- 2 days 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.
00:09Come on.
00:10No 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, là ?
00:30How are you?
00:32This week, we are taking your test pods for a culinary exploration around 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.
00:55God, I've got to admit it was a very somber slogan.
00:59Whoa, walk-in today.
01:00Yeah.
01:01Is that kind of how everyone's feeling?
01:03A little bit nervous?
01:05Are you all kind of bricking it at the moment?
01:07Yeah.
01:08The nerves are high.
01:09Everyone is just so great.
01:10And it could really be anyone.
01:12And you just don't know.
01:13Yeah, every elimination, it does get harder and harder.
01:18So everyone should be at the top of their game.
01:20And you're going to need to be.
01:23Jackie.
01:25As per the rules this season, you're going to need to decide whether you're going to play
01:29your immunity pin just before the cook starts.
01:35All right.
01:36You 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.
01:45Vietnam.
01:47Mexico.
01:49Lebanon.
01:51Japan.
01:53And Italy.
01:56The good news.
01:57You get to choose which of these five cuisines you want to cook.
02:02The not so good news.
02:04Under each of these cloches is a secret ingredient that you must feature if you choose to cook that
02:11country's cuisine.
02:14And you won't know what it is until after you've chosen your cuisine.
02:19You're kidding me.
02:20That's a joke.
02:22That'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 is
02:31definitely getting my mind working.
02:33Definitely hoping for not something really obscure that I haven't worked with before.
02:38All right, everyone.
02:40It's time to make your choice.
02:41Please 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.
03:03Whatever's 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 lemongrass.
03:22Someone's happy.
03:23Come on.
03:24Happy about that, Aaron?
03:25The lemongrass 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.
03:32Lovely.
03:32I'm happy.
03:33Okay.
03:34We're going to Mexico.
03:35Quite the line here.
03:37Biggest.
03:39The Mexican ingredient that you have to feature is...
03:47Corn.
03:51Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
03:53Yeah, corn is pretty good.
03:54That's very Mexican.
03:54There's a lot we can do with that.
03:56Petro, Lydia.
03:57Lebanese ingredient that you have to feature in your dishes.
04:00Oh, God, that would be great.
04:05Eggplant.
04:05Oh, all right.
04:08Lydia, head in hands.
04:09I thought you'd be happy with that.
04:11Yeah, I am.
04:12I am.
04:12You are.
04:13I do enjoy eggplants.
04:16Oh, do I?
04:17Oh, God.
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...
04:32Visos!
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?
04:44I am not going to play the pin.
04:45She's cooking.
04:47Yes, Jackie.
04:49Nice.
04:50All right, our final trip, we're going to Italy.
04:54The feature ingredient for Italy is...
05:02Tomatoes!
05:09You'll have 75 minutes to cook us a dish
05:13that transports us to the country that you've selected.
05:16The garden and pantry will be open.
05:19But don't forget,
05:20you must feature the ingredient that was under your cloche.
05:25There is a lot at stake
05:28as the bottom dish will be eliminated from the competition.
05:35Okay, guys.
05:37It's time to take us around the world
05:40and your time
05:42start now.
05:43Go!
05:44Go, guys!
05:45Go, guys!
05:45Let's go!
05:47Let's go, guys!
05:48Let's go, guys!
05:49I should probably get some tomatoes.
05:51Big plans.
05:52Is there any parsley anywhere?
05:53Do you know where the tomato is?
05:55Oh, there you are.
05:56Blime, blime, blime, blime, blime, blime, blime, blime, blime.
05:58Go, Em!
05:59Let's go!
06:00Yeah, go, Don!
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,
06:13considering tomatoes are, like, in my blood.
06:16So I'm going to be making a ricotta stuffed pasta
06:18with 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 little 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,
06:38as well as those beef flavours,
06:41really making sure that lemongrass shines through.
06:46What is that?
06:47Mexican chilli?
06:48I don't know how hot they are.
06:49See you soon.
06:55Oh!
06:56Ahh!
06:57If that had stayed in my mouth any longer,
06:58I would have been in pain.
07:00OK, 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,
07:09eating heaps of tacos, street food.
07:11It was just awesome.
07:12Like, it's really vibrant, super punchy, just delicious.
07:16As soon as they lifted the colossal corn,
07:18I was like, I love corn.
07:18It's one of my favourite foods.
07:20So, I'm really happy.
07:21I'm obviously heroing...
07:22Corn.
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,
07:32kind of gets me through,
07:33so I'm just going to stick at it.
07:36So I'm going to be doing some seared scallops in their shell
07:38with, like, a sweet corn butter on the bottom,
07:41then the scallop and then, like, a salsa matcha on top
07:43and then some lime and coriander.
07:44So, like, super Mexican flavours.
07:46Maybe elevate it a little bit.
07:48And I know it'll taste good,
07:50because 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, 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 broth.
08:18In your sweet spot, meat and broth.
08:19Yeah, man.
08:20I feel like I'm quite familiar with Japanese cuisine,
08:23because I've lived there for eight and a half years.
08:25I want the fat.
08:27But I'm doing my own little twist on it
08:29by adding in miso,
08:30which is not traditionally used in this dish.
08:32I'm going to add that at the very end,
08:34because you're 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,
08:45but I feel this would be a great dish to push myself
08:48to balance flavours.
08:49I just want to make sure that my flavour's actually banging.
08:55I would help if I turned this on.
09:01On Elimination Day,
09:02it is vitally important that you play to your strengths.
09:06Calm down.
09:07We don't want you to get too gnarly.
09:10The flavours of Lebanon are familiar to me,
09:11because they're very close to Greece.
09:14OK, garlic.
09:15With Greece, we share a lot of overlap.
09:18It's going to be too garlicky.
09:21Today, I'm going to stuff some eggplants
09:24with typical Lebanese herbs and spices,
09:28rice and lamb.
09:29We're making room for the stuffing.
09:32There's a fine line between stuffing an eggplant and it feeling Greek
09:35or feeling Lebanese.
09:37So, I'm going to make them distinctively Lebanese.
09:41Chronic peanut juice.
09:43By just balancing of the spices.
09:45Oh, come on.
09:46Trust your palate, Lydia.
09:48Use the cumin, coriander, mint and Aleppo pepper.
09:53Hi, Lydia.
09:55Hi, Paul.
09:55Are you taking us to Lebanon with eggplant?
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?
10:11I think we just have to accept that this might be my face.
10:14Are you feeling confident?
10:15I 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 under cooked eggplant.
10:24You want that beautiful silky texture.
10:26You want that seamless bite.
10:27But these are your flavours.
10:28You can do it.
10:29Yeah, I'm hoping I will pack a flavour bomb today.
10:32Lebanese flavour bomb.
10:34Good luck.
10:35Thank you, Paul.
10:36In a normal cook, you would let this eggplant be in the oven
10:41for well over an hour or two.
10:42I don't have that time today, so I'm going to crank up the oven
10:46a little bit.
10:47All right, my little babies, braise away.
10:54Centre.
10:55Centre, centre, centre.
10:57Give it everything you've got!
10:59Sixteen minutes to go!
11:01There 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.
11:44Go on, puff!
11:45I'm cooking Mexican.
11:46I'm using the corn and I'm going to do birria tacos.
11:51Ready and wait.
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.
12:08I feel super strong, right?
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 sitting on my carrot cake vibe with the pumpkin?
12:33No, I'm just going to make a pumpkin cream.
12:35Oh yeah.
12:36And 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?
12:49Yeah, double cream.
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.
13:01Yeah.
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, 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 and so I really
13:57want 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 because there will be layers of
14:12miso in the cake too.
14:13It's actually lovely.
14:14I'm happy with the balance of it.
14:16When 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.
14:27You have 45 minutes left to go.
14:31Come on!
14:38Smash that lemongrass, Aaron.
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 crispy Vietnamese lemongrass chicken.
14:50I picked Mexico and the ingredient is corn.
14:53So I'm going to make beef pesadillas with a corn salsa.
14:57Pesadillas use a lot of spices that I like in Nigerian food and so I hope I do it well.
15:03Today I chose Italy.
15:05So I'm doing tomatoes.
15:07I'm going to feature that in a seafood marinara.
15:09So I've got prawns, mussels, bippies, scallops and also those beautiful cherry tomatoes in there as well.
15:15Just got to 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.
15:34Like everything.
15:35Hey Vinnie, have you got olive oil?
15:37Legend, thanks so much.
15:39I picked Italian.
15:41So the hero ingredient today is tomatoes, which is, you know, classic Italian.
15:44So I'm doing a cablanera 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.
16:23Lot 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.
16:31It's a good combination.
16:31Battle of the pasta.
16:32It's a good combination, you know.
16:33You can't beat the classics.
16:38It's never fun to cook in elimination.
16:41But I am feeling excited because I've got my favorite cuisine.
16:48My 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.
17:02My girls love tacos.
17:04Okay.
17:05So today I'm going to be making prawn corn tacos with corn three ways.
17:10So I'm going to incorporate prawns in a fried corn salsa.
17:15I'm going to incorporate corn 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.
17:33Canica, 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.
17:47I'm a little bit worried about everyone who's doing Mexican.
17:51Keep an eye 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.
18:03And 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.
18:13Yeah.
18:16I think Mexico is a tricky one.
18:18I think people underestimate that cuisine, how complex it is.
18:24Get in the zone because you've only got 30 minutes to go.
18:27Woo!
18:28Oh no!
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, I can, I can smell something's burning.
19:06Oh dear lord.
19:07It's just taking 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.
19:23So I'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!
19:42Woo!
19:42Go guys!
19:43Come on!
19:44Keep pushing!
19:50Things are looking alright.
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 that I go home on a tomato challenge that I've made
20:06pasta.
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 the flatbread.
20:15What is that?
20:16I'm just frying some bits of chips.
20:18Bit of chips?
20:19Yeah.
20:20Oh, hell yeah.
20:23I feel okay.
20:25My pressure cooker's done with my beef and lemongrass soup.
20:29We're just gonna put it on the stove and start balancing those flavours.
20:33Today's all about that lemongrass, so I really want to make sure that's shining through.
20:37I have my corn salsa, and my quesadilla filling is in the pan.
20:42Hitting the brief is authentic Mexican.
20:44It has corn and tastes good, so 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.
20:57Mexican 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, and I want to get it, like, super-duper smooth,
21:04so I'll pass it through a sink.
21:06I need to get my scallops cooked, and then I just need to, like,
21:09give my chilli salsa matcha a bit of love, and then I think we're good.
21:14Salsa matcha is something that I came across in my travels in Mexico,
21:16and I am obsessed with it.
21:18It's got, like, peanuts and Mexican chilli.
21:21It's so 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.
21:41Oh!
21:45Oh, wow.
21:46You did buckwheat?
21:47Yeah, yeah, yeah.
21:48Can I have one?
21:49Yeah, sure.
21:49I think they're pretty bounce.
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,
22:05and 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!
22:15Nice work, Em!
22:16He's so happy!
22:17And I'm spooning tablespoons
22:18and slowly incorporating my miso into my combined stock.
22:23I really need to make sure that this broth
22:26delivers them to Japan.
22:30Bring it together!
22:32Ten minutes to go!
22:33Good much, guys!
22:35Let's go, guys!
22:36Let's go, guys!
22:38Let's go, guys!
22:39Awesome!
22:41You've got this!
22:42Yeah, Lalu!
22:44Keep 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,
23:04oh, 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 for my prawn tacos with con tree rays.
23:16I've got my fresh salsa.
23:18I've got my smoked salsa.
23:21And I've got my marinated onions.
23:25But I haven't even started my tortillas.
23:30And I start rolling my tortillas.
23:35No!
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!
23:55I've started to really panic.
23:57I can't serve a taco without a taco.
24:02It's not coming together.
24:08Oh, no.
24:09You got this, Kanika.
24:10Breathe, breathe!
24:12I'm gone.
24:13I'm gone, I'm gone, I'm gone.
24:15I'm gone.
24:25I'm gone.
24:25Now's not the time for doubt.
24:27You've only got three minutes to go!
24:28Three minutes, guys!
24:30Come on!
24:31Come on, guys, come on!
24:33Get it on the plate!
24:35Get it on the plate!
24:36They look beautiful, Pat.
24:40I 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.
24:51Yeah, I'm very happy.
24:52I've just got to bring it together.
24:53When the judges taste my dish, I'm really hoping that they get that beautiful, fresh, vibrant 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 the fat of the
25:05oil.
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,
25:20and adding dots of the umeboshi jam as well.
25:22Jackie, that 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!
25:36And so I hope the judges love it.
25:40Oh my gosh!
25:42Oh my gosh!
25:43Oh my gosh!
25:43My biggest concern was whether the rice is going to cook in time, so I've cooked it for as long
25:48as possible.
25:50Just the top bits are crispy, so I'm just scraping off the top bit.
25:54I scrape the charred top off just to reveal the more tender stuff inside.
26:00And the tahini yoghurt dressing.
26:02Okay.
26:03I think I'm happy.
26:04Pine 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 need it to be cooked perfectly.
26:1730 seconds left to go!
26:1930 seconds left to go!
26:21Come on!
26:21Come on!
26:24You've got this!
26:24Get it on the plate, guys!
26:26You've got this, Kanika!
26:28I don't have...
26:29You've got this, Kanika!
26:29Get it on the plate!
26:30I don't have my tortillas.
26:34I wanted to do prawn tacos with corn three ways.
26:38I've got two types of corns, crispy and fresh, and I've got prawns.
26:44I 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!
26:54Eight, ten!
26:55Five, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one!
27:04Great work, everyone!
27:07Nice work, guys!
27:09Yay!
27:11Good job!
27:12Oh, you look amazing!
27:14Well done!
27:15Well done!
27:24Well 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, you had to feature corn. What have you made?
27:54I have made some seared scallops...
27:57...with a corn butter...
28:00...and a salsa matcha.
28:02They look happy.
28:03They look amazing.
28:04Do they?
28:05They look really, really cool.
28:07Five.
28:09Three was a very interesting choice.
28:12Oh, true!
28:13Oh, true!
28:29Damn it, I wish I 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 powder.
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 used, because there's just something going on with the use of the
29:09corn and the chillies and the scallops.
29:13I don't know, there's just something that's alchemy going on there.
29:17I don't care what you've done, it's just bloody delicious.
29:21Thanks, guys.
29:25You are a force.
29:26Oh, my God.
29:29Next dish we'd like to taste belongs to Pat.
29:38Ooh.
29:40Oh, wow, the colour.
29:42Oh, my Lord.
29:43G'day, Pat.
29:44Hey, mate.
29:45How are ya?
29:46Good.
29:47Italian, obviously.
29:48Yes.
29:48What'd you go with?
29:50So, 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, Pat.
30:24Pat.
30:26This is an amazing job.
30:31To turn tomatoes to a liquid, a consommé, who is so clear, well done.
30:37The transparency, the clarity of your liquid is just perfect.
30:42It's sweet, it's well seasoned, tastes so impeccably lovely.
30:48There's so much technique in that.
30:50It's your pasta work.
30:51It's the clarity and the flavour of that consommé.
30:53It's your oil.
30:54And 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.
31:04Thanks, guys.
31:08That is so yum.
31:11Smash the mate, well done.
31:13Petro.
31:17You had to feature eggplant because you chose Lebanon.
31:20I'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.
31:50I can't fault it.
31:52Aaron!
31:55So I've made a crispy lemongrass chicken thigh.
31:58I am.
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.
32:06Sure.
32:07Vini, good party!
32:10I've made a ricotta and basil ravioli with a roasted cherry tomato sauce.
32:21Vini, you're not going back home tonight.
32:26It is delicious.
32:31Yeah, that sauce.
32:33Just want to rub it on myself.
32:38Vini, we'd love to taste your dish next.
32:42I look at my dish and I know this dish tastes good, but just listening to all that positive feedback,
32:52I'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, so tell us what you've made.
33:14I stuffed the eggplant.
33:16With some lamb and rice mixture, tahini yogurt sauce for brightness and the pine nuts cooked in the ghee.
33:26Lidia, that looks stunning.
33:28Yeah, it's like a real face planter.
33:30Yeah.
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. It's just gorgeous.
34:16Lidia, it is a fantastic dish.
34:21The mince, the rice, the bits.
34:27Thank 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.
34:44Yay!
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, even though I did slightly modernise this with
35:01the miso.
35:02Oh, wow.
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.
35:18So the focus is usually on the broth.
35:21Um, so I thought it would be a good way to showcase miso.
35:38Let's go.
35:43Emily.
35:46I love everything on this plate.
35:50Your broth has just got so much depth to it.
35:53And the way you've so sensitively used that miso, so subtly, that it's got this kind of fruitiness that is
36:00just 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.
36:27I smashed it.
36:29Next up, Karnika.
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.
36:47Karnika?
36:48How to cook a Mexican dish?
36:50How to feed your corn?
36:51What have you cooked?
36:52Today I've made prawns with corns two way.
36:57So I did fried corns with chipotle sauce and I did fresh corns.
37:02And there were meant to be tortillas, am I right?
37:05Yes.
37:07So time was not your friend?
37:09Yeah.
37:10Are you a bit worried?
37:12I am a little worried.
37:31Canika, um, the sauce, it's interesting, it doesn't scream Mexican to me.
37:37Um, it'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 and unfortunately every single one
38:01of them has kind of suffered.
38:04Yeah, it's a really, really hard one, Karnika, 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.
38:23So we're just going to have to see how everybody else cooks today.
38:25Thank you so much.
38:26Thanks Karnika.
38:30I feel devastated.
38:32I feel like you 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 ulalu.
38:50You picked Mexico with corn as the ingredient and what have you made?
38:53I've made some beef quesadillas with a charred corn herbies also.
39:00Ulalu, I wouldn't say that it 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.
39:12It's lost that kind of brightness, sweetness.
39:16Time to call down Jacques.
39:19You've chose Italian.
39:20You've featured tomatoes.
39:23So I've done a seafood spaghetti and just a pimpin' mussel sauce.
39:28Your dish is very well executed.
39:32Now the tomato.
39:34They're not dominant in your dish.
39:36Okay. All right.
39:38Lucy, you're next.
39:40So 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!
40:01I 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 and pork but the thing that I'm missing to take me to
40:12Mexico here is some heat.
40:16Luke!
40:17Picked 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 feel 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.
41:26Jackie.
41:40Jackie.
41:44I'm afraid to say it, but I think you should have played your pin today.
42:03Jacky, I'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.
42:15You're a bossy.
42:16That's right.
42:17That's fabulous.
42:19But because the cake is so sweet, I can't get relief of the miso effect.
42:25And I think your pumpkin is not really getting on with the cream.
42:31So basically speaking, do I like it?
42:36No.
42:40Jacky, I think you started off with a really good idea, and you might have gotten a little bit transfixed
42:44by it.
42:45Yeah.
42:46The actual sponge itself, I think, is fluffy and light.
42:52But the miso cream is a problem.
42:56It's actually not that miso-y.
43:00Mate, I must have had a totally different cake.
43:04I got so much miso.
43:06So it's so strange.
43:08Because 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 got the pumpkin
43:15half.
43:15Yeah.
43:15You could be vulnerable today, Jackie, with 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.
43:35And, yeah, I, yeah, don't know where I stand.
43:42Today, we asked you to take us on a trip around the world and feature a defining ingredient from one
43:49of five countries.
43:52Let's start with the positives.
43:55Four dishes truly transported us.
43:59And those dishes were cooked by...
44:02Emily.
44:07Annabelle.
44:12Lydia.
44:18And...
44:18Pat.
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.
44:39If I call your name, please step forward.
44:43Alalu.
44:51Tanaka.
44:57Jackie.
45:04Ultimately, it came down to the dish that had the most flaws.
45:11Cook going home today is...
45:17Kanaka.
45:24Kanaka.
45:25Eliminations are hard.
45:28Please, promise us that you will continue your journey after you leave.
45:38What did you love being here in a MasterChef kitchen?
45:42Everything.
45:44These people.
45:45You 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.
46:15Tomorrow night, the world is at their fingertips
46:19with an international invention test
46:22where fusion is the destination.
46:25Fusion sounds really scary
46:27because you're blending two countries together
46:30and 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!
46:41Fight her out.
46:41Give it together.
46:42It's either a match made in heaven
46:43or it's going to be a disaster.
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