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2026.S18E18 >>> https://dai.ly/xaa87hk
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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, I am.
04:59I am.
05:00You are.
05:00I do enjoy eggplants.
05:03Oh, do I?
05:04Yeah.
05:05Oh, 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!
05:25It's a good one.
05:25It'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!
06:36Let's go, guys!
06:37Let's go, guys!
06:39Let's go, guys!
06:40Let's go, guys!
06:41I should probably get some tomatoes.
06:44Big plans.
06:44Is there any parsley anywhere?
06:46Do you know where the gignettos 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.
06:59Every day is a gym session.
07:01Yeah.
07:03I chose Italian today.
07:05I'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, pho?
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.
07:29I'm going to punch the lemongrass really heavy in my soup
07:33as well as those beef flavours.
07:36Really making sure that lemongrass shines through.
07:41What is that?
07:42Mexican chilli?
07:43I don't know how hot they are.
07:45Tason!
07:50Oh!
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 quash and saw 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
08:24and not do anything crazy.
08:25I've only got three elements.
08:27That seems to be the thing that I do
08:29that, 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 matcher 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
08:48because I have had this before.
08:49I like to play it safe when I'm wearing my black apron.
08:53That's so hot.
08:59Delicious.
09:01Emily, 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 jibbuni.
09:12Uh-huh.
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.
09:25I don'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
09:34because I'm not meant to overcook miso.
09:36Miso is a mommy bomb.
09:38I need to make sure that I have a great balance.
09:42It's a very delicate dish
09:44with very delicate broth,
09:46but I feel this would be a great dish
09:48to push myself to balance flavours.
09:50I just want to make sure
09:51that my flavours are actually banging.
09:57I would help if I turned this on.
10:02On elimination day,
10:04it is vitally important
10:06that you play to your strengths.
10:08Calm down.
10:09We don't want you to get too gnarly.
10:11The 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 a eggplant
10:38and it feeling Greek or feeling Lebanese.
10:41So I'm going to make them distinctively Lebanese.
10:45Pomegranate juice.
10:46By just balancing of the spices.
10:49Oh, come on.
10:50Trust your palate, Lydia.
10:52Using cumin, coriander, mint and Aleppo pepper.
10:55Oh, Harissa.
10:58Hi, Lydia.
10:59Hi, Paul.
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
11:10and a little bit of rice.
11:11This sounds like it's right up your wheelhouse.
11:14Why are you not looking incredibly confident?
11:16I think we just have to accept
11:17that this might be my face.
11:20Are you feeling confident?
11:21I am feeling confident.
11:22I'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.
11:32You 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.
11:40Good 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, centre, centre.
12:05Give it everything you've got.
12:0760 minutes to go.
12:08There we go, buddy.
12:10Let's go, guys.
12:16I love eating Italian food
12:19and I love cooking it as well.
12:20So I am doing Italian today
12:22and my hero ingredient is tomato.
12:25Put this together.
12:26So I'm making a spinach and basil ricotta-filled pasta
12:31with a beautiful tomato and india sauce.
12:35I've made this all before at home, though,
12:38which is much more relaxing than the MasterChef kitchen.
12:42I'm doing a Lebanese dish
12:44and my feature ingredient is eggplant.
12:48So I'm making a loaded eggplant dip
12:52with 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
13:06my dish doesn't just get me through elimination
13:08but actually blows the rest of the Mexican dishes out of the water.
13:12I'm feeling good.
13:15Today I'm cooking Japanese
13:16and 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
13:23with a miso cream,
13:25a pumpkin cream,
13:26and an umeboshi plum jam.
13:29Japanese cakes are traditionally very simple
13:32but very beautiful as well.
13:34They're always very light
13:37and 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.
14:01So I was going to have both.
14:01Double cream?
14:02Yeah, double cream.
14:02Yeah.
14:04All right.
14:04The one thing I will say
14:06is think about how flavours carry.
14:09We really need to know this is Japanese
14:11and be able to taste the miso against that pumpkin as well.
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,
14:26I decided not to play my immunity pin.
14:28So you need to be able to taste the miso
14:31so 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.
14:57The balance of the miso and pumpkin cream,
14:59my 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.
15:08But I've chosen not to play my pin today
15:10because 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,
15:27but 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,
15:35I'm really hoping it takes them
15:37to a little tea house in Japan.
15:39Yay!
15:42OK, guys, don't be the one to go home.
15:46You have 45 minutes left to go.
15:49Come on!
15:50Come on!
15:57Mash that lemongrass, Aaron!
16:00I chose Vietnamese
16:01and I'm quite happy with the ingredient that I got,
16:03which was lemongrass.
16:04I'm trying to make a Vietnamese lemongrass chicken.
16:09I picked Mexico
16:10and the ingredient is corn
16:12and so I'm going to make beef pesadillas
16:14with a corn salsa.
16:17Pesadillas use a lot of the spices
16:18that I like in Nigerian food
16:20and so I hope I do it well.
16:23Today I chose Italy,
16:25so I'm doing tomatoes.
16:27I'm going to feature that in a seafood marinara,
16:29so I've got prawns, mussels, pippies, scallops
16:32and also those beautiful cherry tomatoes in there as well.
16:35Just got to go.
16:37Today I chose Mexican
16:38and I have to feature corn.
16:40I'm cooking Mexican tacos
16:42with 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,
16:55like 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,
17:05which 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.
17:19You just get tomatoes in season
17:20and beautifully ripe and sweet.
17:23Today I'm going to put a bit of cucumber
17:24and just a little bit of chilli
17:25so there's a bit of a hum of heat.
17:27Whoa!
17:28That is a full blender.
17:30And you just blend them down.
17:33And then you just need to make sure
17:34that you strain it really well
17:36so when you pour it in,
17:38it's crystal clear in the bowl.
17:40Yeah, super happy.
17:41I think it's a bit more of a modern take
17:43on a classic flavour combination.
17:44So I've just got to bring it together.
17:47A lot of pastas.
17:48I know, isn't it?
17:50You've got to do what you've got to do.
17:51I think we're all making ricotta
17:52and 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?
17:58You're right.
17:58You can't beat the classics.
18:03It's never fun to cook in elimination
18:06but I am feeling excited
18:09because I've got my favourite cuisine.
18:12My family, my girls, my husband,
18:15we always love eating Mexican food.
18:17Can I also do that?
18:19Yes.
18:20Let's do that.
18:20When I came to Australia,
18:22the first time we went out
18:24was actually a Mexican restaurant.
18:26Let's do one more.
18:28My girls love tacos.
18:30Okay.
18:31So today I'm going to be making
18:32prawn corn tacos with corns three ways.
18:36So I'm going to incorporate prawns
18:39in a fried corn salsa.
18:41I'm going to incorporate corns
18:43in a fresh smoky salsa
18:45and I'm going to incorporate it
18:47in the flour as well.
18:50I feel like it's highly ambitious today
18:52doing corn three ways.
18:54Just so many elements in this dish
18:57that I've got to do everything
18:59in a sequence and get it right.
19:01Kanika, you got this.
19:02Let's go.
19:06We've given them cuisines
19:08that have a very, very solid foundation
19:10and then we've given them
19:12very simple, quintessential ingredients
19:14from that country.
19:16I'm a little bit worried
19:17about 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
19:24that tends to go cliche very easily.
19:26I feel like Annabelle's got it.
19:28She's doing these beautiful seared scallops
19:30with a roasted corn butter
19:32and then she's got like a salsa matcha on top.
19:36Oh.
19:37Yes.
19:37Do you know what she's also not doing
19:39that everyone else on Team Mexico is?
19:41Tortillas.
19:42Yes.
19:43It's gone straight to tortilla.
19:45I think Mexico is a tricky one.
19:48I think people underestimate that cuisine,
19:51how complex it is.
19:52Yep.
19:54Get in the zone
19:55because you've only got 30 minutes to go.
19:57Woo!
19:58Woo!
19:59Come on!
20:00Come on!
20:03Oh.
20:04Oh.
20:06My eggplants with the stuffing,
20:08the roasting in the oven,
20:09now making the yoghurt tahini dressing.
20:15And I'm just going to fry off some pine nuts,
20:18the ghee kind of dressing as a crunch element.
20:21So I'm just trying to balance the flavours at the moment.
20:23My eggplants are...
20:26My eggplants are...
20:28One second.
20:30I think...
20:31Oh, 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
20:47because they haven't been in long enough
20:48for that rice to cook.
20:49I have to turn that oven down.
20:51Oh.
20:52It's a tricky balance to get right.
20:56So I'm just going to pop it back in the oven
20:58and cross my fingers.
21:01Oh.
21:02Oh, Jesus.
21:11Do not take your foot up the gas.
21:13You have 15 minutes to go.
21:15Woo!
21:16Go, guys.
21:17Come on.
21:18Keep pushing.
21:24Things are looking all right.
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, OK.
21:34Phew.
21:36I hope this dish saves me from elimination.
21:38My nonna would be very, very angry at me
21:40that I go home on a tomato challenge
21:41and I've made pasta.
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.
21:50What is that?
21:52I'm just frying some bits of chips.
21:54Bits of chips?
21:55Yeah.
21:55Oh, hell yeah.
21:59I feel OK.
22:01My pressure cooker's done.
22:02With my beef and lemongrass soup,
22:05we're just going to put it on the stove
22:07and start balancing those flavours.
22:09Today's all about that lemongrass,
22:11so I really want to make sure that's shining through.
22:13I have my corn salsa
22:15and my quesita filling is in the pan.
22:18Hitting the brief is authentic Mexican.
22:21It has corn and tastes good,
22:22so I want to make sure I get that right.
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.
22:39I'm just balancing it now,
22:40and 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,
22:46and then I just need to, like,
22:48give my chilli salsa matcha just a bit of love,
22:50and then I think we're good.
22:52Salsa matcha is something that I came across
22:54in my travels in Mexico,
22:55and I am obsessed with it.
22:57It's got, like, peanuts and Mexican chilli.
23:00It's so good.
23:00I don't even just put it on my Mexican dishes.
23:03I put it in, like, nearly everything.
23:05Like, poke bowl, add some salsa matcha.
23:07Dumplings, add some salsa matcha.
23:08It's unreal.
23:10Moment of truth.
23:19Yeah.
23:21Like...
23:21Oh!
23:25Oh, wow.
23:26You did buckwheat?
23:27Yeah, yeah, yeah.
23:28Can I have one?
23:29Yeah, sure.
23:29I think they're pretty balanced.
23:35I'm making my Japanese dish for jibbouni,
23:38and I'm going to hero miso.
23:40So, the broth is very ducky at the moment,
23:42so I've just added it to the dashi made from bonito,
23:46and now I just have to do a lot of seasoning
23:48and then add in the miso.
23:50I am trying to season this broth to perfection
23:53because I have this black apron on.
23:55Go, Em! Nice work, Em!
23:57Miso happy!
23:58And I'm spooning tablespoons
24:00and 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!
24:14Ten minutes to go!
24:19Woo!
24:19Let's go, guys!
24:20Let's go, guys!
24:21Awesome!
24:23You've got this!
24:25Yeah, 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!
24:46I look up the clock and I'm like, oh, my God.
24:48I've lost the track of time.
24:50I just need to roll my tortillas
24:52and just need to supply my prawns in the sauce.
24:56I've got my prawns marinated for my corn tacos with corn tree rays.
25:01I've got my fresh salsa.
25:03I've got my smoked salsa.
25:05And 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.
25:24It's not coming together.
25:26It's not working.
25:29Oh, my God.
25:32Oh, no.
25:34No.
25:35No.
25:36OK, guys!
25:37Five!
25:38Minute to go!
25:39Heart stretch, everybody!
25:41Come on!
25:42I've started to really panic.
25:44I can't serve a taco without a taco.
25:51It's not coming together.
25:55Oh, no.
25:56You got this, Kanika.
25:57Breathe! Breathe!
25:59I'm gone.
26:00I'm gone.
26:01I'm gone.
26:02I'm gone.
26:03I'm gone.
26:13Now it's not the time for doubt.
26:15You've only got three minutes to go!
26:17Three minutes, guys!
26:18Come on!
26:19Push, guys, push!
26:21Get it on the plate!
26:23Get it on the plate!
26:24They look beautiful, Pat.
26:27Yeah!
26:28I believe I have celebrated the main component of the dish today being tomatoes.
26:32I've got the beautiful dressed tomatoes on the plate.
26:35But the big moment will be when the tomato water is poured on.
26:39It's the tortellini.
26:39Yeah, I'm very happy.
26:41I've just got to bring it together.
26:43When the judges taste my dish, I'm really hoping that they get that beautiful, fresh,
26:47vibrant tomato flavour.
26:48It's sweet and tangy.
26:50And then as that starts to dissipate, they'll taste the basil, which will come through in
26:54the fat of the oil.
26:56Yeah, I think I've done enough today.
27:01Japanese cakes are traditionally very beautiful.
27:04Oh, Jackie, good piping.
27:05I'm piping the cake, alternating between the miso cream and the pumpkin cream, and adding
27:11dots of the umeboshi jam as well.
27:13Oh, pretty, Jackie.
27:14That looks amazing.
27:16I've chosen not to play my pin today.
27:18I know that my spot in the competition, everything 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.
27:32Okay.
27:33Oh, 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 just to reveal the more tender stuffing inside.
27:53And the tahini yoghurt dressing.
27:55Okay.
27:55I think I'm happy.
27:57Hi, nuts.
27:58Oh, my God.
27:59That eggplant is front and centre on the plate.
28:01With the lamb and rice and stuffing, I just really need it to be cooked perfectly.
28:1130 seconds left to go.
28:13Come on, you've got this.
28:16Come on, you've got this.
28:18Get it on the plate, guys.
28:22I don't have my tortillas.
28:28I wanted to do prawn tacos with corn three ways.
28:32Oh, my God.
28:32I've got two types 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 might put me in the risk.
28:47We are all set and done in 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
29:00Great work, everyone.
29:03Great work, guys.
29:06Great work, guys.
29:09You did amazing.
29:11Well done.
29:12Well done.
29:23You chose a cuisine, and 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!
29:48Annabelle, you had to cook Mexican, you had to feature corn.
29:51What have you made?
29:52I have made some seared scallops with a corn butter and a salsa matcha.
30:01They look happy.
30:02They look all right.
30:03Amazing.
30:03Do they?
30:03They look really, really cool.
30:06But three was a very interesting choice.
30:11Oh, true.
30:29Damn it, I wish I had a full one.
30:32Or a full seven.
30:35Absolute belter.
30:37You know, that salsa matcha, it's got a beautiful background of smokiness from 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 matcha just play so well against each other.
30:53And then you brighten it up with 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 because there's just something going on with
31:09the use of the corn and the chillies and the scallops.
31:15I don't know, there's just something that'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.
31:33Next dish we'd like to taste belongs to Pat.
31:43Oh, wow.
31:44The colour.
31:45Oh, my Lord.
31:47G'day, Pat.
31:48Hey, mate.
31:49How are you?
31:50Good.
31:51Italian, obviously.
31:52Yes.
31:53What did you go with?
31:54So I've gone with a tortellini, which is filled with cavallonero, pine nuts and ricotta.
32:01I've got a tomato water and a basil oil.
32:04No, that's very fancy.
32:08That looks an absolute picture, Pat.
32:30Pat.
32:32This is an amazing job.
32:37To turn tomatoes to a liquid, a consommé, who is so clear, well done.
32:44The transparency, the clarity of your liquid is just perfect.
32:49It's sweet.
32:51It's well-seasoned.
32:52It tastes so impeccably lovely.
32:55There's so much technique in that.
32:57It's your pasta work.
32:58It's the clarity and the flavour of that consommé.
33:01It's your oil.
33:02And for me, it's also those little peeled tomatoes.
33:04I just love them.
33:06They were so supple and kind of floral.
33:08And they just, you know, added a whole new dimension to that dish for me.
33:12Thanks, guys.
33:16I can't even bear that.
33:18That is so yum.
33:19Smash that, mate.
33:20Well done.
33:22Petro.
33:25You had 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.
33:39Thank 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.
34:19Vini Gibardi.
34:21I've made a ricotta and basil ravioli with a roasted cherry tomato sauce.
34:31Vini.
34:34You're not going back home tonight.
34:38It is delicious.
34:44Yeah, that sauce.
34:45I just want to rub it on myself.
34:51Lydia, 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 positive feedback,
35:05I'm worried.
35:07I really need the rice and the eggplant to be perfectly cooked.
35:12I'm freaking out.
35:23You 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 yoghurt sauce for brightness and the pine nuts cooked
35:40in the ghee.
35:41Lydia, that looks stunning.
35:43Yeah, it's like a real face planter.
35:45Yeah.
35:45I swear.
36:04Lydia, this is magnificent.
36:09You cooked the eggplant beautifully.
36:12You've taken us to Lebanon for sure.
36:14The thing that I love the most on this dish is those pine nuts in the ghee because they're so
36:20buttery and then the eggplants are really silky.
36:23There's something about those textures coming together that is just so seamless.
36:28Well done.
36:29It's just gorgeous.
36:33Lydia, it is a fantastic dish.
36:39The mince, the rice, the debts.
36:45Thank you so much.
36:48I'm not sure what your method was, but 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.
37:07I'm looking down my dish.
37:09It looks absolutely exquisite.
37:12I hope that I have made any jibbune chef in Japan proud, even though I did slightly modernize this with
37:21the miso.
37:23Wow.
37:26Sugar.
37:28Obviously you chose Japan and you got miso.
37:31Yes, I did.
37:32So I made jibbune, which is kind of like a duck dish.
37:38So the focus is usually on the broth.
37:42Um, so I thought it would be a good way to showcase miso.
38:05I love everything on this plate.
38:12Your broth has just got so much depth to it and the way you've so sensitively used that miso so
38:20subtly that it's got this kind of fruitiness that is just so lovely.
38:24Emily.
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.
38:41Far out, man.
38:42That's good cooking.
38:42Well done.
38:45Thank you so much.
38:49Well done.
38:52Well done.
38:53That's 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 feed your corn.
39:16What have you cooked?
39:17Today I've made prawns with corn stew way.
39:22So I did fried corns with chipotle sauce and I did fresh corns.
39:28And there were meant to be tortillas, am I right?
39:31Yes.
39:32So time was not your friend.
39:35Yeah.
39:36Are you a bit worried?
39:38I am a little worried.
39:52No, no, no.
39:58I am a bit worried.
40:01I am a bit worried.
40:02I am a bit worried.
40:07I am a bit worried about the corn with corn.
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 kind of because we we know that you're adept at putting up
40:39multiple dishes and doing all of them really well we've seen that for you but today the challenge
40:46was you know take us to Mexico and you didn't get the tortillas up so we're just gonna have to
40:54see
40:54how everybody else cooks today thank you thanks Monica I feel devastated I feel like you went too
41:06ambitious today was not a day for it I just don't want to go home today
41:17next dish we'd like to taste is Olalu you picked Mexico with corn as the ingredient and what have
41:24you made I've made some beef quesadillas with a chard corn herpes salsa Olalu I wouldn't say that is like
41:34overwhelmingly Mexican the corn is for me where this dish falls down it's overcooked so it's become like
41:43really chewy it's lost that kind of brightness sweetness thank you time to call down Jack you've
41:52chose Italian you featured tomatoes seafood spaghetti and just a pimpin muscle sauce your dish is very well
42:04executed now the tomato they're not dominant in your dish okay all right Lucy you're next so Lucy you
42:14picked a Vietnam what have you made I've made a beef and lemongrass Vietnamese noodle soup
42:24Lucy the broth is absolutely delicious
42:29the lemongrass is there but it is so subtle take us to Mexico Hannah I made you pork and corn
42:38taco with a crema I
42:43think your tortillas are great yeah your mates got some nice flavor to it the pork but the thing that
42:47I'm missing to take me to Mexico here is some heat Luke picked Mexico I did birria tacos with a
42:58corn salsa
43:02birria I thought the feeling was delicious you know I love that bright short rib the corn and pineapple
43:08salsa loved I just think you could have probably got a little bit heavier on the corn just because
43:13that's what we're trying to feature today but I did like the combo of the pineapple corn okay next
43:18one Jackie please I'm glad I backed myself today and I didn't play the pin this is the vision that
43:28I
43:28had for the cake and I heard the judges love it Jackie you've chose Japan and your feature ingredient
43:39was miso what have you made today I've made a miso and pumpkin cake is this dish good enough to
43:50keep
43:50your spot in the competition yeah I hope so let's find out
44:20Jackie Jackie I'm afraid to say but I think you should have played your pin today
44:51well I like about your dish is the gel on the top say the name again that's right that's fabulous
44:59but because the cake is so sweet I can't get really of the miso effect and I think you're
45:08pumpkin is not really getting on with the cream so basically speaking do I
45:17like it no Jackie I think you started off with a really good idea and you
45:25might have gotten a little bit transfixed by it yeah the actual sponge itself I
45:31think is fluffy and light but the the meso cream is is a problem it's it's
45:41actually not that me Zoe now I must have had a totally different cake I got so
45:49much me sir so it's so strange that because I was like wow this is like so
45:54salty must have just been the construction of the cake because I got
45:58the meso half you got the pumpkin yeah you could be vulnerable today Jackie with
46:02this one yeah no thank you for the feedback thanks Jackie I'm pretty
46:07disappointed I really wanted to fuck myself and I think it just didn't quite
46:14get to where I wanted it to be I'm definitely worried that I could be the
46:19one going home today and 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
46:34defining ingredient from one of five countries let's start with the positives
46:41four dishes truly transported us and those dishes were cooked by Emily
46:54Annabelle
47:05and Pat
47:12all four of your dishes were worth traveling for congratulations you're not going anywhere
47:18impressive dishes aside it's an elimination day
47:27I call your name please step forward
47:32Alalu
47:39Karnika
47:47Karnika
47:54Ultimately it came down to the dish that had the most flaws
48:01Cook going home today
48:02is
48:07Karnika
48:16canica eliminations are hard please promise us that you will continue your journey after you leave
48:28what did you love being here in the master chef kitchen everything these people
48:38you guys please don't give up but for now sadly it's time to say goodbye thank you oh my god
48:51it's just been an incredible journey so much exposure to the world of the food
49:04this is not the last time you're seeing me I'm not gonna stop here
49:08tomorrow night the world is at their fingertips with an international invention test where fusion
49:17is the destination fusion sounds really scary because you're blending two countries together
49:24and it needs to be balanced and work this is a fusion challenge not a confusion challenge
49:29so what in the world are they making oh my god dear lord it's either a match made in heaven
49:38or it's
49:38going to have a disaster
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