- 7 hours ago
MasterChef Australia Season 18 Episode 17
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Short filmTranscript
00:00You can feel like the energy of everyone just being low.
00:03They look nervous.
00:04So nervous.
00:05Wearing a black apron can feel extremely daunting.
00:08Come on.
00:09No one is doing the washing up today.
00:11You just see these five cloches with flags of countries.
00:15I got nervous.
00:16And you don't know what's ahead of us cooking today.
00:21OK, guys.
00:22Bonjour, mes amis les cuisinières et cuisiniers.
00:27Comment ça va?
00:28Ça va.
00:29Ça va bien, merci.
00:30How are you?
00:32This week, we are taking your test pods for a culinary exploration
00:38around the world.
00:41But I need to remind you today, it is a black apron day.
00:49And unfortunately, someone will have to go up.
00:56I've got to admit it was a very sombre, slow walk in today.
01:00Yeah.
01:01Is that kind of how everyone's feeling?
01:03A little bit nervous?
01:05A little bit nervous?
01:05Are you all kind of bricking it at the moment?
01:06Yeah.
01:07The nerves are high.
01:08Everyone is just so great and it could really be anyone and you just don't know.
01:13Yeah, every elimination, it does get harder and harder.
01:18Yeah.
01:18So everyone should be at the top of their game and you're going to need to be.
01:23Jackie, as per the rules this season, you're going to need to decide whether you're going
01:29to play your immunity pin just before the cook starts.
01:35All right, you ready to hear what today's challenge is?
01:37Yes.
01:40You can see from these cloches that today, we're focusing on five specific countries.
01:44Vietnam, Mexico, Lebanon, Japan and Italy.
01:56The good news, you get to choose which of these five cuisines you want to cook.
02:01The not so good news, under each of these cloches is a secret ingredient that you must feature
02:09if you choose to cook that country's cuisine and you won't know what it is until after you've chosen your
02:18cuisine.
02:18Oh, you're kidding me.
02:20That's a joke.
02:21That's ridiculous.
02:24All I hear is bad news.
02:27Knowing that we don't actually know what the ingredient is before we select the cloche
02:31is definitely getting my mind working, definitely hoping for not something really obscure
02:35that I haven't worked with before.
02:38All right, everyone, it's time to make your choice.
02:41Oh, please stand in front of the cuisine that you would like to cook today.
02:44Let's go.
02:45Oh, my God.
02:46Oh, my God.
02:47Straight away, I'm drawn to Vietnam.
02:50That is my background and heritage.
02:52Hopefully that can help get me through today.
02:54This is crazy.
02:56Make safe choices.
02:57Safe choices.
02:58It's not safe until we know it's under there.
03:01A lot of Mexico.
03:02Jeez.
03:03Lebanon was popular.
03:05Lucy and Aaron, you picked Vietnam.
03:08Hopefully my home country doesn't send me home today.
03:13Well, the feature ingredient for Vietnam is...
03:19Lemongrass.
03:22Someone's happy.
03:23Come on.
03:24Happy about that, Aaron?
03:25Lemongrass is used all over Southeast Asia.
03:27I'm Malaysian, so I'm loving it.
03:29I'm loving it.
03:29Lucy, you're going to be happy with that.
03:30Yeah, that's pretty good.
03:31Lovely.
03:32I'm happy.
03:33Okay.
03:33We're going to Mexico.
03:35Quite the line here.
03:36Biggest.
03:39The Mexican ingredient that you have to feature is...
03:47Corn!
03:51Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
03:53Corn is pretty good.
03:54That's very Mexican.
03:54There's a lot we can do with that.
03:55Petro, Lydia.
03:57Lebanese ingredient that you have to feature in your dishes.
04:00Oh, God, that would be great.
04:04Eggplants.
04:05Ooh.
04:07All right.
04:08Lydia, head in hands.
04:09I thought you'd be happy with that.
04:10Yeah, I am.
04:12I am.
04:12You are.
04:13I do enjoy eggplants.
04:15Oh.
04:16Do I?
04:17Yeah.
04:17Oh, God.
04:18No, no, no.
04:20Okay.
04:21Jackie and Emily, you've chosen Japan.
04:24Shall we have a look?
04:26Yes, please.
04:26Feature ingredient for Japan is...
04:32Viso!
04:33Oh!
04:36It's a good one.
04:37It's a good one.
04:38All right, Jackie, time to make up your mind.
04:39Are you playing your pin or are you cooking in the challenge?
04:43I...
04:44I'm not going to play the pin.
04:45She's cooking!
04:47Yeah, Jackie!
04:48Nice.
04:50Righto.
04:51Our final trip, we're going to Italy.
04:54The feature ingredient for Italy is...
05:02Tomatoes!
05:05It's good.
05:06It's good.
05:09You'll have 75 minutes to cook us a dish...
05:12...that transports us to the country that you've selected.
05:16The garden and pantry will be open.
05:19But don't forget, you must feature the ingredient that was under your cloche.
05:25There is a lot at stake...
05:28...as the bottom dish will be eliminated from the competition.
05:35Okay, guys, it's time to take us around the world and your time starts now!
05:43Go!
05:44Let's go, guys!
05:45Let's go!
05:47Let's go, guys!
05:48Let's go, guys!
05:49Come on!
05:50I should probably get some tomatoes.
05:51Big plans.
05:52There's only parsley, anyway.
05:53Do you know where the bonito is?
05:55Oh, there you are.
05:56Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
05:58Go, Em!
05:58Woo!
05:59Let's go!
06:00Yeah, go, guys!
06:01I love the tomatoes!
06:02Beautiful!
06:04Oh, it's not a gym session, Petro.
06:07Every day is a gym session.
06:08Yeah.
06:10I chose Italian today.
06:12I'm pretty happy with the choice, considering tomatoes are, like, in my blood.
06:16I'm going to be making a ricotta-stuffed pasta with a roasted tomato sauce,
06:20so hopefully I can bring out the flavours of them really well.
06:23I really don't want to be in the bottom today.
06:24Lucy, fur?
06:25Yeah.
06:26Well, lemongrass and beef Vietnamese noodle soup.
06:30Yeah, yeah, yeah.
06:30I chose Vietnam because I'm pretty familiar with the flavours.
06:35I'm going to punch the lemongrass really heavy in my soup, as well as those beef flavours.
06:40Really making sure that lemongrass shines through.
06:46What is that?
06:47Mexican chilli?
06:48I don't know how hot they are.
06:49Taste it!
06:56If that had stayed in my mouth any longer, I would have been in pain.
06:59OK, we'll just use a little bit of these.
07:03I love Mexican food.
07:05I spent some time in Mexico last year with my brother, eating heaps of tacos, street food.
07:11It was just awesome.
07:13Like, it's really vibrant.
07:14Super punchy.
07:15Just delicious.
07:16As soon as they lifted the colossal corn, I was like, I love corn.
07:18It's one of my favourite foods.
07:19So, I'm really happy.
07:21I'm obviously heroing corn.
07:25Just going to keep it super simple and not do anything crazy.
07:28I've only got three elements.
07:30That seems to be the thing that I do that, like, kind of gets me through.
07:33So, I'm just going to stick at it.
07:35So, I'm going to be doing some seared scallops in their shell with, like, a sweet corn butter
07:40on the bottom and then a scallop and then, like, a salsa matcha on top and then some lime
07:43and coriander.
07:44So, like, super Mexican flavours.
07:46Maybe elevate it a little bit.
07:48And I know it'll taste good because I have had this before.
07:51I like to play it safe when I'm wearing my black apron.
07:55That's so hot.
08:00Delicious.
08:02Emily's so precise, so beautiful.
08:06I'm trying.
08:07Little baby daikons.
08:09Em, what are you doing?
08:10Making a Japanese dish called jibuni.
08:13Uh-huh.
08:14Yum.
08:14Which is kind of like a duck with a broth.
08:16Miso will go into the broth.
08:18In your sweet spot, meat and broth.
08:19Yeah, man.
08:20I feel like I'm quite familiar with Japanese cuisine because I've lived there for eight and
08:24a half years.
08:25I want some fat, but I'm doing my own little twist on it by adding your miso, which is good.
08:30Not traditionally used in this dish.
08:32I'm going to add that at the very end because I'm not meant to overcook miso.
08:36Miso is a marmi bowl.
08:38I need to make sure that I have a great balance.
08:42It's a very delicate dish with very delicate broth, but I feel this would be a great dish
08:47to push myself to balance flavours.
08:49I just want to make sure that my flavours are actually banging.
08:55It would help if I turned this on.
09:00On an elimination day, it is vitally important that you play to your strengths.
09:06Calm down.
09:06We don't want you to get too gnarly.
09:09The flavours of Lebanon are familiar to me because they're very close to Greece.
09:14Okay, garlic.
09:15With Greece, we share a lot of overlap.
09:18Don't be too garlicky.
09:21Today, I'm going to stuff some eggplants with typical Lebanese herbs and spices, rice
09:28and lamb.
09:29We're making room for the stuffing.
09:32There's a fine line between stuffing an eggplant and it feeling Greek or feeling Lebanese.
09:37So, I'm going to make them distinctively Lebanese.
09:41I'm going to blend a juice.
09:43By just balancing of the spices.
09:45Oh, come on.
09:46Trust your palate, Lydia.
09:48Use a cumin, coriander, mint and Aleppo pepper.
09:51Oh, how is that?
09:53Hi, Lydia.
09:55Hi, Paul.
09:55How are you?
09:56Are you taking us to Lebanon with eggplants?
09:57I hope so.
09:58Tell us what you're making.
10:00I'm stuffing my eggplant with a lamb mixture.
10:03Oh, nice.
10:04And lots and lots of herbs and a little bit of rice.
10:06This sounds like it's right up your wheelhouse.
10:09Why are you not looking incredibly confident?
10:10I think we just have to accept that this might be my face.
10:14Are you feeling confident?
10:16I am feeling confident.
10:17I'm just time-wise very nervous.
10:19Yeah.
10:19I'm worried about it roasting for long enough and it being tender.
10:22You do not want undercooked eggplant.
10:24You want that beautiful silky texture.
10:26You want that seamless bite.
10:27But these are your flavours.
10:29You can do it.
10:29Yeah, I'm hoping I will pack a flavour bomb today.
10:32Lebanese flavour bomb.
10:34Good luck.
10:34Thank you, Paul.
10:36In a normal cook, you would let this eggplant be in the oven for well over an hour or two.
10:42I don't have that time today.
10:44So I'm going to crank up the oven a little bit.
10:46Alright, my little babies.
10:48Braise away.
10:54Centre.
10:55Centre, centre, centre.
10:57Give it everything you've got!
10:59Sixteen minutes to go!
11:00There you go, buddy!
11:02Son of us!
11:03Let's go, guys!
11:08I love eating Italian food and I love cooking it as well.
11:12So I am doing Italian today and my hero ingredient is tomato.
11:17Put this together.
11:18So I'm making a spinach and basil ricotta filled pasta with a beautiful tomato and india sauce.
11:26I've made this all before at home, though, which is much more relaxing than the MasterChef kitchen.
11:33I'm doing a Lebanese dish and my feature ingredient is eggplant.
11:38So I'm making a bloated eggplant dip with hummus and flatbread.
11:43Go on, puff.
11:45I'm cooking Mexican.
11:46I'm using the corn.
11:47I'm going to do birria tacos.
11:51Read them, week.
11:52Oh, hell yeah, Luke.
11:54I'm hoping that today my dish doesn't just get me through elimination but actually blows
11:58the rest of the Mexican dishes out of the water.
12:01I'm feeling good.
12:04Today I'm cooking Japanese and I'm going to be doing a miso pumpkin cake.
12:08It's not super strong, though.
12:10The cake is composed of a miso sponge cake with a miso cream, a pumpkin cream and an umeboshi plum
12:16jam.
12:18Japanese cakes are traditionally very simple but very beautiful as well.
12:22They're always very light and definitely not too sweet.
12:29I've just got the cake in the oven.
12:30Are you sort of doing like carrot cake vibe with the pumpkin?
12:33No, I'm just going to make a pumpkin cream.
12:35Oh, yeah.
12:35And now I'm going to focus on the creams.
12:39That's a miso cream?
12:40Yeah.
12:41Quite savoury.
12:43It is quite savoury.
12:44Yeah.
12:44I thought it was going to be a pumpkin cream.
12:47Um, both.
12:48I was going to have both.
12:48Double cream?
12:48Yeah, double cream.
12:49Yeah.
12:50Alright, the one thing I will say is think about how flavours carry.
12:55We really need to know this is Japanese and be able to taste the miso against that pumpkin as well.
13:00Keep tasting.
13:00Yeah.
13:06I'm starting to feel really nervous.
13:07I need to make sure that pumpkin's not overpowering.
13:10At the start of this challenge I decided not to play my immunity pin.
13:14So you need to be able to taste the miso so that the cake transports the judges to Japan.
13:20Um, what do you want to do?
13:23Otherwise I could be going home.
13:36I'm feeling a bit nervous.
13:39I'm just trying to stay calm.
13:41The balance of the miso and pumpkin cream for my cake needs to be so right.
13:45So that pumpkin, it's not overpowering on the miso.
13:48I need to concentrate on getting the balance right.
13:51But I've chosen not to play my pin today because I really want to back myself.
13:56And so I really want to trust my instincts.
13:58I just need to keep moving.
14:00So I add more miso in it.
14:02I don't want to punish them with miso either.
14:07That's miso.
14:08I can definitely taste the saltiness but I don't want it to be overpowering
14:11because there will be layers of miso in the cake too.
14:13It's actually lovely.
14:14I'm happy with the balance of it.
14:15When the judges taste my dish, I'm really hoping it takes them to a little tea house in Japan.
14:21Yay!
14:24Okay guys, don't be the one to go home.
14:28You have 45 minutes left to go.
14:31Come on!
14:32Come on!
14:38Smash that lemongrass, alright.
14:41I chose Vietnamese and I'm quite happy with the ingredient that I got, which was lemongrass.
14:45I'm trying to make a Vietnamese lemongrass chicken.
14:50I picked Mexico and the ingredient is corn and so I'm going to make beef pesadillas with a corn salsa.
14:57Pesadillas use a lot of the spices that I like in Nigerian food and so I hope I do it
15:01well.
15:03Today I chose Italy, so I'm doing tomatoes.
15:07Gonna feature that in a seafood marinara.
15:09So I've got prawns, mussels, pippies, scallops and also those beautiful cherry tomatoes in there as well.
15:15Just gotta go.
15:16Today I chose Mexican and I have to feature corn.
15:20I'm cooking Mexican tacos with a pork.
15:25With a pork.
15:27I'm working on my corn salsa.
15:30Like, corn in every element.
15:32So I was like, I'm just going corny, like everything.
15:35Hey Vinnie, have you got olive oil?
15:37Like Jim, thanks so much.
15:39I picked Italian.
15:41So the hero ingredient today is tomatoes, which is, you know, classic Italian.
15:45So I'm doing a tablanera and ricotta tortellini.
15:50And that'll be in a tomato water.
15:52Tomato water I find is a really beautiful element.
15:54It's really simple to make actually.
15:56You just get tomatoes in season and beautifully ripe and sweet.
16:00Today I'm going to put a bit of cucumber and just a little bit of chili so there's a bit
16:03of a hum of heat.
16:04Whoa!
16:05That is a full blender.
16:07And you just blend them down.
16:09And then you just need to make sure that you strain it really well.
16:13So when you pour it in, it's crystal clear in the bowl.
16:16Yeah, super happy.
16:17I think it's a bit more of a modern take on a classic flavor combination.
16:21So I've just got to bring it together.
16:23A lot of pastas.
16:24I know, isn't it?
16:25You've got to do what you've got to do.
16:27I think we're all making ricotta and we're all making pasta.
16:29Yeah, I know.
16:30It's a good combination.
16:31Battle of the pasta.
16:32It's a good combination, you know?
16:33Yeah, you can't beat the classics.
16:38It's never fun to cook in elimination, but I am feeling excited because I've got my favorite cuisine.
16:47My family, my girls, my husband, we always love eating Mexican food.
16:52Can I also do that?
16:54Yes.
16:55When I came to Australia, the first time we went out was actually a Mexican restaurant.
17:01Let's do one more.
17:01My girls love tacos.
17:04Okay.
17:05So today I'm going to be making prawn corn tacos with corns three ways.
17:10So I'm going to incorporate prawns in a fried corn salsa.
17:15I'm going to incorporate corns in a fresh, smoky salsa, and I'm going to incorporate it in the flour as
17:21well.
17:23I feel like it's highly ambitious today doing corn three ways.
17:27There's just so many elements in this dish that I've got to do everything in a sequence and get it
17:33right.
17:33Tanaka, you got this. Let's go!
17:38We've given them cuisines that have a very, very solid foundation.
17:42And then we've given them very simple, quintessential ingredients from that country.
17:48I'm a little bit worried about everyone who's doing Mexican.
17:51Keep it on my corn.
17:52Copy that!
17:53Yes.
17:54Because it's just one of those cuisines that tends to go cliché very easily.
17:58I feel like Annabelle's got it.
18:00She's doing these beautiful seared scallops with a roasted corn butter.
18:04And then she's got like a salsa matcha on top.
18:07Oh.
18:07Yes.
18:08Do you know what she's also not doing that everyone else on Team Mexico is?
18:11Tortillas.
18:13Yes.
18:14Yeah.
18:16I think Mexico is a tricky one.
18:18I think people underestimate that cuisine, how complex it is.
18:22Yep.
18:24Get in the zone because you've only got 30 minutes to go.
18:27Go, go!
18:27Woo-hoo!
18:29Go on!
18:32Ugh.
18:35My eggplants with the stuffing, the roasting in the oven.
18:38Now making the yogurt tahini dressing.
18:44And I'm just going to fry up some pine nuts for ghee kind of dressing as a crunch element.
18:50So I'm just trying to balance the flavours at the moment.
18:52My eggplants are...
18:57One second.
18:59Oh, Jesus.
19:01I can smell something's burning.
19:06Oh, dear Lord.
19:07It's just taken too much colour on top.
19:12The colour on these eggplants is worrying me
19:14because they haven't been in long enough for that rice to cook.
19:17I have to turn that oven down.
19:20It's a tricky balance to get right.
19:23I'm just going to pop it back in the oven and cross my fingers.
19:38Do not take your foot up the gap.
19:40You have 15 minutes to go.
19:42Go, guys.
19:43Come on.
19:44Keep pushing.
19:50Things are looking all right.
19:52That's the basil ricotta filling.
19:54I'm pretty happy with the texture of my pasta dough.
19:56Vinny, when are you starting your sauce?
19:58It's in the oven.
19:58Oh, okay.
19:59Phew.
20:01I hope this dish saves me from elimination.
20:03My nonna would be very, very angry at me
20:05that I go home on a tomato challenge that I've made pasta.
20:07She'd be like, are you for real?
20:09So I've got most of my elements done.
20:11My Lebanese loaded eggplant dip.
20:13Now it's really just a flatbread.
20:15What is that?
20:16I'm just frying some bits of chips.
20:18Bitter chips?
20:19Yeah.
20:19Oh, hell yeah.
20:23I feel okay.
20:25My pressure cooker's done with my beef and lemongrass soup.
20:29We're just going to put it on the stove and start balancing those flavours.
20:33Today's all about that lemongrass,
20:34so I really want to make sure that's shining through.
20:36I have my corn salsa,
20:38and my quesadilla filling is in the pan.
20:42Hidden in the Brief is authentic Mexican.
20:44It has corn and tastes good,
20:45so I want to make sure I get that right.
20:51I'm having such a good time today.
20:53Like, this is food that I love to cook.
20:56Mexican flavours and just, like, beautiful corn.
20:59I think I've got corn in my tooth.
21:00Corn sauce is tasting good.
21:02I'm just balancing it now,
21:03and I want to get it, like, super-duper smooth,
21:04so I'll pass it through a sip.
21:06I need to get my scallops cooked,
21:08and then I just need to, like,
21:09give my chilli salsa match just a bit of love,
21:11and then I think we're good.
21:13Salsa matcha is something that I came across
21:15in my travels in Mexico,
21:16and I am obsessed with it.
21:18It's got, like, peanuts and Mexican chilli.
21:21So good.
21:22I don't even just put it on my Mexican dishes.
21:24I put it in, like, nearly everything.
21:26Like, poke bowl, add some salsa matcha.
21:28Dumplings, add some salsa matcha.
21:29It's unreal.
21:31Moment of truth.
21:39Yeah.
21:40Like...
21:41Oh!
21:45Oh, wow.
21:46You did buckwheat?
21:47Yeah, yeah, yeah.
21:47Sobh.
21:48Can I have one?
21:49Yeah, sure.
21:49I think they're pretty balanced.
21:54I am making my Japanese dish for jibbouni,
21:57and I'm going to hero miso.
21:59So the broth is very ducky at the moment,
22:01so I've just added it to the dashi made from bonito,
22:04and now I just have to do a lot of seasoning
22:07and then add in the miso.
22:08I am trying to season this broth to perfection
22:12because I have this black apron on.
22:14Go, Em.
22:14Nice work, Em.
22:15He's so happy.
22:17And I'm spooning tablespoons
22:18and slowly incorporating my miso
22:21into my combined stock.
22:23I really need to make sure that this broth
22:26delivers them to Japan.
22:30Bring it together!
22:31Ten minutes to go!
22:33Woo!
22:33Let's go, guys!
22:36Let's go, guys!
22:37Let's go, guys!
22:38Let's go, guys!
22:38Let's go, guys!
22:39Awesome!
22:41You've got this!
22:42You've got this!
22:43Yeah, Lalu!
22:44Woo!
22:45Keep tasting everything, guys!
22:52It's not quite there yet.
22:54I'm at the mercy of the rice grain again.
22:59How much time do we have?
23:00Not long.
23:02I look up the clock, and I'm like, oh, my God.
23:04I've lost the track of time.
23:06I just need to roll my tortillas
23:08and just need to prime my prawns in the sauce.
23:12I've got my prawns marinated
23:14for my prawn tacos with corn-free rice.
23:16I've got my fresh salsa.
23:18I've got my smoked salsa on.
23:20And I've got my marinated onions.
23:25But I haven't even started my tortillas.
23:30I start rolling my tortillas.
23:37Oh, my God.
23:38It's not coming together.
23:40It's not working.
23:43Oh, my God.
23:46Oh, no.
23:48No.
23:49No.
23:50OK, guys.
23:51Five minutes to go.
23:53Hot sex, everybody!
23:54Come on!
23:55I've started to really panic.
23:57I can't serve a taco without a taco.
24:02It's not coming together.
24:07Oh, no.
24:09You got this, Kanika.
24:10Breathe, breathe!
24:12I'm gone.
24:13I'm gone.
24:13I'm gone.
24:15I'm gone.
24:26I'm gone.
24:32Get it on the plate.
24:35Get it on the plate.
24:36They look beautiful, Pat.
24:39I believe I have celebrated the main component of the dish today being tomatoes.
24:43I've got the beautiful dressed tomatoes on the plate.
24:46But the big moment will be when the tomato water is poured onto the tortellini.
24:50Yeah, I'm very happy.
24:51I've just got to bring it together.
24:53When the judges taste my dish, I'm really hoping that they get that beautiful, fresh,
24:57vibrant tomato flavour.
24:59It's sweet and tangy.
25:00And then, as that starts to dissipate, they'll taste the basil, which will come through in
25:04the fat of the oil.
25:06Yeah, I think I've done enough today.
25:11Japanese cakes are traditionally very beautiful.
25:13Oh, Jackie, good piping.
25:15I'm piping the cake, alternating between the miso cream and the pumpkin cream, and adding
25:20dots of the umeboshi jam as well.
25:22Oh, pretty, Jackie.
25:23That looks amazing.
25:25I've chosen not to play my pin today.
25:27I know that my spot in the competition and everything is riding on this cake.
25:32But this is the vision that I had for the cake.
25:34Oh my gosh.
25:35And so I hope the judges love it.
25:40Okay.
25:43My biggest concern was whether the rice is going to cooking time.
25:47So I've cooked it for as long as possible.
25:49Just the top bits are crispy.
25:51So I'm just scraping off the top bit.
25:54I scrape the charred top off just to reveal the more tender stuffing inside.
26:00And the tahini yoghurt dressing.
26:02Okay.
26:03I think I'm happy.
26:04Hi nuts.
26:05Oh my god.
26:06That eggplant is front and centre on the plate with the lamb and rice stuffing.
26:10I just really needed to be cooked perfectly.
26:1730 seconds left to go!
26:19Come on!
26:21You got this!
26:22Come on!
26:23You got this!
26:23Come on!
26:24Get it on the plate, guys!
26:26You got this, Kanaka!
26:28I don't have...
26:29You got this, Kanaka!
26:29Get it on the plate!
26:30I don't have my tortillas.
26:34I wanted to do prawn tacos with corn three ways.
26:37Oh my god.
26:38I've got two types of corns, crispy and fresh.
26:41And I've got prawns.
26:43No!
26:43I feel devastated.
26:46I know not having a tortilla on the plate might put me in the risk.
26:52We are all set and done!
26:54In two!
26:55Five!
26:56Eight!
26:57Seven!
26:58Two!
26:59Five!
27:00Four!
27:01Three!
27:02Two!
27:03One!
27:03Two!
27:04Three!
27:06Three!
27:06Great work everyone!
27:07Oh my god!
27:09Woohoo!
27:11Good job!
27:12You look amazing.
27:14Well done.
27:15Well done.
27:17Well done.
27:18Well done.
27:26You chose a cuisine and we gave you the ingredient you had to feature.
27:30On the line is your spot in the competition.
27:34The first dish we'd like to taste belongs to...
27:40Annabelle!
27:50Annabelle, you had to cook Mexican.
27:51You had to feed your corn.
27:52What have you made?
27:54I have made some seared scallops with acorn butter.
28:00And a salsa matcha.
28:02They look happy.
28:03They look amazing.
28:04Do they?
28:05They look really, really cool.
28:07But...
28:08Three was a very interesting choice.
28:12Oh, true!
28:29Damn it.
28:29Always had a full one.
28:31Or a full seven.
28:34Absolute belter.
28:37You know, that salsa masher, it's got a beautiful background of smokiness from that chipotle
28:42powder.
28:43You cook on the scallop, ripping that lovely corn.
28:47That's the thing.
28:48Because the corn and the salsa masher just play so well against each other.
28:52And then you brighten it up with a squeeze of lime and some coriander.
28:57Thoughtful, thoughtful cooking.
28:58That'll get you a long way in this competition.
29:01I am so intrigued by the flavours you've used because there's just something going on with
29:07the use of the corn and the chillies and the scallops.
29:13I don't know.
29:13There's just something that's, there's alchemy going on there.
29:17I don't care what you've done.
29:18It's just bloody delicious.
29:21Thanks guys.
29:25You are a force.
29:26Oh my god.
29:27Look at that.
29:28Well done.
29:29Next dish we'd like to taste belongs to Pat.
29:39Oh wow, the colour.
29:42Oh my lord.
29:43G'day Pat.
29:44Hey mate.
29:45How are ya?
29:46Good.
29:46Um, Italian, obviously.
29:48Yes.
29:48What'd you go with?
29:49What'd you go with?
29:49Oh my lord.
29:49What'd you go with?
29:49So I've gone with a tortellini, which is filled with Cavaliniero pine nuts and ricotta.
29:56I've got a tomato water and a basil oil.
30:01Nice.
30:01Very fancy.
30:03That looks an absolute picture part.
30:24Pat.
30:26This is an amazing job.
30:31To turn tomatoes to a liquid, a consommé, who is so clear, well done.
30:38The transparency, the clarity of your liquid is just perfect.
30:43It's sweet, it's well seasoned, tastes so impeccably lovely.
30:48There's so much technique in that, it's your pasta work, it's the clarity and the flavour
30:52of that consommé, it's your oil, and for me it's also those little peeled tomatoes.
30:57I just love them.
30:58They were so supple and kind of floral, and they just, you know, added a whole new dimension
31:03to that dish for me.
31:04Thank you guys.
31:05Awesome.
31:08I can't believe that.
31:09That is so yum.
31:11Smash the mate, well done.
31:13Petro.
31:17You have to feature eggplant because you chose Lebanon.
31:19I've made a loaded Lebanese dip platter.
31:23For me, Lebanese really does shine with texture, colour and flavour.
31:27And the bread mate, the bread is absolutely ripping.
31:30Thank you so much.
31:31Dot.
31:32Today I've made a ricotta spinach and basil angliotti with a ninduya and tomato sauce.
31:40The tomatoes shows very well in your dish, which is quite special.
31:45I love your little pinched parcel of pasta stuffed with this ricotta spinach.
31:49I comfort it.
31:53Aaron!
31:55So I've made a crispy lemongrass chicken thigh.
32:00Aaron!
32:01For me the chicken is cooked perfectly.
32:02The sauce is so beautifully balanced, and it does make me think of Vietnam.
32:07Sure.
32:10I've made a ricotta and basil ravioli with a roasted cherry tomato sauce.
32:20Vinnie.
32:22You're not going back home tonight.
32:26It is delicious.
32:31Yeah, that sauce.
32:33I just want to rub it on myself.
32:38Lidio, we'd love to taste your dish next.
32:42I look at my dish and I know this dish tastes good.
32:48But just listening to all that positive feedback, I'm worried.
32:53I really need the rice and the eggplant to be perfectly cooked.
32:58I'm freaking out.
33:09You chose lemon on and you got eggplant.
33:13So tell us what you've made.
33:14I stuffed the eggplant.
33:15Mm-hmm.
33:16With some lamb and rice mixture.
33:20Tahini yogurt sauce for brightness.
33:22And the pine nuts cooked in the ghee.
33:26Lidia, that looks stunning.
33:28Yeah, it's like a real face planter.
33:30Yeah.
33:30Nice one.
33:49Lidia, this is magnificent.
33:53You cooked the eggplant beautifully.
33:55You've taken us to Lebanon for sure.
33:57The thing that I love the most on this dish is those pine nuts in the ghee.
34:02Because they're so buttery and then the eggplants are really silky.
34:06There's something about those textures coming together that is just so seamless.
34:11Well done.
34:12It's just gorgeous.
34:15Lidia, it is a fantastic dish.
34:21The mince, the rice, the debts.
34:26Thank you so much.
34:29I'm not sure what your method was, but remember it.
34:33Okay.
34:33Because we want to eat more food like this.
34:35Nice one.
34:36Thank you so much.
34:41We'd love to taste your dish next, Emily.
34:48I'm looking down my dish.
34:49It looks absolutely exquisite.
34:53I hope that I have made any jibune chef in Japan proud,
34:58even though I did slightly modernise this with the miso.
35:03Wow.
35:07Obviously you chose Japan and you got miso.
35:11Yes, I did.
35:12So I made jibune, which is kind of like a duck dish.
35:17So the focus is usually on the broth.
35:21So I thought it would be a good way to showcase miso.
35:43Emily.
35:46I love everything on this plate.
35:50Your broth has just got so much depth to it and the way you've so sensitively used that miso so
35:57subtly that it's got this kind of fruitiness that is just so lovely.
36:02I am totally in Japan.
36:04I think you've done a brilliant job.
36:06Emily, these noodles are bouncier than Beyonce.
36:10They're amazing.
36:12And I love that you chose to make them out of buckwheat as well.
36:15That is not easy.
36:17Far out, man, that's good cooking.
36:19Well done.
36:22Thank you so much.
36:25Well done.
36:26Well done.
36:29Next up, carnica.
36:35I'm feeling really nervous.
36:40The tortillas are missing.
36:42I'm just hoping that all the elements that I've got on plate are perfect.
36:47Carnica, you had to cook a Mexican dish.
36:50You had to feed your corn.
36:51What have you cooked?
36:52Today I've made prawns with cornstube.
36:56So I did fried corns with potley sauce and I did fresh corns.
37:02And they were meant to be tortillas, am I right?
37:05Yes.
37:06So time was not your friend.
37:10Are you a bit worried?
37:12I am a little worried.
37:31Canica, um, the sauce, it's interesting.
37:35It doesn't scream Mexican to me.
37:37It's quite one note.
37:39And in Mexican cuisine, that's the last thing that sauces are.
37:43The two corn, for me it just feels like there's not enough difference.
37:48I feel like you just should have focused on one and made it the best possible version.
37:54Your want to really nail this has forced you to do so many different elements.
37:59And unfortunately every single one of them has kind of suffered.
38:04Yeah, it's a really, really hard one, Carnica, because we know that you're adept at putting up multiple dishes.
38:12And doing all of them really well, we've seen that for you.
38:16But today the challenge was, you know, take us to Mexico.
38:19And you didn't get the tortillas up.
38:22So we're just going to have to see how everybody else cooks today.
38:25Thank you so much.
38:26Thanks, Carnica.
38:30I feel devastated.
38:32I feel like...
38:34You went too ambitious.
38:39Today was not a day for it.
38:42I just don't want to go home today.
38:46Next dish we'd like to taste is Olalu.
38:49You picked Mexico with corn as the ingredient.
38:53And what have you made?
38:53I've made some beef quesadillas with a charred corn herpes salsa.
38:59Olalu, I wouldn't say that is like overwhelmingly Mexican.
39:04The corn is for me where this dish falls down.
39:08It's overcooked.
39:09So it's become like really chewy.
39:11It's lost that kind of brightness, sweetness.
39:16Time to call down Jacques.
39:19You've chose Italian.
39:21You've featured tomatoes.
39:23So I've done a seafood spaghetti.
39:25And just a pimp and mussel sauce.
39:28Your dish is very well executed.
39:32Now the tomato.
39:34They're not dominant in your dish.
39:37Lucy, you're next.
39:39So Lucy, you picked a Vietnam.
39:42What have you made?
39:43I've made a beef and lemongrass Vietnamese noodle soup.
39:49Lucy, the broth is absolutely delicious.
39:54The lemongrass is there but it is so subtle.
39:58Take us to Mexico.
40:00Hannah!
40:00I made you pork and corn taco with a crema.
40:07I think your tortillas are great.
40:09Your meat's got some nice flavour to it with the pork but the thing that I'm missing to take me
40:12to Mexico here is some heat.
40:16Luke!
40:17Picture Mexico.
40:19I did birria tacos with a corn salsa.
40:26Birria.
40:26I thought the filling was delicious.
40:28You know, I love that bright short rib.
40:31The corn and pineapple salsa.
40:33Loved.
40:33I just think you could have probably gone a little bit heavier on the corn just because that's what we're
40:37trying to feature today.
40:38But I did like the combo of the pineapple corn.
40:40Okay, next one.
40:42Jackie, please.
40:44I'm really good.
40:45I'm glad I backed myself today and I didn't play the pin.
40:49This is the vision that I had for the cake and I hope the judges love it.
40:54Jackie.
40:56Jackie, you've chose Japan and your feature ingredient was miso.
41:03What have you made?
41:04Today I've made a miso and pumpkin cake.
41:08Is this dish good enough to keep your spot in the competition?
41:14Yeah, I hope so.
41:16Let's find out.
41:40Jackie.
41:44Jackie.
41:45I'm afraid to say, but I think you should have played your pin today.
42:10What I like about your dish is the gel on the top.
42:14Say the name again.
42:15It's not bad, but I'm afraid to say, but I think you should have played your pin today.
42:19But because the cake is so sweet, I can't get relief of the miso effect, and I think
42:26your pumpkin is not really getting on with the cream.
42:31So basically speaking, do I like it?
42:36No.
42:40Jackie, I think you started off with a really good idea, and you might have gotten a little
42:43bit transfixed by it.
42:45Yeah.
42:46The actual sponge itself, I think, is fluffy and light, but the miso cream is a problem.
42:57It's actually not that miso-y.
43:00Mate, I must have had a totally different cake.
43:04I got so much miso, so it's so strange, because I was like, wow, this is so salty.
43:11It must have just been the construction of the cake, because I got the miso half, you
43:14got the pumpkin half.
43:15You could be vulnerable today, Jackie.
43:17Give me this one.
43:18Yeah.
43:18No, thank you for the feedback.
43:20Thanks, Jackie.
43:22I'm pretty disappointed.
43:24I really wanted to back myself.
43:26And I think it just didn't quite get to where I wanted it to be.
43:31I'm definitely worried that I could be the one going home today, and yeah, I don't know
43:37where I stand.
43:43Today, we asked you to take us on a trip around the world and feature a defining ingredient
43:48from one of five countries.
43:51Let's start with the positives.
43:54Four dishes truly transported us.
43:59And those dishes were cooked by...
44:02Emily.
44:07Annabelle.
44:18And Pat.
44:24All four of your dishes were worth travelling for.
44:27Congratulations, you're not going anywhere.
44:30Impressive dishes aside, it's an elimination day.
44:38If I call your name, please step forward.
44:43Alalu.
44:50Tanaka.
44:57Jackie.
45:04Ultimately, it came down to the dish that had the most flaws.
45:11The cook going home today is...
45:17Kanaka.
45:24Kanaka.
45:25Eliminations are hard.
45:27Please, promise us that you will continue your journey after you leave.
45:38Why did you love being here in the MasterChef kitchen?
45:42Everything.
45:43These people.
45:46You guys.
45:48Please don't give up.
45:50But for now, sadly, it's time to say goodbye.
45:56Oh, my God.
45:59It's just been an incredible journey.
46:02So much exposure to the world of the food.
46:06Give it up for Kanaka, everybody.
46:10This is not the last time you're seeing me.
46:13I'm not going to stop here.
46:14Tomorrow night, the world is at their fingertips with an international invention test where fusion is the destination.
46:24Fusion sounds really scary because you're blending two countries together and it needs to be balanced and work.
46:32This is a fusion challenge, not a confusion challenge.
46:36So what in the world are they making?
46:38Oh, my God.
46:40Dear Lord.
46:41Fire out.
46:41Give it together.
46:42It's either a match made in heaven or it's going to be a disaster.
46:44Millions of the world is in London or it's going to be a disaster.
46:44Hi.
46:49Hi.
46:50Hi.
46:51Hi.
46:52Hi.
46:52Hi.
46:52Hi.
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