Original subtitles

pm tomorrow. MasterChef

ANNOUNCER: Previously on MasterChef Australia...

Please give it up for Catherine Zhang!

Victoria Minell!

Khanh Ong!

..Viral Wonders Week brought inspiration

that was off the charts.

(ALL EXCLAIM)

And a pop-up stall challenge...

Here we go!

..was their massive service debut.

I've never really cooked for a lot of people before.

The viral vibe was infectious.

Oh, yeah.

POH: I flippin' love this dish so much.

ANDY: That is legit tasty proper viral food.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: There is actually

a party going on in my mouth.

C'etait une discotheque dans ma bouche.

And while the first immunity pin of the season went to Jackie,

we also had to say goodbye to Alita.

Whatever is waiting for me on the outside of this room,

I welcome that with open arms.

Tonight, what happens when you mix a mystery box...

..a medley of spices

and a marvellous mega star?

Oh, my God!

Hi.

Welcome back, everyone.

It's mystery box day!

That is a big mystery box!

Wow!

What's all that stuff in the front?

Oh, spices.

Oh, it's like a spice market.

Oh, wow!

Spice market! Whoo-hoo!

I can smell spices.

Smells amazing.

Smells really good.

It's so pretty.

Wow!

A mystery box with spices? Wow!

I'm super excited.

It feels like heaven.

Before we start,

a big congratulations to Dot for getting married.

(CHEERING) Thank you.

Best day of your life, right? Best day.

It was so fun. Great weather. All the family was there.

How was the food? The food was good. Yeah.

Which was my main priority. So...

Well, besides, yeah.

Now, it's the start of a brand-new week.

And what better way to do that than with a mystery box?

Yes. And these amazing spices.

This display could be straight from a souk in Marrakesh,

a bazaar in Istanbul, or a spice market in Delhi.

This week, we're going on a culinary journey

around the world.

To kick off an epic week, we need an epic guest.

Today's guest is a culinary explorer

learning about unique food traditions

and creating extraordinary dishes

in some of the world's most breathtaking locations.

He opened his first restaurant 50 years ago

and has not looked back.

Whoa!

One of the most recognisable TV chefs around the whole world.

Rick Stein! Maybe!

Global food icon, friend of the show,

it is Rick Stein!

(CHEERING)

Oh, my God!

GRACE: It's Rick Stein. I cannot believe it.

I'm a huge fan of Rick.

His curiosity in culture

really influences the way that he cooks.

And, personally, it's really influenced

the way that I cook as well.

So I think he's the, like,

perfect choice for today's challenge.

Rick, welcome back to the MasterChef kitchen.

So, it feels like home,

I've been here that many times.

How have you been?

And, more importantly, where in the world have you been?

Well, actually, I've been a lot in Australia of late.

I made a series in New South Wales last year

and just opened a restaurant in Coogee Beach in Sydney.

So I never thought I'd open another restaurant.

But it's just that Coogee Beach is so special.

Pat, this is a big moment for you, it feels like.

When did you first start watching Rick Stein on the box?

Oh, as long as I can remember.

Like, huge Rick Stein fan, like number one.

You feel like you're getting the real Rick, not a TV version.

It's a real person. So, yeah. Amazing!

Miin, what about you, mate? I love Rick, like,

I've watched so many of his shows

like, travels through India,

through South-East Asia, into Malaysia.

The favourite dishes I love to cook

is that masala goat curry.

I've cooked it for people

and they absolutely love that dish.

RICK: Fabulous. Fabulous. MIIN: Thank you.

I can just tell how inspired

each and every one is and that makes for good food.

OK, guys, it's time to head back to your bench.

Let's do it! Let's do it!

Allez, allez! Enjoy it!

It's very big.

What's in the box?

Are you ready? CONTESTANTS: Yes.

You can lift your lids now!

(ALL EXCLAIM)

Yay!

OK, OK.

Ohhhh. OK.

Oh, my God!

Wow!

Look at this crab!

That looks great.

Doesn't it look beautiful?

Well, obviously, had to choose some lamb.

It's Australia, after all.

And I particularly like forequarter chops.

I had to have a little snapper. Oh, yeah.

Can I just say that this is

what I would call a one-person portion.

So be cautious if you're going to fillet it.

I'm not saying don't.

But that on a plate is quite special.

Beautiful blue swimmer crab.

What you call zucchini, we call courgettes.

We've got the flowers as well.

We've got some new potatoes.

And I feel very proud of this.

But you call this English spinach here in Australia.

It's an English cheese.

I hope you don't mind.

Stilton. I remember once

with a French maitre d' in England,

I said, "There's no English cheeses on your cheese board."

He said, "That's 'cause we don't like them."

Some chickpeas, some passionfruit

and, of course, mango.

My wife always says,

"You never knew about mangoes

"till the Aussies started telling you about them."

There we go. I think that's about it.

Have I left anything out?

I think that's fantastic, isn't it, everyone? Huh?

CASPER: It's actually a super interesting mystery box.

There's a lot of different ways I could go about this.

I'm really drawn into the crabs and the snapper,

but I think everyone is also loving the flavours,

so I really need to come up with something

that would stand out.

I've just been as generous as I can with these ingredients,

and it's up to you to partner the spices with them

so you can make it subtle,

you can make it powerful, whichever you choose.

ALYONA: Oh, my gosh. As soon as I see the snapper, passionfruit,

I think these are two great building blocks

and I'm going to start creating something from there.

But seeing all of these spices is quite overwhelming.

I don't cook with a lot of spices,

so I'm freaking out.

As with all mystery boxes,

you have to use at least one ingredient from the box

to create an amazing dish.

And as a bonus, you have

all these amazing herbs and spices.

There are over 120 to choose from...

..and you must use at least one.

Pantry and garden are closed,

but you, of course, have your under-bench staples

to help bring everything together.

You have 75 minutes to cook anything you like

from anywhere in the world.

We'll be tasting the 12 most appealing dishes today.

With Rick's help, we'll be choosing the top four dishes.

Whoever cooks them will be immune

from tomorrow's elimination.

I know it's super important to stay out of elimination.

Especially with an immunity pin,

I don't want to be faced with that decision

to have to play it.

So I would love that immunity.

Well, everybody, your time starts now!

Here we go!

Wow!

We're going Mexican.

Coriander. Where's the coriander?

They're all spread out across completely

different parts of the table, which is quite exciting.

RICK: Yeah.

The question is, how many spices will Kanika take?

At least eight herbs and spices.

More.

Coriander, cumin seeds. Uh...

I'm getting really excited

for Around the World Week 'cause I love backpacking

and with the spices,

I feel like I'm in some giant market overseas.

I absolutely love this challenge.

Let's go!

ANNABEL: Coriander.

I'm like, you know, I'm a typical white girl.

I wasn't brought up cooking a lot of spices at home,

but now I love cooking

a whole range of different cuisines.

So, today, I'm drawing on a recipe

that I've made in the past,

and I know that it heroes

a bunch of really delicious spices.

Hi, Annabel. Hi, Rick.

Hi, Andy. Sorry.

I'm happy to play second fiddle today.

Don't you worry.

Rick fan? Huge.

Yeah?

I love your approach to seafood,

but I'm not cooking seafood today.

Good, good.

So I'm kind of going back to what I know

and what I know tastes good.

So I've made a rough-puff, so I'm going to bake it

and do, like, greens on the bottom

with like a chermoula sort of spice paste,

lay some potatoes on top, fold it,

bake it like a pie galette thing.

Yeah. Yeah.

I think it's clever

because you're sticking to what you know, you know.

Yes. It is simple.

With simple food, it has to be done perfectly.

You've just got to pull this off.

OK. Great. I will, I will.

There you go. Watch this space.

There you go. Thanks, guys. Good luck.

Although my dish is a little simple,

it's got this chermoula paste,

which is like super spice-forward

and really fragrant.

It's got some paprika, some chilli, some sumac,

cumin, and the stalks from the spinach.

Hopefully the combination of flavours

that I've chosen today

is enough to make the judges taste my dish.

I want to win every day, but especially today.

I want to impress Rick Stein.

OLAOLU: Oh, yeah. It's Around the World Week.

And that is banging because that's an opportunity to show

how I've grown up. Paprika, garlic, onion.

I'm Nigerian, so how can I show off some of those big flavours

and those delicious concoctions that we have?

Hey, Olaolu.

What are you making?

So I'm making a Nigerian-style lamb potato pie

with a mango chutney. Oh, wow.

Back home, pies are like hand-held.

Mm-hm.

You know, in that kind of, like, almost patty shape.

Right. So tell us, did you manage

to find your treasure of Nigerian spices?

Yeah, I did find the iru. Iru is in there,

you know, getting cooked down with the lamb.

Iru is a, like, fermented locust bean.

So it's really punchy, kind of a little bit funky.

So I'm hoping for some of that flavour

to definitely come through.

This one is really important to you with all those spices.

Yeah, exactly. Just got to get it right.

Amazing. We're looking forward to trying it.

Thank you.

I've made these pies before at home.

You know, I make them really well.

Warm enough.

It takes me, like, a couple of hours at home,

but I've got 75 minutes here.

So I have to cook the lamb and then go do the potatoes.

I've got to do the pastry. Make sure that's right.

Finally, it has to come together

and cook one more time in the oven.

I think I can do it if I move fast.

Whoo!

MIIN: I was happy when I walked in and saw all the spices

and smelled it. It smells amazing.

So, really inspired today.

Hey, Miin, how you doing? I'm good. How are you?

OK, tell me what you're making.

So I'm making crab curry. Yes.

So, Malaysian style, like southern Indian crab curry.

Amazing.

And I'm gonna make, like, a spiral flatbread.

Almost like a spring onion pancake.

OK.

I'm gonna put the spinach in there.

OK, OK. Are you excited? I'm very excited.

Rick Stein's here. I love him, and he just loves good food,

you know, authentic, good food.

And that's what I love about it. Yeah.

I think you're in a good space today.

I am. I cook it at home for myself

and my wife and friends all the time.

So, fingers crossed. Good luck.

Thank you, Poh!

Making my spice paste.

I want it to be spicy now

and a good balance of salty, sour

and just a bit of sweetness.

So I'm using a ton of spices today.

In total, that's like eight to ten of them.

Remember what they all are.

I think I do pretty good curries

and no-one has complained about my curry before,

so I think I have a bit of an advantage today.

Time's flying.

You have less than an hour, 55 minutes to go!

I love using the shells of crabs. Lovely flavour.

I cannot believe that Rick is here.

It's so surreal seeing him in person.

Would you recommend a jus or more of an oil?

He recommends you make that decision.

Growing up, I watched all of his shows.

Where are your family from? Sicily.

Oh, my gosh. Yes.

Great. Great respect.

It was such an amazing source of inspiration

to just, like, be a better cook.

Rick is a lover of simple food.

Fight temptation. Fight temptation.

Sounds like the gospel! I'll try.

He's an absolute idol of mine.

I just really want to impress him.

There we go.

I'm gonna do a butterflied snapper

crumbed with breadcrumbs,

pureed English spinach

and zucchini flowers as well.

Oh, my God.

Of course, in a mystery box, to do that,

I don't have breadcrumbs,

so I've got to make some bread first.

On top of that, I have to butterfly

and debone the snapper.

That is what's gonna take the most time for me today.

I'm so worried about bones.

It's already been 20 minutes

and it's taken me so long to butterfly this fish.

(SIGHS) What's going on here?

It seems so ambitious, but this is, like,

probably my one and only chance to cook for Rick Stein.

G'day, Grace. Hi.

Hello, Grace. You got the old pin bone.

It's happening. It's gonna happen.

I'm just so, so worried about time.

(GRACE SQUEALS)

(SIGHS) What's going on here?

I've been ambitious, but this is, like,

probably my one and only chance to cook for Rick Stein.

It's not my prettiest work, but that's OK.

So I have to move on and hope there are no bones in this fish.

(GRACE SQUEALS)

That time has gone so fast.

My plan is to crumb the fish in a breadcrumb,

but to do that, I've got to make some bread first.

I'm gonna flatten the dough out into sort of

a pizza-esque shape.

And I'm gonna use a pizza stone

just so that it can cook much faster.

It's very risky,

but I really want to impress the judges,

and I really want to do well for Rick Stein,

but also to be safe from tomorrow's elimination.

I'm feeling so happy looking at the beautiful ingredients

that I've got and my spices.

Oh, my God, I can't tell you how happy I am.

I think it means so much to get tasted today

'cause it's like, when you think of India,

you think of spices,

you think of abundance of flavours.

And if I'm representing something,

I want to do justice.

Hi, Kanika. How are you? Wow!

You've got more spices here

than there were mystery box ingredients

under that lid. What are you cooking?

So I'm doing a South Indian Kerala fish fry.

Oh, delicious.

So I'm gonna serve it with mango pathiri.

And then I'm going to do the flatbread.

I think what is going to be most important here

and where our expectations are for you

is immaculate spice work. Yeah.

So do whatever you need to be able to focus.

Yeah. Thank you.

Normally, spices, it's something

that you would never get in a mystery box.

So I'm feeling pretty confident.

I've got my mango pathiri cooking

and my flatbread dough resting.

Now I'm gonna lather my fish with all the spices.

And once it's properly marinated

for at least, like, ten to 15 minutes,

then I'm gonna deep-fry the fish.

Oh, my God, I'll be jumping with joy

if I come to top four dish

because I'm a big fan girl of him.

Yeah, I feel like I'm in my zone right now.

Oh. I am feeling a little bit overwhelmed.

Surprised to see all the spices in the kitchen today.

I'm like not entirely sure where this is gonna take me.

Today I'm making whole-baked snapper.

I'm going to make some passionfruit butter sauce,

some potatoes and some pickled courgette.

My pickles are pickling.

But for today's challenge,

we also need to use at least one spice.

OK. What kind of spice?

Growing up in Estonia,

I didn't get to experience many different cuisines,

so I don't cook with a lot of spices.

There's like 200 spices,

and I'm trying to figure out what works with passionfruit.

Ooh, parsley.

Then I see there is some Italian dried herbs.

So I take some parsley, rosemary, oregano.

I'm gonna mix that for the fish marinade.

I love that.

I cut through the flesh to make sure

the flavours really penetrate the fish

and I put it in the oven.

I'm feeling good.

I really love the flavours of the dish.

I think it's kind of like a hum of spices here and there.

Whoa-ho!

It smells good. Some good ideas?

Yeah, yeah. It's fascinating, really.

We've got something good going.

I'm super excited for Rick Stein's mystery box.

He's known for his seafood dishes,

so, instantly, I'm really drawn into the crabs.

But seeing everyone else is cooking protein,

I realised that it's my chance to do a dessert.

Hi, Casper. Hey. How are you guys going?

Hi, Casper.

How do you feel about cooking for Rick Stein?

Oh. Super excited. Yeah, I feel like I, like,

came out the womb watching your videos.

Oh, my gosh!

Yeah. I've been around for that long!

You've been around, yeah, yeah.

So what are you making?

Um, I'm doing dessert, so I've got

a chilli mango ice-cream on here.

Great. A passionfruit granita in the blast chiller.

I've pickled some of the mango peels as well.

Ah!

A little bit of a garnish on top. Yeah.

Going to make a little tamarind, caramel,

passion fruit-seed crumb.

So, yeah, I think I'm pretty... I'm feeling pretty good.

What do you think, Rick? Well, I just love dessert.

Is that the only one you've seen so far? Yes.

Oh, wow.

So, um, great.

Well, Rick's excited, so you're on the right track. Good luck.

Thanks, guys.

Today I'm taking inspiration from Thailand

or South-East Asia, where you do get

these sweet sort of salt chilli numbers

to go on your fresh fruits.

So I want to be balancing the heat of the chilli,

while still keeping it all really bright, zingy.

There is a bit of a puzzle here,

so I want to make sure that I'm tasting every element

so I can put together the perfect dish.

It's nice. That's the granita.

You're officially halfway there!

37.5 minutes to go!

Ah! Whoo!

Everything is very specific today.

That's how I want it.

LYDIA: Dear Lord! Did that happen?

You're always bloody flustered and you always do very well.

My dish is

a stilton and spinach-stuffed zucchini flower

on a chickpea spread.

Come on.

Oh, my God. You alright?

It's banging. Banging? Good.

But my plan is to make a Sri Lankan vibe fish curry,

served with some lightly-spiced fried potatoes and zucchini flowers.

We're cooking in close quarters here, Miin.

Yeah, as usual. That's what we do!

EMILY: Oh, why do you drip so slow?

I'm making a Xinjiang lamb noodle soup

with kind of, like, grilled lamb on top.

I'm gonna cook it until I have to plate it.

You know, that's the only way

that I'm gonna get maximum flavour.

Froze my pastry solid!

(LAUGHTER)

My North African potato and spinach pie

is coming together.

I've made my own rough puff pastry.

I've got that spiced spinach,

and then I'm going to finish it

with little bits of potato over the top.

Good.

It's just like a little pastry galette, right?

I don't want to talk it down, but like,

you know, it's not the most exciting dish.

Vegetables have a reputation for being a little bit boring,

so that's kind of playing in the back of my mind.

Sorry.

Um...

I may have played it a little bit too safe today.

I don't know if I've done enough

to impress the judges.

Argh!

We've only got 30 minutes to go,

and so I need to think about a way

that I can make this pie more appealing.

Um, I'm going to try and make a ricotta

just to, like, sort of add a bit

of a fatty element to it

and then make a nice little passionfruity sauce sitch,

um, see if that goes.

And then I'm just going to try and make it

as pretty and as yummy-smelling and looking as possible

so that when they walk past,

they're like, "Oh, yeah, I want to taste that."

It's very wet.

HANNAH: Five minutes. I love this challenge.

I love when we're wearing a white apron

and there's no, like, really negative consequences.

I'm trying some flavours I've never, like, combined before.

So I'm like, "Uh!" Hopefully works.

I'm going to do an eclair with a cardamom and vanilla cream.

Gosh, you get a good workout in this kitchen, don't you?

A mango compote and then, if I can make it work,

a rose petal cream on top as well.

Happy.

Vinnie! Hello.

What's been going on? So, today,

yeah, I'm doing like a Middle Eastern spiced lamb.

Made some tahini with some white sesame seeds,

and I've got some chickpeas boiling

to make some hummus

and maybe make a passionfruit molasses type of vibe.

I like this, it's restraint. Yeah, yeah.

And he's thinking it through. Yeah.

With no panic, I would say.

JACKIE: It's pretty important that I stay out of elimination.

I don't want to have to face the decision

of using my pin or not.

I would rather just rest easy.

So I am doing a choux pastry with some wattle seed,

some mango and passionfruit.

Ooh, is it like a flower shape?

Yeah. Oh, sick.

You do not want to be in that elimination tomorrow!

You have 25 minutes to go!

Uh, is that on?

OLAOLU: 25 minutes to go.

The lamb has finished in the pressure cooker.

Spot on. My shortcrust is good to go,

and so I want to start to assemble the hand-held pies.

The pie needs literally like 23 minutes,

I would say, which is in one minute's time.

So it's very, very, very tight.

Gosh.

But I check on the potatoes

and they aren't cooked all the way through.

Oh!

I'm in trouble here.

Oh!

I know I'm running out of time here

and I need to get this pie in the oven,

but the potatoes are still going.

I need to pivot.

I decide to fill the pastry with just lamb.

Very, very, very tight.

I get my pie in the oven

and I just hope against all hope that it cooks.

I'm gonna leave my pies in to the very last second,

make sure they get on the plate for sure,

and then I'm going to rethink how I incorporate the potatoes.

I might just do it as a bit of a messy eat,

kind of go on top.

I decide to make the potatoes part of the chutney,

to keep that sweet and salty flavour combination.

I'm hoping that it still tastes like the classic Nigerian pie.

DOT: Oh, my God, it's so exciting to have Rick Stein.

I've been watching him since I was a kid.

I'm going Mexican today,

so I've cooked the lamb.

We've got some roasted chickpeas,

tortillas, passionfruit sour cream.

Yeah, it's a fun day in the kitchen.

JACK: Tequila's a spice, eh? Yeah.

I want to be creative today

because only a few dishes get tasted,

so I'm going to be going with

a mango and cardamom custard,

passionfruit creme pat,

and I'm gonna serve it

in basically the mango skin that's going to be frozen.

And hopefully I can turn it into a creme brulee at the end.

Petro. Hi.

How's it going?

I'm making lamb cigars,

and I'll serve it with a sumac mayonnaise.

OK.

RICK: You're making your own filo?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Ooh, well done! I'm making my own filo dough.

But the feeling is definitely a Middle Eastern vibe.

I like it.

PAT: Whew! Oh, Miin, that looks epic.

MIIN: Thank you.

I think today is just cooking things

that I love to cook and I love to eat,

so I'm quite confident.

I'm taking a lot of time to nurse the curry,

adjusting the flavours, the saltiness,

the sourness.

The crab is cooking in the curry,

and then in the meantime, I'm also working on a flatbread.

The spiralling and the melted butter

between the layers will create a very flaky flatbread,

so you can mop up that curry sauce.

Like, it's Rick Stein.

I really want him to taste my food

and he loves his curry,

so hopefully I'll get tasted today.

Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot!

OK, guys, you have 15 minutes to go. Allez!

(APPLAUSE)

ALYONA: It's out of my comfort zone today

with all of these spices,

so I've stuck to my strengths.

Italian coastal flavours.

My fish is in the oven. My potatoes are almost ready.

I'm gonna use fennel salt

to take it on a whole other level.

OK.

Whoa!

And now I'm making the passionfruit butter sauce.

I want it to be very fresh and vibrant,

something that will help lift

the whole dish together with the fish.

Uh, we don't really have any lemons and limes,

so I'm kind of trying

to infuse a bit of acidity into passionfruit.

I think it's going to be quite tough

to balance it and make it really impressive,

but if I can pull that off,

I think I might be one of the top dishes.

KANIKA: Indians never say no to spice,

so I love this challenge.

I've got my fish fried

and I've got my mango pachadi done.

I'm just gonna straight pop to the curry now.

For my spinach curry, using the spice mix

that I've used for my fish,

so I've got tamarind, asafoetida,

the mustard seeds and the chilli balls.

It's gonna be an earthy kind of flavour,

which is gonna bring this dish together.

I know that Rick Stein

loves Indian food, especially when it has to do

with spices,

so I think making a curry is the best way to get tasted.

CASPER: That looks good.

I'm feeling really confident.

All the flavours. My dessert is like exactly how I want it.

Nice.

The green mango powder has made the crumb really zingy.

It's almost like sherbet.

That goes perfectly

with the heat of the chilli in the ice-cream

and the freshness of that passionfruit granita.

Final thing I need to finish is my tamarind caramel.

It's worked for me really well before

with the Jimmy Barnes cook.

The tamarind kind of brings this tart acidity.

Some nice bitter notes in there as well.

It'll be really nice and balanced.

It's a really unique dish,

and because the judges are only going to taste 12,

I'm hoping it stands out.

Hmm...

I've really got to pick up the pace.

I am really excited to cook for Rick Stein.

I've got my spinach on the plate and my breadcrumb is ready.

To be honest, I'm so worried about time.

You've got to hurry up. Only five minutes to go!

Let's go! (JUDGES CLAP)

Oh, my God.

I'm freaking out.

I still need to cook the fish.

Oh, this is not going to cook.

Oh, man, I'm stressing.

If I don't get this fish cooked, I basically don't have a dish.

Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up!

This is not gonna cook.

Oh, man, I'm stressing.

This is seriously not enough time for this fish.

I am freaking out.

Oh, my God. OK.

It would just be so devastating

to serve Rick Stein raw fish.

I would just be so heartbroken.

(SQUEALS)

Trust me, you want a top four dish,

you've only got two minutes to go!

(JUDGES CLAP)

MALE CONTESTANT: Really under the pump.

Ooh, man!

PAT: Fish is done. Whew!

OLAOLU: It's time to get my pie out of the oven.

I hope it was enough time to get the cook right on them.

I've got the potatoes in there, chutney.

It has that like sweet and saltiness,

what I was going for.

I'm just hoping that I have done enough.

Yeah, we'll see.

Be quick, quick, quick!

ANNABEL: Time's ticking down.

Whew!

My pie is going to come out of the oven

at the final moment.

I've got like, a little jug of my passionfruit juice

on the side and then my ricotta, it's super smooth.

It's a little bit looser consistency,

but that's what I was going for.

Ooh!

I just hope I've done enough.

Get it on the plate!

30 seconds left! Come on!

ANNABEL: I think it's alright.

Oh!

GRACE: I just am really worried the fish isn't cooked.

I think we could be just there.

OK, guys! Ten...

JUDGES: ..nine, eight,

seven, six,

five, four,

three, two, one!

That's it, everybody! Well done!

How do you feel? Ah! Oh!

I'm feeling great. I love my dish.

Of course I want to be tasted.

I want to go have a little chat with Rick Stein.

(GIGGLES)

So I hope it all works out together. I hope they love it.

GRACE: I'm pretty stressed.

I really don't know if it's cooked or not.

We are looking for the top four dishes

to be saved from tomorrow's all-in elimination,

and in saying that,

we're only tasting the 12 most appealing dishes.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: The first dish is Casper.

I'm really, really proud with what I've put up.

This probably could be one of my most unique dishes

in the kitchen so far.

And so I think I do have

a real good shot at immunity today.

Casper, what have you made?

I've done a mango ice-cream

with chilli and galangal and a passionfruit granita.

And then I've also got a tamarind caramel.

It's definitely intriguing. Yeah.

RICK: Yum.

SOFIA: What was that, Rick? Yum.

I just thought it was a cornucopia of delights.

Hoo-hoo! Thank you, Rick.

I just love the chilli. That ice-cream is fantastic.

The granita is fantastic.

The crumb was fantastic.

And that little bit of bitterness in the caramel.

It's just a very, very lovely pud.

Thank you so much.

It is unbelievably, mind-blowingly delicious.

That mango ice-cream is so luscious and silky.

And just as you think it's going to kind of ease away,

you get the hit of that chilli.

It just ricochets

all around your tongue and the roof of your mouth.

And the last thing you get is that heat.

And it's really, really lovely. It's not overpowering at all.

I would have really appreciated a bigger serve.

There's a lot of ingredients you used in there

that are very much part of my childhood,

like the tamarind and the amchar,

and it reminds me of the street food stuff

of, like, dipping fruit into, like, salt.

It had that kind of feel about it,

but then in a high-end dish.

I think the thing that is really special

about this dish is it is completely original.

It just requires someone with a very unique way

of thinking about food to create that.

Come here. I want to shake your hand. Oh, I love it! Ha-ha!

Like, seriously, bro. Thank you.

That, like, you win this competition

with plates like that.

(EXHALES) Like, I'm not joking.

I am astounded that you could do that

in our second mystery box challenge

with a bunch of random ingredients.

Honestly, like, it's perfect, mate.

And it's so inspiring that we're so early in the competition

and you're not only thinking about dishes like that,

but, like, executing it to such a high level.

I can... I can see this is a big moment for you.

Yeah. How are you feeling?

Oh it's crazy. Like, I wouldn't be...

I don't think I'd be cooking

dishes like this.

You know, a few months ago

without everyone around here as well.

It's very inspiring.

Um, and all the feedback you guys give,

just over the last few weeks,

I've learned so much.

Um, yeah, it's...

I'm really enjoying being here.

Keep pushing, keep going

because, like, tasting that dish,

you've got the talent to win this thing.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Nice one, Casper! Thank you so much.

Casper!

It's extremely validating to be hearing this high praise

from people that I really look up to and respect.

That's awesome. Thank you so much.

It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy,

and this was really a huge confidence booster

that I am meant to be here.

Well, lucky I have the tissues, eh? Oh, my God.

We'd love to taste your dish...

..Olaolu!

OLAOLU: I'm relieved to have a pie that's cooked.

I had to pivot and make the potatoes

part of the chutney.

I'm just hoping

that I've done enough with the flavours.

I've made a Nigerian meat pie

with a mango and potato chutney.

The spices, I know there's paprika

and onion and garlic, some white pepper,

ginger and cumin seeds.

I also did use the iru.

So, um, that's fermented locust bean.

OK, let's try it out.

Olaolu, I dug the mango chutney.

I thought it went really well with the pastry.

A slight hint of the spices in there

was a really delicate touch too.

But I didn't get any potato,

so I don't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

I got absolutely bugger all meat.

It was just lacking for me, unfortunately, mate.

I think you did need the potato in there

because then it would have had that kind of pasty effect,

where that starch was holding all that meat together

and it's still sort of a nice mouthfeel,

because it's just a little bit dry

and there's sort of quite a few empty pockets

where there's nothing between the meat.

So it was a shame that you just had to rejig,

but it's still a really commendable little pivot.

Thank you.

I just thought the ratio of pastry to filling

was not enough filling.

And I like the mango.

You just need a bit more tart, touch more acidic,

but a nice dish.

Next dish we'd like to taste...

..is Alyona.

ALYONA: I was kind of scared, taking up the spice challenge,

so I wanted to play to my strengths

and use Italian herbs.

I love the flavours.

I hope I've done enough to win a top dish today.

Well, hello.

I made whole baked snapper

with rosemary, oregano,

fennel seeds and parsley,

some potatoes with fennel salt,

pickled zucchini

and passionfruit butter sauce.

When I walked in today,

I was actually pretty intimidated

because I'm not very used to work with a lot of spices,

so I wanted to make something Italian

and really kind of hero the ingredients.

I'm really excited

to see how this passionfruit sauce goes with the fish.

So shall we taste? Yeah.

Thanks.

Alyona? Yeah.

How do you think the fish is cooked?

I hope it's cooked well.

Well...

..I'm getting so much joy pulling it off the frame...

(GASPS)

..because it is so perfect.

It's getting that absolute point...

Yeah.

..where it's still very full of juice,

but it's coming away from the bone.

It's beautiful. Yeah.

Oh, my gosh, I'm so happy.

Well, I thought the potatoes were great.

As soon as I tasted those potatoes, I thought,

"This is somebody who knows how to cook."

You know?

They're just beautifully flavoured.

The fish, perfectly cooked.

And the coating was fabulous.

What I actually really liked is you left all the fins on...

Mm! ..and it just looks great.

I sort of thought, "Why cut them all off?"

You know?

(CHUCKLES) It's really good!

I agree. The potatoes are unbelievable.

And what is amazing is how you managed

to nail that snapper.

I mean, you can see this is exactly perfection.

I think your sauce is magic.

It's just so bright and buttery

and perfectly silky in its consistency,

and I think that's really clever.

You're honest that, you know, spices aren't really your forte

and your skill set,

but you're really good at the F word.

Flavour!

Flavour!

Like, it is effortless to you,

and that is such an advantage in a mystery box challenge.

Once you get the right ratio of, like, sauce, fish, potato -

heaven.

Oh, thank you so much.

See?!

Well done.

Thank you. Thank you.

Next dish, Vinnie!

Yeah, Vinnie!

VINNIE: It's a full quarter of lamb that's been spiced,

and I've braised it as well, and then there's some hummus.

I wanted this to be good,

and you've done a really good job, mate.

The lamb is cooked so well.

It is just pulling away from the bone.

The hummus was a genius idea. Thank you.

Pat.

(APPLAUSE)

PAT: I've made a whole-fried snapper

with a curry sauce

and some lightly-spiced potatoes.

That fish, it was just presented so beautifully,

and the potatoes are amazing!

ANNABEL: I'm waiting and hoping to get tasted,

but everyone's doing, like, super elaborate,

beautiful dishes.

Emily!

EMILY: So I have made a Xinjiang lamb noodle soup.

Noodles were beautifully made. So thin and silken.

The lamb was cooked really beautifully

and actually the marinade was spot on.

And I think you can't help but compare yourself.

Right, next one is...

..Annabel.

(CHEERING)

I played it safe today.

I still have that self doubt in the back of my mind

that maybe I haven't done enough.

Annabel, what have you made?

I have made

a North African spinach and potato pie

with a loose ricotta and then some passionfruit.

So what spices did you use?

I used - ooh, I've got to remember them all -

uh, paprika, coriander seeds, cumin,

chilli flakes,

some sumac and then some parsley.

Wow. Let's have a go.

OK, Annabel.

What you did is supposed to be rustic, simple,

and it is.

It's absolutely delicious.

And what amazes me even more is it's quite light,

and the middle is tender and moist.

I think I would say it is flawless.

Thank you. Thanks.

(LAUGHS)

Yes, Annabel, I really enjoyed that.

Very vividly spiced.

It tastes like a North African dish.

Oh, cool.

I do think, in the absence of lemon,

your use of passionfruit works a treat.

Thank you. So I enjoyed it.

I can imagine having that

somewhere in Morocco for breakfast.

Thanks.

The first thing that stands out is that beautiful pastry.

You've made it really well. It's cooked perfectly.

It's got really nice layers, you can see on the side.

I think the sauce, you could have left quite sweet,

because I kind of yearned a little bit

for that salty, sweet, sour pull.

Yeah.

But apart from that,

I think it was one of the better examples

of how the passionfruit has been used today.

OK, thank you.

Great work on, like, not trying to overdo it.

The restraint here is evident,

but what you have done is you've given us

beautiful, earthy English spinach,

loaded with those spices,

not overdone either,

and very well cooked down as well.

And then the beautiful potatoes laid on top

just gave it a point of difference.

Simple cooking done really, really well

can get you places in this kitchen.

Thank you!

Alright, thank you.

Oh, my God.

I'm stoked with the feedback from the judges.

Like, wow, Rick Stein liked my food.

I think I have a chance to win immunity today.

Next dish we'd love to taste is Miin's.

MIIN: I think I put up a really good curry today,

but obviously I'm a bit nervous as well

because Rick Stein

loves India, he loves his curries.

Hopefully today, the flavours are all there and balanced.

Whoa, look at this. Hello, hello, hello!

Miin, tell us what you've made.

I've made crab curry with a spiral spinach flatbread.

SOFIA: Did you use quite a few spices or...?

I used just a few.

I think it was like eight to ten spices in total.

So you kind of went HAM? Yeah, yeah.

There is chilli, cumin, coriander, turmeric, garlic,

ginger, onion powders and curry leaves.

Well, we can't wait to dig in. Shall we go?

Yes, please.

Miin, that is a really beautiful dish.

You can tell it's a very balanced spice paste

that you've made.

It's intense.

But that pancake, roti,

whatever you want to call it, is spectacular.

It is so good.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: As soon as we get this crab,

which you've perfectly cooked...

..and the liquid and the sweetness

and the gentle flesh into the curry,

oh, my God.

That is the best flatbread I've had for years.

It's just the layering of it, the lightness of it.

And I guess that the sauce is a bit intense,

but who cares?

Because it's great to use that bread

to mop up that fantastic curry.

Well done.

Thanks. Thank you.

(CHEERING)

I'm so relieved at the feedback. I can't believe it.

Rick loving my curry means so much to me,

and I think I have a chance at the top four today.

Mate, best flatbread he's tasted.

(LAUGHS)

Next up...

..Jack!

Ooh.

Intriguing.

Today, I've done a mango passionfruit creme brulee

with cardamom.

Jack, I dug it flavour-wise - beautiful and fresh.

You do get the slightest hint of cardamom.

I probably would have just liked a little bit more.

Look, you were so close on that creme pat.

It is, like, the slightest bit grainy,

but I feel like you've done a pretty good job.

The next dish we'd love to taste...

..is from Petro.

(CHEERING)

PETRO: I've made lamb cigars

with sumac and dried mint mayonnaise.

Well, I mean, it's very tasty.

Slight downside is the filo pastry.

It's a bit thick.

OK, next up...

KANIKA: Today, I'm hoping to get tasted

because a spice challenge is really up in my alley.

..Hannah.

(CHEERING)

But I am starting to feel worried

I might not get tasted today.

I have made you eclairs

that has a vanilla cardamom creme pat

and a rose petal cream.

Hannah, this is a delight.

Oh, good.

Your choux is well proportioned, consistent, very well cooked,

beautiful colour.

Your crackling make the (IMITATES CRACKLING) thing.

But please be careful with the salt.

So there are 12 people getting tasted today,

and so I've only got one chance left to impress Rick Stein,

and I really hope it's me.

Next up, we'd like to taste a fish dish from...

Next up, we'd like to taste a fish dish from...

..Grace.

(CHEERING)

Oh, my dish is getting tasted by Rick Stein!

Such a dream come true.

POH: Oh, that looks good. (WHISTLES)

Thank you.

I'm so happy with my concept and my idea.

I would love to win immunity today.

I just hope that my fish is cooked.

Grace, Grace, Grace, what have we got here?

So I've done a crumbed snapper,

a fresh puree of the English spinach,

and then some zucchini flowers on top.

Spice - what did you choose?

Um, so I've done coriander seeds,

fennel seeds and black pepper.

To the eye, it looks very simple,

but there was a fair bit of work that went into this,

wasn't there? Yeah, yeah.

So I had to make the bread to make the breadcrumbs.

Obviously, I had to butterfly the fish.

Just really wanted to spend lots of time doing that

to make sure there was no bones in there.

Is the fish cooked?

I hope so.

I obviously was right down to the wire.

Oh, wasn't it?

My fingers are crossed.

One way to find out.

Argh!

RICK: Pretty good. It's pretty good.

Pretty good? It's good.

OK!

Phew!

Grace, this is simply delicious.

The butterfly on the fish was really well done.

Has anyone got a bone? No. No bone.

I love that little spice blend on top.

When you got, like, a pop of the coriander seed,

a pop of the fennel seed, I dug it hard.

It was enough to know that there was spice in it,

but they definitely just played, like, a nice little role

throughout the dish and didn't overpower it.

Great work on what is absolutely, simply delicious.

Thank you.

To be honest, it's just made me smile, that dish.

It's cheered me up no end.

I love food and a dish that makes me smile

is what my life's all about, to be honest. Thank you.

(EXHALES)

That's like - what you said -

um, that's what I always say about food

and, like, how I always want to feel

when I'm eating.

And I feel like I learned that from you.

So, um, that's really cool.

Nice, Grace!

Thank you so much. Thank you.

That's crazy!

SOFIA: What an incredible first day

of Around the World Week.

The moment you guys walked into the kitchen

and those spices hit your noses,

you knew exactly what we were up to.

Rick, you set them up beautifully

with the ingredients you brought in today.

Do you think so? I do.

How do you think they went?

Well, I was actually rather pleased with myself,

actually, with the ingredients...

I knew it!

..because I just noticed that you used everything.

And I just thought that there was a naturalness

about all the dishes, really.

You didn't try too hard

because, at the end of the day, it's all down to the flavour.

And a lot of those flavours were really not forced.

And the use of spice was not forced.

So I've had a thoroughly enjoyable day,

but more importantly, I think you're really good.

Aww.

Guys, put your hands together for Chef Rick Stein.

Rick Stein! (CHEERING)

We tasted 12 of the most appealing dishes,

and let me say the standard was excellent...

..but we could only choose four

to be safe from tomorrow's elimination.

If I call your name, please step forward.

Casper.

(CHEERING)

Your dish was totally unique,

and if you keep cooking like this,

you're going to go far into the competition.

Thank you.

Grace!

(CHEERING)

Your dish was really clever.

This was exactly the kind of cooking

we were hoping to see today.

Miin!

(CHEERING)

The curry was intense, but when married

with that perfectly-cooked crab and exceptional flatbread,

you won us over.

Thank you.

And the final dish

celebrated every ingredient in its purest form.

The cook was clever, precise,

and their fish was done perfectly.

Alyona!

(CHEERING)

Casper, Grace, Miin, and Alyona,

you four will be safe up on that gantry tomorrow,

with not a worry in the world.

The rest of you,

you'll be cooking in a massive all-in elimination.

So go get some rest. You're gonna need it.

Goodnight. Well done, everybody.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

Well done.

VOICEOVER: Tomorrow night,

Around the World Week continues

with five countries and five secret ingredients.

(ALL EXCLAIM)

Are you all kind of bricking it? We got nervous!

It could be their ticket to safety...

Black apron today.

There's no room to hide.

..or their return trip home.

Oh, dear Lord! I'm freaking out!

Oh, my God,

it's not coming together.

Kanika, breathe, breathe!

I'm gone, I'm gone,

I'm gone, I'm gone.

Captions by Red Bee Media