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2026.Season 18 Episode 48 - Mystery Box Challenge: Marion Grasby
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00:00Previously on MasterChef Australia...
00:03Please welcome, Sanjeev Kapoor!
00:06This guy is like the Goon Ramsey of India.
00:09He inspired unbelievable creativity.
00:13This is stunning.
00:16This is what makes MasterChef Australia the best food show in the world.
00:21And unusual ingredients from around the globe.
00:26One pat, a world holiday.
00:30It's fantastic.
00:31It is just divine.
00:33The sauce pat, the sauce.
00:35It's so good.
00:37But it also sent Emily home.
00:41And...
00:41Please welcome, Sam Aysman!
00:44His pressure test...
00:48...was the end of the journey for Alyona.
00:52This was one of the best experiences of my life.
00:56And I'm really excited to see what's gonna happen next.
01:02Tonight...
01:03We light up the kitchen...
01:06Whoa!
01:08As we ignite...
01:10...Hate Week.
01:12Oh, yeah!
01:13Let's go!
01:28Get in there!
01:30Good morning, guys!
01:35Lookin' a little spicy.
01:37That's so cool!
01:38That was cool!
01:38Looks spicy.
01:41We're at seven now.
01:43So this is pretty surreal feeling.
01:46These boxes get better and better.
01:48I know.
01:49I'm just trying to like sit with it and like soak it all in.
01:52And just be like, wow.
01:54Last woman standing.
01:56I think...
01:57With only seven of you left in the competition, it is really heating up.
02:02So it's only fitting...
02:07...that this...
02:08...is Heat Week!
02:10Yeah!
02:11Oh!
02:14Heat Week!
02:16Heat Week!
02:17What's it doing?
02:19Each day, the top dish wins immunity, which means the elimination at the end of the week will have fewer
02:25of you in it.
02:27Making it so much harder to survive.
02:31Far out.
02:33Last week, I was in a pressure test and it almost sent me home.
02:38So I really need to get immunity today because the competition is really fierce now.
02:45That's three all-important chances of immunity.
02:48And it all starts with a flaming mystery box.
02:53Yes!
02:57This sizzling mystery box has been set by an all-time MasterChef favourite.
03:03She has built her own food empire.
03:07Here we go.
03:08From what's in your pantry, to the books on your shelf, to what you're watching on your phone.
03:17Who's it, Barry?
03:19She's an entrepreneur.
03:21Barry.
03:22TV presenter.
03:24Food journalist.
03:26Oh my God.
03:28And one hell of a home cook.
03:31Yeah.
03:32It has been 16 years since she last walked through those doors.
03:38Damn.
03:39Please welcome...
03:44It's Marion Grosby!
03:48Woo!
03:49Woo!
03:51Woo!
04:02This is insane having Marianne in the MasterChef kitchen. She is an absolute icon.
04:08Marianne's one of my favourites. This is so exciting.
04:13She's had one of the most impressive careers coming out of MasterChef. Like, so awesome.
04:20Oh, so exciting.
04:22She's a man.
04:23Wow. I'm so nervous for you guys.
04:29Marianne, it's been a minute. Welcome back. How have you been?
04:32Oh my goodness, I've been so good. 16 years, Po, is a long time.
04:38I heard rumours that when you left the competition, it was only like within a couple of weeks that you
04:43bought a ticket to Thailand to start developing your product.
04:45About three, two, three weeks later, my husband and I had my little recipes that I stole from my mum.
04:51And we went to Thailand, mortgaged our house, we put everything into it because that's what we wanted to do.
04:57That's why I'm so excited for you guys. It really is just the beginning and there's just so much you
05:03can do.
05:04Hearing Marianne's achievements, it's like super inspiring. Just a testament to what could be in store for someone like me.
05:12Marianne, you're about to make everybody's day by once again cooking in the MasterChef kitchen. Yay!
05:20I'm so excited. Let's do it.
05:22Getting a masterclass from Marianne's is amazing. I'm stoked.
05:26Okay.
05:27I actually got goosebumps.
05:31I'm going to show you how I like to use heat from spices in a savoury dish and a sweet
05:38dish.
05:38So first up, I'm going to make my steamed Thai green curry gyoza in a coconut lime sauce.
05:46So my filling here has a Thai green curry paste in it, so you get that beautiful heat through the
05:54filling.
05:55And then just a classic gyoza fold here.
05:58Sick.
06:00Your fingers are like...
06:02Now all those pleats and the shape of the dumpling will sort of catch the sauce as you're eating it.
06:07It's not just about aesthetics.
06:10Cute.
06:11So now I'm going to steam these for about 10 minutes.
06:15Mmm.
06:16Then we're going to move on to the coconut lime sauce.
06:20So this is very loosely based on a Thai soup called tom kha gai.
06:26Coconut milk and some water as the base.
06:32Magrut lime leaves, lemongrass.
06:37A little bit of sugar here as well just to balance those flavours.
06:41And some fish sauce.
06:43Ooh, yes.
06:44Heat this just until that sugar dissolves.
06:47And then let it cool slightly and then that big hit of lime juice will really pop in your face.
06:56Perfect.
06:58Start with our dumplings.
07:02Oh, that's a nice looking gyoza.
07:05Ooh, yeah.
07:07Yeah, now you're talking, that's the stuff.
07:10Now ginger.
07:11So ginger is another ingredient that's going to add more of that warming, kind of earthy heat.
07:17Delicious.
07:18Lime leaves to sort of mimic the flavour that's in the sauce.
07:23Watching Marion whip up this dish really quickly that is like delicious is very inspiring.
07:30And it's got me thinking a lot about some really cool dishes.
07:33And then crispy chilli oil, which happens to be the one that I make.
07:37So I love it.
07:39Yum.
07:40I'm definitely making little mental notes I'm going to use for the cook.
07:44And there you have it.
07:45That's my steamed Thai green curry gyoza in coconut lime sauce.
07:57Now it's time for dessert.
07:59I'm going to be making a flaming hot and numbing Bomalaska.
08:06The first thing I need to make is the hot and numbing ice cream.
08:10I have Szechuan peppercorns.
08:13Green will give you this really beautiful citrus flavour.
08:17The red one is more earthy and warming than the green.
08:21Wow, she really does layer.
08:23Wow.
08:25This is Korean gochugaru flakes.
08:28So I love this for colour.
08:30Looks beautiful.
08:31And then I am going to strain it though because we don't want a grainy ice cream.
08:36It's such a cool colour.
08:37Yeah.
08:38So you can see that colour there.
08:40And then I am going to add in some chilli oil.
08:44And then a pinch of salt.
08:48Okay, now this goes into my ice cream machine.
08:51Yum.
08:52Now I've got the beginnings of my Italian meringue.
08:56But I also have some flavour and spice to add to this.
08:59So this is a yuzu chilli marmalade.
09:03Look at that.
09:05And then what you end up here is with a meringue that is citrusy and also spicy and warming.
09:13Huh.
09:15So what I have here is a yuzu citrus cake down the bottom and the ice cream.
09:21Just moulded and placed on top.
09:23Wow.
09:27Okay, so once you've piped your meringue, it's now time for the fun bit.
09:33So we have some spiced rum.
09:37Okay, time to light.
09:42And a little bit of salt.
09:47When Marion puts a pinch of salt in the alcohol to make this flame turn this really bright orange.
09:52I feel like I'm back at school when, you know, science teachers got like little bottles of different elements and
09:57you spray it on the flame changes colour.
09:59That's sick.
10:01And...
10:06So the key is to kind of get it toasty on the outside without melting that ice cream through the
10:10middle.
10:17See you, Annabelle?
10:19Uh, yes.
10:20My take on a Bomalaska was actually just a puddle of melted ice cream.
10:27I would have loved to have watched this demonstration, you know, right before the Connoisseur Challenge.
10:31I would have been way more clear on what to do.
10:34And that is my hot and numbing Bomalaska.
10:41Do you want a taste?
10:43Yes.
10:43Come on up.
10:46Ah.
10:47Yes.
10:49Cheers, brother.
10:50Tasting all the different layers of the heat in these dumplings, that coconut sauce is so fragrant, like so yummy.
10:58Make sure you get some meringue and cake and ice cream.
11:01I love how it's set.
11:02And then this hot and numbing ice cream kind of gets the cogs ticking in your brain.
11:06Mmm.
11:06Peppery and spicy and it's got that szechuan numbing feeling, but then the ice cream's really cold.
11:11It's really complex and balanced.
11:13It's really inspiring and it really gets like the creative juices flowing.
11:17So why don't you head back to your benches now?
11:20Here we go.
11:22Hey!
11:23Here we go.
11:25After that demonstration, I've got a pretty good feeling that we're going to see some of those ingredients under our
11:30mystery box.
11:31I'm really hoping to see the red and the green szechuan peppercorn under there.
11:37You can lift your lids now.
11:42Ooh!
11:43Ooh!
11:45Ooh!
11:45Wow!
11:46Ooh!
11:48Okay.
11:49Where'd this guy come from?
11:50Ooh la la.
11:51Very cool.
11:51Oh, wow.
11:53So you've got pork belly.
11:55Really nice.
11:56Silken tofu.
11:58Okay.
11:58Silken tofu.
11:59Pumpkin.
12:00Pumpkin.
12:01Pumpkong.
12:03There's also some Thai basil in there as well.
12:05Okay.
12:06Not bad.
12:06There's shiitake mushrooms.
12:08Ooh!
12:09Limes.
12:10Then some of your heat and warmth ingredients.
12:14There's ginger.
12:15Ginger.
12:17Green szechuan peppercorns and the red so you can have a play with those.
12:21Oh, wow.
12:22Some Thai chilli powder as well.
12:24One tip.
12:26Try the chilli powder before you start using it so you know exactly how hot it is.
12:30There's also soy sauce.
12:31Is that gochujang?
12:32And gochujang as well.
12:34Oh, gochujang!
12:34And then finally, one of my favourite ingredients, my crispy chilli oil.
12:41Oh, yeah.
12:43Flavour bomb central.
12:44Like, this is all very exciting ingredients to work with.
12:48There's 75 minutes on the clock.
12:51You can cook anything you like, sweet or savoury.
12:56But it must have a spicy kick to it.
12:59You need to use at least one of the ingredients that Marion selected for her mystery box.
13:05You also have pantry staples under your bench to help you out.
13:09The best dish at the end of the day will win immunity.
13:13Which means a fast track to the top six.
13:16It's a big deal.
13:20Marion, any final words of wisdom?
13:23I think, think about the layers of flavour.
13:26Not just the heat that will smack you in the face, but what is it that will bring the most
13:30harmony to your dish and make it really beautiful.
13:34Good luck.
13:35Your time starts now.
13:37Woo!
13:46Papa!
13:47Come on, boy.
13:47Sorry.
13:48Heat week.
13:49Pretty happy.
13:50I love eating and cooking with chillies.
13:52Come on, boy.
13:52Yes, boy.
13:53At work, we've got a chilli club.
13:55So once a quarter, everyone brings a dish in.
13:57The only rule is it has to have chilli in it.
13:59So this challenge is right up my alley.
14:01I'm loving this mystery box.
14:02It's got a lot of flavours that I love to cook with.
14:04So I'm going to have a bit of fun today.
14:06Okay.
14:08Kind of scary, this box.
14:11Mystery boxes, usually I lift the lid and, like, immediately I'm drawn to a certain few ingredients and I'm just
14:17like, bang, a dish comes to mind.
14:19Mmm.
14:22Today is not quite the same.
14:26What am I doing?
14:28I'm finding it really, really hard to build a dish in my mind that I'm like, hell yeah.
14:32I feel really good about this.
14:39Is the mystery of me bringing back any bad memories for you?
14:43I loved it.
14:44I personally loved it.
14:45Did you like it?
14:45I probably found mystery boxes more scary.
14:52But I think what it does do, it brings into very, like, pure focus everyone's skills.
14:59Yes.
14:59Because you don't have that, oh, I've made a mistake, I can get something else.
15:02It's also a really good opportunity for them to just go outside of their comfort zone.
15:07Let's hope we see some of that adventurousness today.
15:10Yeah, I hope so.
15:13Today I'm gonna be making a hot and sour pork soup.
15:18I've got my pork bones, some ginger, peppercorn, stalks from the Thai basil in there, stalks from the spinach, some
15:25shiitake mushrooms, some soy sauce and the chilli powder.
15:28And just let that bubble away to let those flavours develop.
15:31Hello, Pat.
15:32Hello, Andy.
15:33Hello, Pat.
15:34Ooh.
15:35How are we going?
15:36Ooh.
15:36That looks good.
15:38Just gonna say it.
15:39What is it?
15:39I'm inspired by a dinner we had out the other night.
15:42Went to a Thai restaurant and it was pork bone soup.
15:44I was out with Emily.
15:45Yeah.
15:46She was like, we have to get it.
15:46I was like, righto.
15:47And I got it and it was incredible.
15:48So I'm gonna do a hot and sour pork broth.
15:50Yeah.
15:51With a sweet, glazed, barbecued pork belly and some noodles.
15:55Early on, I got my pork belly on.
15:56It's gonna take about half an hour at least in the press cooker.
15:58Yeah.
15:59And I'll put my broth on nice and early because it's gonna take a while to develop those flavours.
16:02And now I'm moving on to my noodles now.
16:04So I'm gonna have a sour and hot broth.
16:06Yeah.
16:06And then a sweet and hot pork belly glaze.
16:08So you'll get sweetness, then sourness, but constantly having a bit of spice there.
16:12So that's the aim.
16:14I am sold.
16:15I don't know about you.
16:16I really think that yes, the pork belly, I back you on that.
16:19But this broth is where I really want you to focus your attention.
16:22Because the balance is like, mate, cooking for Marion Grasby.
16:25I know.
16:26Like a Thai style broth.
16:27Yeah.
16:27I'm conscious of, with noodles, it's gonna dilute everything a bit as well.
16:31Yes.
16:31Mate, we are all ears on this dish.
16:33You just gotta bring it home.
16:34Because, mate, immunity top six.
16:36How bloody good could that be?
16:37Because you haven't won enough things.
16:40Good luck that.
16:40Well, he's not gonna try today, because there's no prize on the line.
16:44There's no check, no fridges.
16:47Yeah.
16:49That's it.
16:50Have it all here.
16:51I'm loving the idea of heat week.
16:52I love a chilli.
16:54I'm super keen to give it a, like, you know, a red hot crack, especially for, you know, top dish.
16:58Nice.
17:00This is definitely playing in my ballpark.
17:02I started eating chillies when I was about three.
17:05I literally have a photo of me and my dad and the way that he used to feed me, because
17:10I would try to steal food off his plate because I knew it was spicy.
17:13So he had to hold me between his legs so I wouldn't reach out and grab his food and he'd
17:17eat his food and give me a bite every now and again.
17:20I love all the Asian flavours and aromats, you know, that's what I grew up with.
17:23I could make it easy for myself, make something Malaysian.
17:27But because only one person wins immunity, you gotta go big.
17:30I want to show a bit of style and flair.
17:32What else do I need?
17:34I want to go down a bit of a fusion route.
17:36Now, this is later.
17:40Hey, Aaron.
17:41Hey, what's going on?
17:42Hi.
17:43Are you using the pork?
17:44I'm using the pork.
17:45And what are you making?
17:46I'm trying to make a braised pork and stir-fried Hong Kong filled tortellini sitting on top of a spicy
17:54whipped silken tofu sauce.
17:56I want to make like a twill that sits on top of it as well.
18:00Okay.
18:01So it's going to look vaguely Italian, but just be Asian flavour central.
18:07Yeah.
18:07It's kind of right up my alley.
18:08I love it.
18:09It is.
18:09It is.
18:11I've got my pork belly on.
18:12I've got to roll up pasta still.
18:14That would be for a little bit later.
18:16On face value alone, I think this sounds like it's definitely in the running for a top dish.
18:20It does.
18:21In terms of concept.
18:22Yeah.
18:22Also sounds very complex.
18:24It is.
18:25There's the danger of it tipping over the other side.
18:28Yeah.
18:29Hopefully I can land in that sweet spot today.
18:31I think you can do it, Aaron.
18:32And if you can, top six is yours.
18:35Singers crossed.
18:36Good luck.
18:39I want that immunity so bad.
18:41The way I'm going to make this work is just really trying to focus on each individual element
18:44and then marrying them all together and balancing them as I go.
18:47Hopefully the fusion is fusion and not confusion.
18:53You've got to spice things up today.
18:5560 minutes to go.
19:01There you go.
19:04I feel good.
19:06Although I'm not super familiar with a lot of these ingredients together.
19:11Oh, it's stunning to smell good already.
19:13It smells amazing.
19:13It does.
19:14I really look up to Mary and I think she's amazing.
19:18But.
19:19Oh no.
19:20I'm a little worried about what dish I'm going to end up getting up.
19:24I want to do something like fun that like stands out from the rest.
19:29I don't have a super, super clear idea yet.
19:32Oh.
19:32What do you have a mind to me?
19:33Um.
19:36Um.
19:36I'm going to do pumpkin and mushroom skewers on the hibachi with like a Szechuan soy glaze
19:43and do like a whipped gochujang tofu on the bottom.
19:46Nice.
19:47I don't know.
19:49I think this dish is definitely not something that I feel really confident about.
19:53I think my heart's not in it.
19:55I'm just trying to get a dish up on the plate.
19:57This is.
19:58Oh.
19:59Anyway.
20:00That's a bit scary.
20:03I'm really struggling with this.
20:12Keep those creative juices flowing because you've only got 50 minutes to go.
20:21Look at how much clapping there was.
20:23That's so much clapping.
20:24My whole hands are calloused.
20:29How you going Casper?
20:30Good.
20:32I'm so excited for Mr. Cox.
20:33They're like my favorite thing to do in this competition.
20:36I've gotten a top dish in four mystery boxes so far.
20:39Fire it up.
20:40So it's great, but it's also a bit of pressure I've probably put on myself to keep the momentum
20:44going.
20:45And I don't want that to weigh me down today.
20:48Casper, you are loving this mystery box, aren't you?
20:51You look very happy.
20:52Yeah, yeah.
20:53Where did you land?
20:53So I'm going to do like, I guess a riff on a red braised pork belly.
20:57And then I've got pickled mushrooms done.
20:59And then on the base, I'm going to do a pumpkin puree.
21:03I want to get a bit of lime in there and maybe with some of the chili oil to get
21:06the heat in there as well.
21:08I like the sound of that.
21:09Are you feeling the pressure though?
21:11Yeah, I think I am a little bit.
21:12Like it's at that like best stage of the competition where it's like kind of can be everyone's game.
21:16You never know.
21:16You could be that immunity winning dish.
21:19Oh, I have to say cross our fingers.
21:20The competition is really fierce now.
21:23We're all so well versed in this kitchen and really experienced.
21:27So immunity is really something worth fighting for.
21:30So I want to make sure that I'm tasting every element.
21:33Mmm.
21:33Layering the spices so I can put together the perfect dish.
21:37My pork belly won't be too far off being pressure cooked so I can really afford to just take the
21:41time with this puree.
21:42Definitely have set a standard for myself for mystery boxes, but I think I can pull it off.
21:47And I've got the time to do it today.
21:49I think I've got a pretty good shot at immunity.
21:51Yum.
21:53You want it out, brother?
21:54Yes.
21:55Not too bad.
21:56Trying to figure it all out.
21:57You?
21:57Yeah, pretty soon.
21:59Today's mystery box is a lot of Asian flavours.
22:02I don't have much experience cooking them.
22:04A shiitake is able to be eaten raw.
22:06So I'm really going to have to taste as I go and rely on my instincts.
22:11To come up with a cohesive dish.
22:13I will be making Szechuan pork belly.
22:17That's pressure cooked.
22:18And then I'm going to cook it on the hibachi.
22:21I'm going to do tofu sauce at the bottom and the rest of it I'm going to work out as
22:26I go.
22:29This is such a fun cook in terms of, I've got no idea what half of these even do.
22:33This mystery box definitely feels like it's going to be very hard today.
22:36They want heat, they want spice, and that's making me a bit worried.
22:41I don't know too many of these ingredients.
22:43I'm not great with spice.
22:45It's going to be really hard to balance everything going in and making sure that the dish isn't just kind
22:50of blowing someone's head off.
22:51Definitely keen to have a bit of a play with the ingredients today and to see if I can just
22:54get something that's a bit different but also has great flavour.
22:57The plan for this dish is to make it quite spicy and then tame it with a cool creamy element.
23:02So it's spicy but it's also pleasant to eat.
23:06Hey Luke!
23:06Hey Luke!
23:07Hey hey, how you think?
23:07What's going on?
23:08Not much.
23:09Do you like spice?
23:10I do love spice.
23:11It just doesn't really love me, I think is how I'd describe it.
23:13I feel you bro.
23:15I feel you.
23:16Try to find a balance between heat but not just going crazy and overpowering the dish.
23:20Righto, what are you going to do?
23:21That's the plan.
23:21I'm thinking the pork in the air fryer, get it beautiful, nice, juicy, crispy.
23:26I'm going to make a glaze with some of these condiments, the gochujang, the soy.
23:30I then want to use the tofu to make puree on the bottom.
23:33I'm going to do a roti with the spinach.
23:35There it is.
23:35Okay.
23:35I'm hoping to make sure that if I don't put too much flavouring into the tofu then it'll
23:40counter really well and it'll contrast nicely.
23:43That's the plan.
23:43Okay, okay.
23:44Think about this whole dish, now it's going to eat together.
23:47Thanks guys.
23:49It's getting hot in here.
23:53Having Mary in here is really, really great and also it being heat week.
23:59I love heat.
24:00I love spicy things, I'm wearing chilli so that's one thing.
24:03I definitely feel at this stage of the competition I kind of need to be a bit more creative.
24:08I really want to put up something different that the judges haven't seen and won't see today.
24:11Today I'm going to do like a bit of a fusion dish because these are obviously a bit more
24:15Asian ingredients that we've got and I kind of really like the spice that we have.
24:19The Szechuan is really, really interesting to me.
24:21So today I'm making spiced pumpkin gnocchi with Szechuan pork sauce.
24:25I'm kind of drawing inspiration from a kachuan pepe type of dish which is a Roman style pasta
24:30made with peppercorns and a cheese.
24:33I'm going to use the Szechuan peppercorn as I would a black peppercorn in my sauce.
24:37I don't have the cheese but I'm kind of going to riff on that and just see where this dish
24:41evolves.
24:42Although the elements may be a little bit different than normal Italian cooking,
24:47they kind of still make sense in my head because in Italian you've got black peppercorns
24:51and you've got Italian basil so they're like similar types of ingredients that I'm using in the same ways.
24:56In order to get some more spice into my dish, I'm going to use the Thai chilli powder in my
25:00pumpkin gnocchi.
25:02I really just need to rely on my intuition and try my absolute best to get these flavours balanced.
25:08The heat is rising! You've only got 45 minutes to go!
25:15It really is. It's getting in there.
25:19Everyone's going to start clearing the nasal passage.
25:22Petro!
25:23Hello, how's it going?
25:24So tell us what you're thinking.
25:26What am I thinking?
25:28That didn't sound very cold.
25:30I'm just nervous because I just don't use these ingredients much.
25:33I'm working through it.
25:34I've got pressure-cooked pork belly, so I've charred off some ginger.
25:38Put that in there.
25:40There's some shiitakes.
25:41I've got some red szechuan, soy sauce, all those flavours in there.
25:45And then I'm going to play around with tofu creams with a little bit of the crispy chilli oil, I
25:51think.
25:52I'm wondering, because you know it's been very popular to turn this into cream, but once you cream it, it
25:59turns into something very rich.
26:01And I just want you to think about that.
26:02Yes.
26:04The worry is pork belly, rich.
26:07The whipped tofu could be rich as well.
26:08Yeah.
26:09You know, and then you've got rich on rich.
26:10I think you just need to look at the ingredients a little bit more creatively, pull them apart and think
26:16about what could this ingredient give to the dish.
26:18Yeah.
26:18You know?
26:19And I feel you could do it.
26:20Yeah, so do I.
26:21Yeah.
26:22Alright.
26:23I'm going to keep that in mind.
26:24Yeah.
26:24I'm going to start experimenting.
26:25Good luck.
26:26Thank you so much, guys.
26:28Yeah, it is freaking me out right now.
26:30I've got 40 minutes left to figure out what I'm going to do with this tofu.
26:36I have to push myself to stand out from the pack and give myself the best shot at immunity today.
26:47Be precise with your spice.
26:5030 minutes to go.
26:52Alright.
26:54Top dish gets immunity, so I need to figure out how I'm going to make this tofu element.
27:00I'm trying to do something creative and outside of my comfort zone, and it's a mystery box, so that's what
27:05these days are for.
27:07I'm just going to experiment.
27:09I'm going to start tasting everything and see what I can do.
27:15After tasting the silken tofu, I realised that it's very fresh.
27:19I think the flavours are going to work perfectly mixed in with the Thai basil and the water spinach in
27:25a cooling, refreshing salad.
27:28Oh, yeah.
27:29We're in business.
27:31Well, well, well, Marion.
27:33Tell me, are there any specific dishes going on?
27:37Tell me.
27:38What's going on?
27:39I am very excited about Asian pasta.
27:43I love that combination.
27:45And I think we've got a gnocchi going on.
27:47And we've got a tortellini going on.
27:49Stunning.
27:50Annabelle, she's going to do a mushroom and pumpkin skewer.
27:54Oh, my God.
27:55She's excited, but not super confident.
27:59We do have one dish that we were high-fiving over.
28:01Yes.
28:02So, Pat.
28:03He's doing this beautiful broth, so he's got all your goodies in there.
28:07Aromatics, the mushrooms.
28:08He's building up a really nice broth.
28:10Hot and sour was what he wanted to bring in the broth.
28:12Yes.
28:13Yes.
28:13And then noodles.
28:14Do you know, I think a good broth is one of those things
28:18that encapsulates everything that I was saying at the beginning,
28:21which is about layering the flavour.
28:23If he can achieve that in the broth, I think that would be magic.
28:25It could be an absolute cracker.
28:30All the elements.
28:31I feel my tortellini feeling.
28:32They're on the go.
28:34The kangkong's been sautéed.
28:35Pork's in the pressure cooker.
28:37And I've made my silken tofu sauce.
28:39So, the silken tofu sauce will be a creamy element.
28:44So, you get more aromas rather than the heat of the chilli oil.
28:48Nice.
28:49There's still a lot to do.
28:51I want my pasta to be really textural, but also have a really nice colour,
28:54which is why I decided to use the oil from the chilli oil in the dough itself
28:58to add a bit more pop.
29:00Nice little kick, actually.
29:02What else do I need?
29:04I really want to take it up a notch and try and push myself.
29:09So, I'm making a tuile.
29:11Yeah.
29:12And I want it to look a bit like a coral.
29:14And then have the tuile just covering everything to add a bit of mystery
29:18and crunch to the dish as well.
29:20Ooh.
29:20Yes.
29:23It's a big mortar and pestle, mate.
29:25Yeah, well...
29:26What's this?
29:27Bacon.
29:29Oh, yeah, yeah, yum.
29:31Yeah.
29:32It's a good idea.
29:32Thanks.
29:33Thought of it myself.
29:34My gnocchi's boiling and now I need to make my Szechuan peppercorns.
29:37I don't have that much experience working with the Szechuan peppercorn,
29:41but I've been to Japan and I ate a lot of it there.
29:43I'm going to get those green and red peppercorns into my pan
29:47with my gojujang pork, lardons, my gnocchi and some pasta water.
29:52I need this dish to really pop in flavour.
29:54It needs to be spicy and it needs to have that really tingly effect
29:58on the tongue from those Szechuan peppercorns.
30:01Ah!
30:02That is banging.
30:04Really, really nice.
30:05Szechuan is perfect.
30:06I think it needs a little bit of extra heat,
30:07so I'm going to add a little bit of that Thai chilli powder.
30:12The puree is looking really good, actually.
30:13Yeah, I'm pretty happy with it.
30:15I've also put some limes and some of the chilli oil in there as well.
30:19Tasting this puree, I really think it was worth the time.
30:22Put that out the way.
30:23I'm really happy with how this is coming together.
30:25You get lots of different layers of heat and textures.
30:28Nice.
30:29The pumpkin, the gojujang, the glaze on the pork
30:32has caramelised up really nicely,
30:34but having a look around the calibre of the rest of the contestants,
30:38I'm starting to worry.
30:39This isn't pushing the boat out far enough today.
30:42They're nice.
30:43So we can get those out.
30:45Well...
30:45Wow.
30:45So I want to make a real zesty pumpkin seed salt
30:49just to give it that extra level of flavour.
30:50Blitz those out with a bit of green Szechuan peppercorn.
30:53With some chilli.
30:55So there's a fair bit of heat in that finishing salt.
30:58Hopefully that's like my edge.
31:01Have your kidlets watched MasterChef?
31:04Your MasterChef?
31:05Only just recently.
31:06A lot of kids at school now who,
31:08oh, my mum and dad watched your mum and...
31:11Oh, that's really sweet.
31:12Yeah, no, it's cool.
31:13I don't think they really understood.
31:15They just thought all kids get fed this well always.
31:17well, doesn't everyone have boxes on the supermarket?
31:19Yeah, exactly.
31:21We should be right.
31:23Feeling pretty good.
31:24Just getting every last bit of lime juice out of these limes
31:27because I'll need every bit of it for my soup.
31:29The broth is the star of the hot and sour soup.
31:31So if I don't nail this broth,
31:33I'm with no hope of getting top dish today.
31:36Ah!
31:37Hot!
31:38Hot!
31:40So the broth's been simmering now 45 minutes.
31:42So it's extracted all the flavour out of everything that's in the pot.
31:46I just need to now balance it with the citrus.
31:48I'm going to make it more powerful than I normally would
31:51because once it's got the noodles in the dish,
31:53that will dilute the flavour a little bit.
31:55It's really good.
31:55I'm super happy with it.
31:57You definitely get the sourness of the lime first
31:59and then the hum of the heat just kind of sits there,
32:01especially on your lips.
32:02So hopefully they enjoy that.
32:04I'm just going to touch the pork belly on the hibachi with the glaze.
32:08Hoping once you have a mouthful of the really sour, spicy soup,
32:11the sweetness of the pork
32:12and then those beautiful textured noodles
32:14will balance each other out.
32:16The idea of the broth.
32:18I'm really looking forward to that.
32:20I'm just working my glaze at the moment.
32:22I'm trying to make sure that I get a really nice flavour.
32:25I want it to be really zingy.
32:26I definitely feel like this dish has nailed the brief.
32:28The glaze and the tofu cream have layers of heat.
32:31The rotis look good, but it's all going to be about the pork.
32:35Alright, let's have a look.
32:35The moment of truth.
32:36I take my pork out of the air fryer
32:38and it's looking really good.
32:41It's super tender and nice and crispy on the char.
32:43It's pretty good.
32:44I can really see this dish coming together.
32:47I think I could be in for a shot for immunity today.
32:50Fives off your life!
32:5115 minutes to go!
32:55I hope they knock your socks off today.
32:57So do I.
32:58I hope.
32:58We're like proud parents.
33:00These sevens.
33:01So I really hope that they shoot for the stars.
33:05Prep my veggies.
33:06They're just marinating in their marinade.
33:08This dish is definitely not something that I feel excited to eat.
33:12It's more like a mayo.
33:14But it's time to get onto my skewers.
33:16I want to cook the pumpkin and the mushroom on the same skewer.
33:19So I'm going to alternate pumpkin, mushroom, pumpkin, mushroom, pumpkin, mushroom.
33:23Annabelle, are you happy with your choice?
33:27I'm getting there.
33:28Now, I can see clearly all the layers that the pumpkin is still hard.
33:33But the flesh of the mushroom is always very soft.
33:37I think it might be very difficult to have the pumpkin and the mushroom cooked perfectly.
33:44Yes.
33:44I didn't think about the mushroom cooking at a different rate.
33:48Of course, like, of course they're going to cook at different times.
33:53OK, thank you.
33:54All right.
33:54Yeah.
33:55They've got completely different densities.
33:58I know that.
34:09Only ten minutes to go!
34:18John Christophe made a good point about the, like, cook time of the pumpkin and the mushrooms.
34:26I am going to redo the skewers and I'm going to put all the mushroom on one and all of
34:31the pumpkin on the other and cook them.
34:35I'm just trying to get a dish up on the plate.
34:38And I'm just, like, making silly decisions along the way.
34:41And I'm not thinking clearly and I think it's showing.
34:46I really have to knuckle down on folding my pasta.
34:50The outside would be this, like, silky Italian pasta.
34:53And then once you bite into it, you'll get the flavours of Southeast Asian.
34:58I really want to make sure that everything's balanced, refined and done well.
35:04The spice is layered through the silken tofu sauce.
35:08And I've also got green Sichuan peppercorn dust that goes over the twill.
35:12So I've layered all of these different levels of spice and different kinds of spice throughout the dish.
35:18No long left.
35:20Five minutes to go.
35:21Come on!
35:28Woo!
35:29Woo!
35:29It's smoky.
35:34We're getting to the end of the cook and I'm getting ready to plate up my spice pumpkin gnocchi.
35:39My dish does have a lot of heat.
35:43Might make some more.
35:45But I just don't know if I've executed every layer of spice properly.
35:49So I'm gonna make a Thai basil topper as well.
35:52I'm just working on, like, a chilli oil, a bit of Thai basil, a bit of olive oil and lime
35:57juice just to top off the rest of the dish so it cuts through all the richness.
36:05The silken tofu salad tastes amazing.
36:10And then I've got my glaze going.
36:12It's made out of juices that have been sitting in that pressure cooker.
36:16I get that on the pork and finish it off on the hibachi.
36:20I feel like my flavours are there and so I'm hoping I can get immunity today.
36:27Immunity for the top dish, shall we? Three minutes to go!
36:39I've got the mushroom skewers and the pumpkin skewers and I'm brushing them with the glaze.
36:45My mushrooms look great and they're, like, soaking up all the smoke and they're going all charry and all those
36:50gnarly bits.
36:52My pumpkin's taking a lot longer.
36:54Shock, who would have thought?
36:58Oh, no. This is not good.
37:02I can't serve those pumpkin skewers.
37:04Oh, no.
37:06I feel really sad and really disappointed.
37:09This is not a plate of food that I am proud of.
37:12We're wrapping it up in 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
37:27That's it, everybody!
37:31Well done.
37:38Oh, my God.
37:39I can't even believe I have to serve that.
37:43I'm not going to cry.
37:47Anyway, it's not an elimination. I don't know why I'm crying.
37:49I'm just, like, disappointed in myself.
37:52Is it disappointed in myself tears?
37:54I know no one's going home, but I'm just like, oh, damn it.
37:57I feel like, just even the last week, I've really started to picture sort of, like, going pretty far in
38:02the comp and, like, you know, maybe even making it to semifinals.
38:04So it's just like, you start thinking that and then you start, you know, you don't cook well.
38:08It's just like, oh, well, maybe you can't do this.
38:16First dish we'd like to taste belongs to Petro.
38:23This is definitely different compared to what I originally had in mind, but I'm really happy with how it's all
38:28come together.
38:29I hope that my tofu salad makes me stand out.
38:33Oh.
38:35Petro, what have we ended up with?
38:37So we've ended up with char-grilled pork belly with a roasted green Szechuan salt and silken tofu salad.
38:47Righto.
39:08Petro, what you've created here is absolutely stunning.
39:13The pork, it is delicious.
39:16It is really well cooked.
39:17It's got a great char on it.
39:19The simplicity of that silken tofu element is perfect.
39:23It's that beautiful moment of sweetness, sourness and numbing.
39:27They're the three kind of sensations that this plate is absolutely littered with.
39:31Thank you so much, Andy.
39:33So this tastes like something that I might find in like a really modern Asian restaurant in Singapore.
39:42It's got this real sophistication to it.
39:45And it is wonderful to see that tofu in its actual glory.
39:50And the way you've treated it counters perfectly with that really smoky, deep flavour you've gotten on that pork.
39:58My mouth is like floating with the flavours, you know, and it's all mixing together.
40:02I'm loving it.
40:05The thing that I love about it is that it still has the intensity of flavour and the interest of
40:12street food.
40:13Particularly the char on your pork.
40:15It's almost like you're walking through a smoky street somewhere in Bangkok.
40:18This is excellent cooking.
40:21It's got the sensation element that Marian's dessert had.
40:26So you've got the pot numbing barbecue pork and then you've got this kind of refreshing tofu salad.
40:31So well done.
40:32Thank you guys.
40:34I am getting a lot more trust in my intuition.
40:37So I think I've got a really good shot at top spot today.
40:41But there's a lot of good cooks here.
40:42So you never know.
40:45Okay, next please.
40:47Vinny.
40:54I'm pretty proud that I put up something that acts a punch.
40:57You know, I've used those green and red peppercorns, Thai chilli powder, chilli oil and the gotchujang on my pork.
41:04I definitely feel like I've nailed that aspect.
41:08So Vinny, tell us, who have you made?
41:10I did a pumpkin gnocchi with a szechuan and pork sauce.
41:16I kind of wanted to come up with something still like kind of close to my roots but with different
41:20flavours.
41:21So it's basically like an ala gricha type of dish.
41:23It's got the szechuan as like the peppercorns and then the pork as the guanciale.
41:29And then I've kind of done the gnocchi as the pasta.
41:32I like it when people do bad things to traditional food.
41:36Whether or not it succeeds is what we need to find out.
41:55I do, I do.
42:16That is so hot.
42:22Are you trying to kill us or what?
42:24No, no, no.
42:26My mouth is burning honestly.
42:30Vinny, I actually like the level of heat but I love chilli.
42:35I think there's one problem here.
42:39The szechuan peppercorn isn't quite the right substitute for a black peppercorn with a cacio e pepe flavour.
42:47To me cacio e pepe has an earthy pepperiness.
42:50Whereas this szechuan peppercorn makes a dish very bitter and very overpowering.
42:56And so it's almost like that overpowering numbingness and everything from the szechuan is making everyone cough.
43:05I kind of like it.
43:08It's like fun.
43:10Me too.
43:11It's kind of addictive.
43:12Yeah, it's challenging me.
43:13It hurts but I want it to like me.
43:15Yeah.
43:17There's something that's nearly happening there with the sweetness of that vegetable and the intensity and fruitiness of the spice
43:24that you've used.
43:25And I think it could be a really, really interesting dish.
43:28So take it away with you.
43:30Yeah.
43:30See what you get.
43:31Andy will always happily volunteer as your tester.
43:36I used to like you.
43:39Oh, you know.
43:40Thank you, Vinnie.
43:48There's definitely room to improve on my dish but I feel pretty happy that I was able to actually bring
43:53up something that was super creative.
43:54No one else had thought of this and it was something new to the judges that they hadn't had before.
43:59Well done, Pete.
44:00Can you make that for dinner tonight?
44:02Aaron!
44:04This is definitely the type of food that I want to be creating.
44:07It has a sense of fusion, creativity and technique and flavour.
44:13That's the kind of chef that I want to be.
44:19Aaron, what'd you make?
44:20I made a braised pork belly tortellini on a spicy whipped silken tofu sauce.
44:28Let's get stuck in.
44:33I love that crunch.
44:34The sound is nice.
44:53I love that crunch.
45:02The sound is nice.
45:02It's nice to me.
45:02I don't think you got there.
45:05I feel like the heaviness of the soy flavour in that.
45:09You've tried to balance it out with fresh aromats.
45:11It just hasn't got there, mate.
45:12Yeah.
45:12When I ate the tuile, that savouriness added another dimension to all the textures and I think it helped because
45:21you had the soft pork filling and you had the soft sauce as well.
45:24Yeah.
45:25I think there's one thing that let you down and that's balance.
45:29Yeah.
45:29I get a lovely heat at the end but there's quite a lot of tanginess overpowering everything.
45:35I think if you could have pulled that back a little bit, it might have been a winner.
45:40Yeah.
45:41I like your tortellini.
45:42I think you've done an amazing pasta work.
45:45Clever using chilli oil into the pasta dough.
45:48Brilliant.
45:49I hate to be dragging auntie but I feel like this challenge was yours.
45:54You've got insider knowledge on how to use all these ingredients.
45:57Just be careful you're not overthinking when you don't need to.
46:00Yeah.
46:09I did say I'd go big today and I think in looks it's worked today but not in flavour.
46:17I think just going forward I need to try not to overthink.
46:21You're up next, Annabelle.
46:28Marion is someone that I really look up to and I really wanted to put up a dish that
46:33I was proud of that I think she would like.
46:37I just don't think this is the dish today.
46:43Annabelle, what have you made?
46:44I have done soy and Szechuan glazed mushroom skewers on a gochujang tofu.
46:54Dammit.
46:57Sorry.
46:58It's okay.
46:59I felt really good coming off the back of last week.
47:08I really want to be here and I really want to take this as far as I can and I've
47:14sort of started to like be able to picture myself doing that.
47:20But I'm not putting up dishes consistently that I'm really happy with and proud of and I think I'm just
47:25like scared that if I continue to cook like this I'm going to find myself getting eliminated.
47:41Alright, we're going to test your dish.
48:01Annabelle, that is not as bad as you think.
48:05Really?
48:06I think the flavours to me are quite beautiful.
48:10I can taste that hint of the hibachi which is nice, that little bit of smokiness.
48:15And the ginger, I like those things.
48:18But that spice overpowers everything so I'm not tasting the mushrooms as much as I would like.
48:25If I could taste more of that meatiness in the mushroom that would have been better.
48:29Okay. Thank you.
48:31If one day I ever end up to become a vegetarian, I will make sure I eat those shiitakes the
48:38same way to remind me about proteins.
48:41Yeah, I don't think you should be too hard on yourself.
48:45Thank you. Thank you.
48:48You know, what landed on the plate still look very beautiful and even though you can taste the struggle, I
48:53can also see the love and the effort.
48:56I think you're just putting so much pressure on yourself to do more great things in this kitchen.
49:01The best thing in this place is to cook with enjoyment, the worst thing is to cook with fear.
49:07Competition is a scary thing and I think it goes up and down a lot.
49:12And if you can just find that confidence again, I think you'll be fine.
49:17I hope so. Thank you.
49:24Enjoy your silly sausage.
49:28Next dish we'd love to taste is Pat's.
49:33The judges said they really want a dish that has layers of heat.
49:36It is something some people have struggled with.
49:38So I really hope the judges get different levels of heat with my dish.
49:54Pat, what have you made us?
49:56I've done a barbecue glazed pork belly with a hot and sour soup.
50:02Okay.
50:25Pat, impeccable work on the noodles. They're so fantastic and the pork is really nice and tender, has a lovely
50:32subtle sweetness to them.
50:33But yeah, the broth has let you down.
50:37There is a lovely warmth coming through it, but I think you've thrown too much lime juice into it and
50:43it's throwing the balance off.
50:44When you're introducing quite a bit of acidity, you also have to balance it with sugar.
50:50There is quite a bit of hidden sugar in Southeast Asian food.
50:53There is.
50:53Did you add any sugar into the broth?
50:55No, I didn't.
50:56Yeah, I think definitely that's what's let you down.
51:01The depth of your broth is impeccable.
51:04The darkness, the clarity, the strength.
51:09That little mistake of adding too much lime, very unlucky.
51:13Great concept though, like honestly, noodles on point and I love the cook on the pork belly.
51:19Pat, you got your noodles, your broth, your pork, you're two for three, easily.
51:24So there is so much to gain from this bowl of food and so much about it that's really delicious.
51:30I really want to commend you for cooking food that isn't necessarily your style and trying new things because not
51:37resting on your laurels like that is how you grow.
51:40Great. Thank you.
51:45Okay, next please, Luke.
51:50I'm not great with spice, but I definitely feel like this dish has nailed the bread.
51:55The dish doesn't blow your head off, but when you eat it you get every layer of heat and spice
51:59and I'm hoping that it pays off.
52:02Wow.
52:06So tell us, what have you made?
52:07I've done crispy roast pork with whipped tofu and what a spinach roti.
52:15...
52:40Luke, do you know when I really love a dish and there's roti, there's only one thing to do.
52:45and that is get it all in there like that.
52:48And your dish makes me want to do that.
52:51I love how the sauce itself is tangy enough to cut through that pork
52:57and I'm getting this beautiful hint of spice
53:00after every mouthful that isn't overpowering.
53:03It just all works together.
53:06Luke, mate, the roti is fire.
53:08Like, it is so, so well done.
53:11So is the pork belly in texture and how it's cooked.
53:14It's really juicy.
53:16The crackling, really crispy, really aerated,
53:20which was spot on.
53:21So good stuff.
53:22You had these little ribbons of ginger,
53:26the fresh raw ginger in there,
53:27which just cut through all of that fat together.
53:30It does create harmony in a dish
53:33and that's exactly what Marion said she wanted to see
53:35at the start of the day.
53:37The roti, especially with the water spinach,
53:41is delicious, crispy.
53:44When you were a three-year-old
53:46on the front of the TV watching Chef Marion,
53:48you would have never realized that one day
53:51you would have turned up on the front of her and us
53:54and flogged us one of the most delicious dishes ever.
53:58Well done.
54:03Agnale G!
54:12Next dish we'd love to taste is Casper's.
54:17I'm feeling pretty good about this cook.
54:19Like, I would definitely be happy with this plate of food.
54:21I think it tastes really nice.
54:23I've just got that little thought in the back of my head.
54:27Have I hit that spice brief hard enough to be top dish?
54:44Casper, what is the dish?
54:46So I've done a braised pork belly
54:48with a pumpkin and lime puree,
54:50some pickled shiitakes
54:52and chilli salt with the lime zest and pumpkin seeds.
54:58All right, we're going to taste your dish.
55:17You know, when I came around
55:19and I had a look at your pickled mushrooms,
55:22you'd chosen to use the green peppercorns.
55:25It's citrusy.
55:26It's a high note.
55:27And I think that's really clever.
55:29And this salt makes your tongue dance.
55:33And there's nothing more that you can ask from food
55:36than your tongue to be dancing.
55:38Yes, yes.
55:40There is a spicy discotheque in my bush.
55:46Because I reckon...
55:48I reckon Marion's going to steal that recipe
55:50and put it in a jar and make a fortune.
55:52So make sure you trademark it.
55:57But even within every element,
55:59there are layers of flavour.
56:00So when you put it all together,
56:02ah, magic.
56:04The puree has just got that lovely push-pull of, like, sour, sweet.
56:09And then you've got the pork that's a bit salty, beautifully cooked.
56:14I love that sort of chewy meatiness of those pickled mushrooms.
56:20That slight kiss of char on the pork belly
56:23went so well with the fruity Szechuan number.
56:26But I think that's a really, really delicious dish, mate.
56:30Well done.
56:46Not only did you turn up the heat,
56:48but I saw so much passion today.
56:52Passion, that white apron,
56:54and a lot of hard work is how you'll win.
56:57Put your hands together for Marion, everyone.
57:08You guys went hard.
57:10You gave us some great dishes.
57:12There were three of you that really, really stood out.
57:17Luke.
57:20You can't call Roddy?
57:21Mate, that was banging.
57:22You showed us that daring, experimental side that we love.
57:27Well done.
57:29Petro.
57:31Your use of Szechuan pepper across the pork and the tofu salad.
57:35Great use of spice.
57:37Good work.
57:37Thanks.
57:39Casper.
57:40Your pumpkin puree was silky.
57:42Your pork belly succulent.
57:44And that pumpkin seed, lime, and Szechuan salt was brilliant.
57:50And that's why, Casper, you auditioned the day.
57:57Good job.
58:06Congratulations, Casper.
58:09You are top six.
58:13It's getting real.
58:16Five.
58:17Everyone knows, tomorrow is a brand new day.
58:23And another chance to prove that you deserve a place in the top six.
58:31Good night.
58:32Salut.
58:33Hey, everyone.
58:34Come on, Casper.
58:37Yeah, Casper.
58:38Happy.
58:41Well done.
58:42Today was not my day, but silver lining is I've got another day in this kitchen regardless.
58:49So I'm really grateful that I can come back tomorrow and it's a brand new day.
58:53I really want to leave today behind.
58:58Tomorrow night.
59:02When life hands you chillies.
59:05It's probably enough, but let's get a bit more.
59:08He's gone rogue, guys.
59:09You harness the heat.
59:11Oh, fuck.
59:12And make a dish that wins immunity.
59:16There's not many of us left.
59:17You have to do whatever you can to stand out from the pack.
59:19I'm doing dessert.
59:21Eat a chilli challenge.
59:22Yes.
59:23That is bold.
59:24It's a bold move.
59:24Have a good call.
59:31Bye.
59:32Bye.
59:33Bye.
59:34You
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