24:20Let's go guys!
24:2010 minutes!
24:20Let's go guys!
24:21Awesome!
24:23You've got this!
24:25You've got this!
24:26Yeah Lalu!
24:27Woo!
24:27Keep tasting everything guys!
24:35It's not quite there yet.
24:37I'm at the mercy of the rice grain again.
24:43How much time do we have?
24:44Not long!
24:45I look up the clock and I'm like, oh my God, I've lost the track of time.
24:50I just need to roll my tortillas and just need to fry my prawns in the sauce.
24:56I've got my prawns marinated for my corn tacos with corn tree rice.
25:01I've got my fresh salsa, I've got my smoked salsa and I've got my marinated onions.
25:10But I haven't even started my tortillas.
25:15And I start rolling my tortillas.
25:22Oh my God, it's not coming together.
25:26It's not working.
25:29Oh my God.
25:32Oh no.
25:34No.
25:35No.
25:36Okay guys, five minutes to go!
25:39Home stretch everybody!
25:41Come on!
25:42I've started to really panic.
25:44I can't serve a taco without a taco.
25:50It's not coming together.
25:55Oh no.
25:56You've got this, Kanika.
25:57Breathe!
25:59I'm gone.
26:00I'm gone.
26:01I'm gone.
26:02I'm gone.
26:02I'm gone.
26:12I'm gone.
26:15I'm gone.
26:18I'm gone.
26:19I'm gone.
26:28I'm gone.
26:42I'm gone.
26:45I'll come.
26:56I'm gone.
27:00I'm gone.
27:01I'm gone.
27:01Japanese cakes are traditionally very beautiful.
27:04Oh, Jackie, good piping.
27:06I'm piping the cake, alternating between the miso cream
27:09and the pumpkin cream,
27:10and adding dots of the umeboshi jam as well.
27:13Oh, pretty, Jackie. Amazing.
27:16I've chosen not to play my pin today.
27:19I know that my spot in the competition,
27:21everything is riding on this cake,
27:23but this is the vision that I had for the cake.
27:26Oh, my gosh.
27:27And so I hope the judges love it.
27:32OK. Oh, no, ouchie.
27:35My biggest concern was whether the rice is going to cook in time,
27:39so I've cooked it for as long as possible.
27:42Just the top bits are crispy,
27:44so I'm just scraping off the top bit.
27:46I scrape the charred top off
27:49just to reveal the more tender stuffing inside.
27:53And the tahini yoghurt dressing. OK.
27:55I think I'm happy. Hi, nuts. Oh, my God.
27:58That eggplant is front and centre on the plate
28:01with the lamb and rice stuffing.
28:03I just really need it to be cooked perfectly.
28:1130 seconds left to go.
28:13Come on. You've got this.
28:16Come on. Get it on the plate, guys.
28:20You've got this, Kanaka.
28:22I don't have... You've got this, Kanaka.
28:24Get it on the plate.
28:24I don't have my tortillas.
28:28I wanted to do prawn tacos with corn three ways.
28:32Oh, my God.
28:33I've got two type of corns, crispy and fresh,
28:36and I've got prawns.
28:38No.
28:39I feel devastated.
28:41I know not having a tortilla on the plate
28:43might put me in the risk.
28:47We are all said and done.
28:4910, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
29:00That is it.
29:02Great work, everyone.
29:03Great work, guys.
29:09Oh, you did amazing.
29:11Well done, well done.
29:23You chose a cuisine,
29:24and we gave you the ingredient you had to feature.
29:28On the line is your spot in the competition.
29:32The first dish we'd like to taste belongs to...
29:37Annabelle.
29:48You had to cook Mexican, you had to feed your corn.
29:51What have you made?
29:52I have made some seared scallops with a corn butter
29:58and a salsa matcha.
30:01They look happy.
30:02They look amazing.
30:03Do they?
30:04They look really, really cool.
30:06But...
30:08Three was a very interesting choice.
30:11Oh, true!
30:29Damn it, I wish I had a full one.
30:31I don't know.
30:32Or a full seven.
30:35Absolute belter.
30:37You know, that salsa masher,
30:39it's got a beautiful background of smokiness
30:42from that chipotle powder.
30:44You cook on the scallop, ripping that lovely corn.
30:48That's the thing.
30:49Because the corn and the salsa masher
30:51just play so well against each other.
30:53And then you brighten it up
30:55with a squeeze of lime and some coriander.
30:58Thoughtful, thoughtful cooking.
31:00That'll get you a long way in this competition.
31:03I am so intrigued by the flavours you've used
31:06because there's just something going on
31:09with the use of the corn and the chilis and the scallops.
31:15I don't know, there's just something that's...
31:17there's alchemy going on there.
31:19I don't care what you've done.
31:21It's just bloody delicious.
31:24Thanks, guys.
31:28You are a force.
31:29Oh, my God.
31:30Well done.
31:31Well done.
31:33Next dish we'd like to taste belongs to Pat.
31:41Ooh.
31:43Oh, wow, the colour.
31:45Oh, my Lord.
31:47G'day, Pat.
31:48Hey, mate.
31:49How are you?
31:50Good.
31:50Um, Italian, obviously.
31:52Yes.
31:53What did you go with?
31:54So I've gone with a tortellini,
31:57which is filled with cavallonero pine nuts and ricotta.
32:00I've got a tomato water and a basil oil.
32:05Nice.
32:06Very fancy.
32:08That looks an absolute picture, Pat.
32:31Pat, this is an amazing job.
32:36You turn tomatoes to a liquid, a consomme, who is so clear, well done.
32:45The transparency, the transparency, the clarity of your liquid is just perfect.
32:49It's sweet, it's well seasoned, tastes so impeccably lovely.
32:55There's so much technique in that.
32:57It's your pasta work, it's the clarity and the flavour of that consomme, it's your oil.
33:01And for me, it's also those little peeled tomatoes.
33:04I just love them.
33:06They were so supple and kind of floral, and they just, you know, added a whole new dimension to that
33:11dish for me.
33:12Thanks, guys.
33:17That is so yum.
33:19Smash that made, well done.
33:22Petro.
33:25You have to feature eggplant because you chose Lebanon.
33:28I've made a loaded Lebanese dip platter.
33:32For me, Lebanese really does shine with texture, colour and flavour.
33:36And the bread, mate, the bread is absolutely ripping.
33:40Thank you so much.
33:41Dot.
33:41Today, I've made a ricotta, spinach and basil angliotti with a ninduya and tomato sauce.
33:50The tomatoes shows very well in your dish, which is quite special.
33:55I love your little pinched parcel of pasta, stuffed with this ricotta spinach.
34:00I can't fault it.
34:03Aaron!
34:05So, I've made a crispy lemongrass chicken thigh.
34:11Aaron!
34:11For me, the chicken is cooked perfectly.
34:13The sauce is so beautifully balanced, and it does make me think of Vietnam, for sure.
34:18Vinnie Gibbardie.
34:21I've made a ricotta and basil ravioli with a roasted cherry tomato sauce.
34:33Vinnie, you're not going back home tonight.
34:38It is delicious.
34:44Yeah, that sauce.
34:45I just want to rub it on myself.
34:50Lydia, we'd love to taste your dish next.
34:55I look at my dish and I know this dish tastes good, but just listening to all that
35:04positive feedback.
35:05I'm worried.
35:07I really need the rice and the eggplant to be perfectly cooked.
35:12I'm freaking out.
35:24You chose lemon on and you got eggplant, so tell us what you've made.
35:28I stuffed the eggplant with some lamb and rice mixture, tahini yogurt sauce for brightness
35:37and the pine nuts, and the pine nuts cooked in the ghee.
35:41Lydia, that looks stunning.
35:43Yeah, it's like a real face planter.
35:45Yeah, I swear.
36:05Lydia, this is magnificent.
36:09You cooked the eggplant beautifully.
36:11You've taken us to Lebanon for sure.
36:13The thing that I love the most on this dish
36:16is those pine nuts in the ghee
36:19because they're so buttery
36:21and then the eggplants are really silky.
36:23There's something about those textures coming together
36:26that is just so seamless.
36:28Well done. It's just gorgeous.
36:33Lydia, it is a fantastic dish.
36:39The mince, the rice, the deads.
36:45Thank you so much.
36:48I'm not sure what your method was,
36:49but remember it.
36:51Okay.
36:52Because we want to eat more food like this.
36:54Nice one.
36:55Thank you so much.
36:55Thank you so much.
37:00We'd love to taste your dish next.
37:02Emily.
37:04Emily.
37:07I'm looking down my dish.
37:08It looks absolutely exquisite.
37:12I hope that I have made any jibune chef in Japan proud,
37:18even though I did slightly modernise this with the miso.
37:23Wow.
37:26Sugar.
37:28Obviously, you chose Japan and you got miso.
37:31Yes, I did.
37:32So, I made jibune,
37:35which is kind of like a duck dish.
37:38So, the focus is usually on the broth.
37:42So, I thought it would be a good way to showcase miso.
37:45So, I thought it would be a good way to showcase miso.
38:08I love everything on this plate.
38:13Your broth has just got so much depth to it
38:15and the way you've so sensitively used that miso,
38:19so subtly,
38:20that it's got this kind of fruitiness
38:22that is just so lovely.
38:25I am totally in Japan.
38:27I think you've done a brilliant job.
38:29Emily, these noodles are bouncier than Beyonce.
38:34They're amazing.
38:35And I love that you chose to make them out of buckwheat as well.
38:38That is not easy.
38:40Far out, man, that's good cooking.
38:43Well done.
38:44Thank you so much.
38:49Well done.
38:51Oh, I flushed it.
38:53Next up, Karnika.
39:00I'm feeling really nervous.
39:05The tortillas are missing.
39:07I'm just hoping that all the elements that I've got on plate are perfect.
39:13Karnika, you had to cook a Mexican dish.
39:15You had to feature corn.
39:16What have you cooked?
39:18Today, I've made prawns with corns two way.
39:22So I did fried corns with chipotle sauce,
39:26and I did fresh corns.
39:28And there were meant to be tortillas, am I right?
39:31Yes.
39:33So time was not your friend?
39:35Yeah.
39:36Are you a bit worried?
39:37I am a little worried.
40:00Karnika, the sauce, it's interesting.
40:03It doesn't scream Mexican to me.
40:05It's quite one note.
40:07And in Mexican cuisine, that's the last thing that sauces are.
40:11The two corn, for me, it just feels like there's not enough difference.
40:16I feel like you just should have focused on one
40:18and made it the best possible version.
40:22Your want to really nail this has forced you to do so many different elements,
40:28and unfortunately, every single one of them has kind of suffered.
40:33Yeah, it's a really, really hard one, Karnika,
40:36because we know that you're adept at putting up multiple dishes
40:42and doing all of them really well.
40:44We've seen that for you.
40:45But today, the challenge was, you know, take us to Mexico.
40:48And you didn't get the tortillas up.
40:52So we're just going to have to see how everybody else cooks today.
40:55Thank you so much.
40:56Thanks, Karnika.
41:00I feel devastated.
41:02I feel like you went too ambitious.
41:09Today was not a day for it.
41:13I just don't want to go home today.
41:17Next dish we'd like to taste is ulalu.
41:21You picked Mexico with corn as the ingredient,
41:24and what have you made?
41:25I've made some beef quesadillas with a chard corn herby salsa.
41:31Ulalu, I wouldn't say that it's, like, overwhelmingly Mexican.
41:36The corn is, for me, where this dish falls down.
41:40It's overcooked, so it's become, like, really chewy.
41:44It's lost that kind of brightness, sweetness.
41:49Time to call down Jacques.
41:52You've chose Italian.
41:53You've featured tomatoes.
41:56So I've done a seafood spaghetti
41:58and just a pimpin' mussel sauce.
42:01Your dish is very well executed.
42:06Now, the tomato.
42:08They're not dominant in your dish.
42:10OK, all right.
42:11Lucy, you're next.
42:13So, Lucy, you picked a Vietnam.
42:16What have you made?
42:17I've made a beef and lemongrass Vietnamese noodle soup.
42:23Lucy, the broth is absolutely delicious.
42:28The lemongrass is there, but it is so subtle.
42:33Take us to Mexico.
42:34Hannah!
42:35I made you pork and corn taco with a crema.
42:42I think your tortillas are great.
42:44Yeah, your meat's got some nice flavour to it, the pork,
42:46but the thing that I'm missing to take me to Mexico here is some heat.
42:51Luke!
42:53Picked Mexico.
42:54I did birria tacos with a corn salsa.
43:02Birria.
43:02I thought the filling was delicious.
43:05You know, I love that braised short rib.
43:07The corn and pineapple salsa.
43:09Loved.
43:10I just think you could have probably gone a little bit heavier on the corn,
43:12just because that's what we're trying to feature today.
43:14But I did like the combo of the pineapple corn.
43:17Okay, next one.
43:18Jackie, please.
43:21I'm really good.
43:23I'm glad I backed myself today and I didn't play the pin.
43:27This is the vision that I had for the cake and I hope the judges love it.
43:34Jackie, you've chose japon and your feature ingredient was miso.
43:41What have you made?
43:42Today I've made a miso and pumpkin cake.
43:46Is this dish good enough to keep your spot in the competition?
43:52Yeah, I hope so.
43:54Let's find out.
44:25Let's find out.
44:51What I like about your dish is the gel on the top.
44:55Say the name again.
44:56Oh, we're bashi.
44:57That's right.
44:58That's fabulous.
45:01But because the cake is so sweet,
45:03I can't get relief of the miso effect.
45:07And I think your pumpkin is not really getting on with the cream.
45:13So basically speaking, do I like it?
45:18Do I like it?
45:19No.
45:22Jackie, I think you started off with a really good idea and you might have gotten a little
45:26bit transfixed by it.
45:29The actual sponge itself, I think it's fluffy and light, but the miso cream is a problem.
45:40It's actually not that miso-y.
45:43It's actually not that miso-y.
45:43Mate, I must have had a totally different cake.
45:48I got so much miso, so it's so strange, because I was like, wow, this is so salty.
45:55It must have just been the construction of the cake, because I got the miso half, you
45:59got the pumpkin half.
45:59Yeah.
46:00You could be vulnerable today, Jackie, with this one.
46:02Yeah.
46:03No, thank you for the feedback.
46:05Thanks, Jackie.
46:06I'm pretty disappointed.
46:09I really wanted to back myself.
46:11And I think it just didn't quite get to where I wanted it to be.
46:17I'm definitely worried that I could be the one going home today.
46:20And, yeah, I, yeah, don't know where I stand.
46:28Today, we asked you to take us on a trip around the world and feature a defining ingredient
46:35from one of five countries.
46:38Let's start with the positives.
46:41Four dishes truly transported us.
46:46And those dishes were cooked by...
46:49Emily.
46:51Emily.
46:54Annabelle.
46:59Lydia.
47:05And...
47:06Pat.
47:12All four of your dishes were worth travelling for.
47:15Congratulations, you're not going anywhere.
47:19Impressive dishes aside, it's an elimination day.
47:27If I call your name, please step forward.
47:32Alalu.
47:39Karnika.
47:47Jackie.
47:54Ultimately, it came down to the dish that had the most flaws.
48:01Cook going home today is...
48:08Karnika.
48:16Eliminations are hard.
48:19Please promise us that you will continue your journey after you leave.
48:29What did you love being here in the MasterChef kitchen?
48:34Everything.
48:34Everything.
48:35These people.
48:38You guys.
48:40Please don't give up.
48:42But for now, sadly, it's time to say goodbye.
48:48Oh, my God.
48:51It's just been an incredible journey.
48:55So much exposure to the world of the food.
48:59Give it up for Karnika, everybody!
49:04This is not the last time you're seeing me.
49:06I'm not going to stop here.
49:08Tomorrow night, the world is at their fingertips with an international invention test where fusion
49:17is the destination.
49:19Fusion sounds really scary because you're blending two countries together and it needs
49:25to be balanced and work.
49:26This is a fusion challenge, not a confusion challenge.
49:30So, what in the world are they making?
49:33Well...
49:34Oh, my God.
49:34Dear Lord!
49:35Fuck it out.
49:36Put it together.
49:37It's either a match made in heaven or it's going to be a disaster.
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