Original subtitles

Good night.

ANNOUNCER: Previously on MasterChef Australia...

It is Rick Stein!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

He kicked off their culinary journey,

around the world in a week.

I want to impress Rick Stein, therefore, I want to win.

GRACE: I really want to impress the judges today,

and I really want to do well for Rick Stein.

They rose to the challenge

and took their palates to new places.

RICK STEIN: In my own words, a cornucopia of delights.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: This is stunning.

SOFIA: Unbelievably mind-blowingly delicious.

Come here. I want to shake your hand.

Oh, I love it. Like, seriously, bro.

CASPER: Thank you. You win this competition with plates like that.

But the gravity of the competition sunk in...

(ALL EXCLAIM)

..when Jackie played her immunity pin,

and we said farewell to Kanika

and Lucy.

LUCY: Just ignited something in me that's like,

"I can do something as cool as this."

No regrets.

Tonight, it's about to get steamy

in the MasterChef kitchen...

..with one incredible guest.

(CONTESTANTS CHATTER INDISTINCTLY OUTSIDE)

Guys, let's do it. Here we go.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Hello, hello, hello, everybody!

Get ready to rumble. Steaming!

Oh, cool. It's hot in here.

It feels like a sauna in here.

Oh! Whew!

We've got these big bamboo steaming baskets,

right in front of us, sitting on a wok.

ANNABEL: Holy moly! VINNIE: Wok-errific.

It's very cool. Like, it looks really cool...

(SIGHS)

..but it's so hot. (CHUCKLES)

It's getting steamy in here, huh?

(WHOOPING) It's a little hot in here.

Jean-Christophe and my goggles are about to fog up.

(LAUGHTER)

I know what you're thinking -

this is not your classic mystery box.

And that's because, all this week,

we are using nostalgia...

..as our source of inspiration.

CONTESTANTS: Ah.

MIIN: Wow.

OK.

Those cute little steamers on your benches...

ANNABEL: They have the little M on them!

..might give you a bit of a clue

about who has set today's challenge.

Ooh.

(CONTESTANTS EXCLAIM AND MURMUR INDISTINCTLY)

Our guest grew up in his parents' Chinese restaurant.

Oh.

OK.

And even after leaving home to study,

he found himself drawn back,

seeking comfort in the familiar.

He then blew up on social media

after tapping into people's nostalgia...

Wow.

..creating classic Chinese cooking videos

that struck a chord.

Oh! Dim Sim Lim!

Yeah.

He now has over 7 million followers...

Far out. Ooh!

..and more than 2 billion views.

What?! Oh, my God.

(WHISPERS) Dim Sim Lim!

He's just released his first cookbook.

(WHISPERS) The Wok On... The Wok On Wall Street?

Please welcome the new superstar of food...

Oh! It's crazy.

..The Wolf Of Wok Street... Oh!

..Dim Sim Lim! (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

MIIN: I love your YumYum!

(LAUGHS) Yum-yum!

LUKE: This is gonna be good.

PETRO: I know. Unreal.

Oh, my God, this is unbelievable.

Mr YumYum himself.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) How are we doing, guys?

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: How are you?

GRACE: Swag. He's got swag.

Andy, my friend.

Huge fan. Huge fan of how he makes

Chinese cooking so accessible.

This is how you make a beef pad see ew.

The best Shanghai noodles.

My signature satay beef noodles.

Add a little bit of YumYum.

Unlocking those uncle secrets, you know - I like it.

Yeah, it's really, really relatable.

(LAUGHTER)

Vincent Yeow Lim, welcome back to the MasterChef kitchen.

Thank you very much. Thanks for having me back.

Congrats on the new cookbook. Thank you very much.

The Wolf Of Wok Street. I think we've sold out

four times now. Whoa.

Yeah. Of course. Pretty well.

Why do you think it's so popular?

Personally, for me, it's nostalgic

because I grew up in my parents' restaurant.

I worked in my dad's restaurant since I was eight years old.

You know, I was on the wok, learning how to cook.

You know, a big part of who I am today

is because of my father, right?

He taught me everything that I know today.

It's in your DNA, but you're evolving it as you go.

Exactly, exactly. Yeah.

Vinnie...

You're Vinnie too? VINNIE: Yes!

(LAUGHTER) My man.

(APPLAUSE) G'day, mate.

Good luck, bro. Hope you win.

ANNABEL: We're not biased.

Tell me, does Chef Vincent's story resonate with yourself?

Yeah, 100%.

Nostalgic cooking is, like, how I love to cook as well.

When you take that bite, and it takes you, like, back

to being, like, a kid, you know,

it's, like, the best way to cook for me.

GRACE: Yeah.

Nostalgia Week couldn't be more my week.

Nostalgia and tradition have heavy, heavy influences

on the way that I cook.

Chef Vincent... Yes.

..I think they are all ready

to find out what you've got in store today.

Alright, guys, today, you're going to be using

one of Asia's most ancient cooking techniques...

..steaming.

HANNAH: Yay.

EMILY: Oh, yeah! Going to get hot.

But first,

why don't I show you guys something that I like to steam?

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

I feel like I've jumped through my phone screen,

and I'm getting a real-life Vincent demonstration.

How cool!

Alright, guys...

..today I'm going to show you guys

how to make the OG dim sim.

(CONTESTANTS EXCLAIM)

We've got our pork shoulder

and prawns.

Double cleavers - we're not using a food processor today.

With steaming and dumplings,

mouthfeel is a very important thing.

Right? You want uneven pieces.

When you put it into a food processor,

everything comes out the same size,

comes out like mush.

So, we want uneven, imperfect pieces of pork.

That way, you get a very good mouthfeel shumai.

That goes into a bowl. So cool.

We've got our prawns.

So you just want to chop these up

into big sizes.

I'm just gonna slap it.

Naughty prawn.

Therapeutic, isn't it? Yeah.

ANNABEL: I like... Yeah.

This is something I could take home.

It could be, like, 'Angry Mum' cooking.

Chop-chop-chop.

(LAUGHS) Slap-slap-slap.

If I'm having a bit of a harder day,

"We're having dumplings for dinner, kids." (LAUGHS)

Now mix it all together.

We're gonna pick it up... Slap it.

..and we're gonna slap it. Yes.

This gives it extra springy texture.

CASPER: Splash zone. Splash zone!

You're probably wondering,

how do you know when this is ready, right?

When it's ready, you should be able to hold it upside down.

(CONTESTANTS EXCLAIM)

That's cool.

OK. That's when you know it's sticky enough.

(APPLAUSE)

When he's talking about why he's doing it,

it's really making sense.

Like, you want that texture in the dumpling.

So, already, that's, like, a great learning

I'm taking away from this.

Now we're going to season our mix.

Sugar, sesame oil, white pepper.

And I'm sure you guys all know what I'm about to do.

(LAUGHTER)

We're gonna add a little bit of YumYum.

(CHEERING)

Pick up your wonton wrapper,

take the filling on your fork,

in the middle,

poke in, fold.

(GASPING)

Just like that.

So, you're using your middle finger

to make the shape. Wow!

Every time, it's the same size.

You flip it around, pop it into the hole,

pull the fork out, press.

The way he's packing the shumai,

like, I would never have been able to work out how to do that

if I hadn't been watching a live demonstration.

So, I'm glad I've got this,

and then I can go home tonight and practise it.

Yikes.

Now we're gonna put these in the steamer.

Now we go wok on maximum heat.

(CHEERING)

Lid goes on.

Now let's make the chilli oil.

Got our chilli flakes - in the bowl.

Garlic. Cinnamon.

Fried onions. Sugar.

You guys have got to say it with me.

Now we add a little bit of YumYum.

ALL: YumYum! (LAUGHS)

OK, we're gonna bring this oil almost to the point

where it catches fire - really, really hot.

Oh, my gosh!

The sides of the wok are starting to catch fire,

the smoke's turning white.

Turn off the heat.

And we're gonna ladle this straight in.

Just like that... GRACE: Yum!

..got chilli oil.

Hell, yeah.

So, who's ready for some dim sims?

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Woo!

This is so cool. You can taste all these different flavours.

Yum-yum!

Yum-yum, indeed.

It's a textural, flavour explosion in your mouth.

Delicious!

We hope you are feeling inspired.

Now is your time to make something delicious.

We're giving you 60 minutes to cook whatever you like...

(GASPING)

..but your dish must have a steamed element,

using your MasterChef steamer baskets.

You have full access to the pantry and garden,

so you can go with any flavours or style of dish you choose.

We are tasting the ten most appealing dishes...

..and the top two dishes

will be safe from tomorrow's elimination.

Two.

Vincent, any last words of advice?

If you can dream it, you can steam it.

(LAUGHTER)

Are you ready? CONTESTANTS: Yeah.

Your time starts...

..now.

Woo!

MIIN: Thank you, Petro! LYDIA: Thanks, Petro!

Yay! SOFIA: Energised.

I love it. Love it. SOFIA: Yeah!

LUKE: Mint. Mint. Whereabouts is the mint?

Let me get the YumYum. Where is it?

EMILY: Over there. I'm getting the YumYum.

DOT: Where's the YumYum?

Start with that first.

The minute I hear it's steam, straightaway, I'm thinking fish

'cause I steam a lot of fish at home.

It's how we eat fish generally in Asian households,

just with some aromats, some oil over the top.

But my thought is that I can't just do that today

because between 16 people,

it's only the top-ten dishes to be tried,

and I think the way to stand out today is to come up with a dish

that's out of the ordinary.

I don't know what that is just yet,

but all I know is that I want to use snapper.

A big one. I need snapper as well.

There's no more? No more snapper.

Oh, frick.

There is only one large snapper in the pantry.

Vinnie wants to use it too.

You want to halve it? Yeah, we'll share, we'll share.

You need one side, yeah? Just one side.

Do you want to fillet first? Yeah.

He's entrusted me to fillet one side first

and just give him the rest.

Aaron, where are you? Just next to Jackie.

Alright, sick.

Guys, I've done something very uncharacteristic...

I saved you some.

(ALL LAUGH)

I know how hard that would have been for you.

Really hard, but I love you guys.

Thank you.

POH: Vincent, what do you want to see today,

and what don't you want to see?

Oh, what I want to see today -

no under-steaming, over-steaming.

Yeah.

It's so easy to get right,

but so easy to get wrong, you know?

Yeah.

It's going to be an interesting one

because, for a lot of our cooks out there,

it's probably not the go-to method, you know?

So I'm interested to see

how they can squeeze their creative juices

and what they can come up with here.

GRACE: Thinking, thinking, thinking, thinking.

I love using steamers.

I want to play into the nostalgia theme as well,

so I'm going for a more traditional Chinese dish,

claypot chicken rice.

Like, my grandma used to make it a lot for me at home.

So, basically, yeah,

this is nostalgia in a...in a clay pot.

Lobster dinner. (LAUGHS)

My dish today is going to be a prawn mousse ballotine.

So, it'll be wrapped in zucchini

and look really pretty on the plate.

I'm hoping it has familiar flavours

of, like, a prawn dumpling.

It's going to be quite bouncy, the mousse,

and has that nice mouthfeel.

I'm also going to do steamed lobster tail,

and it's going to sit on a spicy capsicum smoky sauce.

I smell sambal. Do you smell sambal?

Yeah! I can smell something funky.

Hi, Miin. Hello.

Tell us what you're making. I'm making otak-otak...

Yes! ..using a recipe from my mum.

So, it's like a spiced fish custard.

Normally, this dish is wrapped in banana leaf,

but today I'm actually gonna steam it in, like, a bowl

'cause that's how my mum cooks it at home.

In a bowl? Yeah, in a bowl.

I've never had it that way before.

Oh, really? Me neither.

This is the steamed version of it.

DOT: Jeez, it's hot in here today!

Look, I love a sauna,

but I'm not one for steaming with the cooking.

I do love eating dumplings and things like that,

but it's not really something I cook that often.

It's more of consuming often.

I want to play into the nostalgia.

Let's think if I can think of any steamy memories.

Not like that, but, like, steaming.

(LAUGHS)

I'm thinking of when I was at Glastonbury.

I was feeling a little bit dusty.

There was this giant line at a food truck.

I'd never heard of them - momos.

They're steamed.

They were delicious.

Can I recreate this today?

A momo is a dumpling from Nepal.

Because Nepal is between India and China,

they have really interesting flavours that kind of combines

those two cuisines.

So, visually, they look like a dumpling,

but there's more Indian flavours in them.

So, yeah, I'm giving it a crack.

I'm gonna get started on my filling.

So, everything I've just learned from Vincent,

I'm gonna take into these momos.

Just becoming a butcher.

I'm chopping up my chicken, I've got a little bit of breast,

a little bit of thigh.

I want different textures...

Woo!

..and it's starting to look a little bit good.

Next, I'm getting all my spices

and herbs and onion into this mixture.

YumYum. Love that.

Love it!

It needs to be a flavour bomb.

Sweet, sour, salty.

A lot could go wrong in this dish.

I'm holding on to a memory from seven years ago

that I haven't made

or really experienced that much since so...

OK.

..we've got some challenges.

It's a memory challenge today.

Vin, big fella, how are you, mate?

Lukey! Good, mate. How are you? Yeah, good. Better now, mate.

Better now. Better now that I'm next to you?

Yeah, that's the most important bit.

Even though I haven't used the steamer before,

I'm feeling really confident, really inspired.

A lot of my cooking techniques

and dishes that I come up with are all based on nostalgia,

because I was brought up by my grandparents,

and a lot of the dishes that they made

are really hearty, traditional things.

Today, I'm making a steamed snapper,

and I'm going to be making,

like, a really Sicilian sughetto, like, a little sauce.

It's going to be full of, like, capers, tomatoes,

lots of chilli, white wine and a bit of garlic,

with some cavolo nero on the outside,

and then finishing with a bit of olive oil with orange.

So, it's going to be really, really Sicilian-flavoured.

When I would have this dish growing up,

the fish would be kind of portioned

and cooked in the sauce,

but today I'm going to be steaming my fish

and making my sauce separate.

I am feeling confident cooking in a steamer.

The good thing about it is that you can just

take a peek inside, so you know...

Thank you.

So you know that there's a chance of not overcooking it.

I get the snapper back from Aaron,

and it looks like a professional has filleted this fish.

It looks beautiful.

I fillet my snapper,

and it doesn't look as good as Aaron's.

I know in theory what I need to do,

but it's just not happening in practice.

Mine looks so ugly.

ANDY: Keep those creative juices flowing

because you've only got 50 minutes to go.

AARON: I'm sweating, I'll tell you that much.

I'm feeling, like, super-charged right now

because my background is Malaysian Chinese,

so I feel like steam's in my blood.

What better day to push yourself to stand out

and show the judges what I can do?

I'm taking inspiration from, I guess, East and West

and trying to combine the two.

Most of what my cooking is based on is fusion,

and how I fuse Asian flavours into European techniques

and create something amazing from it.

End of the day, I want to be a chef.

But I want to be a great chef,

one of the standout chefs recognised around the world.

So, today, I came up with a concept

inspired by a very classical French dish.

I'm hoping that it's technical and intriguing enough

to make them want to try it,

and show that I am capable of thinking like a chef.

I'm hoping that technique sets me apart,

and that I might actually get Dim Sim Lim to try my food.

It would be such an amazing experience just to get feedback

from someone like him.

Aaron. Hey, what's going on?

Oh, mate, heaps today.

Dim Sim Lim's in the house. How about you?

How crazy is that? Yeah.

I'm still reeling that he's actually here.

Hello? GRACE: Hello.

How you doing? Good.

Well, now, the next step is for him to taste your food.

That's the big thing. So, how are you going to be

one of those top-ten dishes that we taste?

Hopefully, it's something a little creative.

So, I'm trying to make a fish roulade

with a prawn farce in the middle.

So, I'm going to steam that,

and then cut the medallion out of it

and have it sitting on a...

..like a mussel Shaoxing wine butter sauce.

Ooh! Oh, yeah. "Ooh," alright.

So, are you thinking that it'll be, like, fillet,

then a layer of the farce,

and then another fillet, in cling film...

Yeah. All that steamed. ..then steam?

Yep. Mmm.

There's a lot of technique going on.

It's not easy to do. Yeah.

Especially when this is our first 60-minute cook

for a while.

I think I've set myself a real challenge here.

There's a lot of technique going on.

It's not easy to do. Yep.

Especially when this is our first 60-minute cook

for a while.

I think I've set myself a real challenge here.

Good luck, bro. A little bit to do.

Thank you.

The judges are definitely thinking,

"You're crazy, boy, you're crazy,"

because this dish is really going to test

my technical ability.

But to be a great chef, you have to try,

you have to learn, and you have to grow.

And that's what I'm here for.

OK, guys...

..full steam ahead.

Ha-ha! It's good. I like that.

45 minutes to go!

There's zero room on this bench.

So, I'm going a tiny bit experimental.

I'm doing a steamed sponge cake,

which is a traditional Chinese technique

of cooking a cake.

But I am doing Italian flavours to keep it true

to, like, nostalgia for myself.

Hi, Grace. Hello.

Sorry, guys. I'm so sweaty. Ooh, steamy in here, isn't it?

It's like a sauna. What are you making?

I am making a basil steamed sponge cake

with a lemon anglaise and Geraldton wax syrup.

Have you ever had a basil steamed sponge cake?

No! I've never had a basil steamed sponge cake.

I'm excited for basil steamed sponge cake.

Yay! Love that you are just, like,

throwing every bit of the rule book out...

(LAUGHS) ..and you are just going,

"You will be tasting mine because you will be

"so intrigued about what's coming out of here." 'Cause you'll be like, "Huh?"

If these work, if these look as good as they sound,

you will absolutely be making... Yep.

..that ten that we taste. Wow, great!

But you have to do that. You have to get there.

Yeah. Thanks, guys. What am I doing?

What's up? How are we doing?

Hey, look, it's Dim Sim Lim.

So cool. Mate. What's going on?

I'm trying to do a roulade.

So, get zucchini slices,

fill it with, like, a duxelles, roll it up,

serve it with a nice sauce. So, how have you injected all

the flavour into it? I'm adding in, like, thyme,

garlic, shallots. Right.

Hey, Jackie.

So, I'm making prawn cheong fun,

which is a rice-noodle roll

with prawn filling.

Yum! Oh!

So are we gonna have rice noodles rolled...

Rice noodles, yep. All slippery, delicious.

Yes, with the prawn, with the sauce.

Lydia!

Hi! Tell us what you're making.

I'm going to make a chawanmushi

with some squid. Yeah.

Nice haircut, by the way.

Oh, you saw the video? (LAUGHS) I did.

(LAUGHS)

Obviously, everyone wants their dish tasted,

but I want my dish tasted the most.

Obviously. Ha-ha!

Me and Grace want our dish tasted the most.

It would just be really awesome.

I have been so close to immunity a couple of times,

and so it would be really good to, like, actually get it.

And you can only get immunity if your dish gets tasted.

I've decided I don't want to cook dumplings

or, like, a piece of fish today.

I'm gonna steam some mussels.

I am doing some steamed mussels

in an escabeche vinaigrette sauce.

And then I'm gonna do some crisps

and a little roasted-garlic aioli.

Oh, for the chippies! Chippies!

Yeah!

I love sort of bistro dining.

That's the sort of dish

that I'm going to be putting up today.

Oh, yeah!

I think I'm just imagining

sitting out the front of a wine bar.

It's, like, 4pm on a Friday,

and you've clocked off work early.

You've got this beautiful buttery Chard there.

You've got this, like, tin of mussels,

crisps on the side, and then a little thing of aioli.

So you can, like, grab a crisp, put your mussels on top,

and then you get, like, a big dollop of that garlic aioli.

And then, just, like, one bite, in your gob.

One-bite wonder - how good. Happy days.

Never steamed mussels this way.

But I think, like, steaming is like...

It's not rocket science - just steam, and it heats the food.

So, just go with that.

Sorry, Casper, I've gotten a little bit messy.

No, no. You're good. Just a little clean-up.

I'll yell at you later. Oh, that's...

"Dot, could you just move?"

(BOTH LAUGH)

I'm going to be doing tamales.

So, they normally take a little bit of time.

Tamales are, like, a Mexican street food.

It's like a corn mix that's steamed

inside of a corn husk.

So, I'm going to try to do a sweet tamale.

You're going to have a toasted coconut and hibiscus filling.

And then, I also want to do

a little horchata custard on the side,

really playing to those Mexican sort of street flavours.

I've watched a lot of videos on making tamales,

and I find it really, really interesting, the whole process.

But making them, I don't have much experience at all.

(SIGHS)

Well, well, well.

So, definitely going out on a bit of a limb here.

Hey, that's cool.

(CHUCKLES) We'll see.

Hey, Petro. It's Dim Sim Lim! So nice to meet you, mate.

Likewise, my friend. Oh, mate,

I've been watching your stuff for ages now.

Thank you. Tell us what you're making.

I'm making a southern Indian dish.

I'm gonna do, like, green masala banana wrapped kingfish.

Sounds good. Cashew lemon rice on the side.

Ooh. Good luck, Petro. Thanks, guys.

ALYONA: Oh, my gosh. It's so hot!

Alyona. Hi.

How are you? I'm great today.

Are you a steamer or what?

I'm a bit of a steamer, yes. Yeah?

And today I'm gonna steam something I haven't actually

steamed before - Russian dumplings, pelmeni.

SOFIA: If you don't usually steam them, how do you do them?

We, literally, would take some chicken stock

and just throw dumplings in there, yeah.

So, more of a shallow boil? Yeah.

OK. And you're my inspiration today.

I'm gonna make them green. Great.

I'm gonna put some dill through my dough.

Literally green? So the dough is gonna be green?

Yeah. Cool. Sounds tasty.

Good luck. Thank you.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: When you're steaming like this...

Yeah? ..it means that something good

is going to come out of you. Yeah, that's what I hope.

Make sure.

I feel, right now, like I'm drowning in fish...

Drowning in fish? No! Drowning in fish and sweat,

and it's a bit... What are you making?

I'm going to use a trout today,

and I'm going to steam that with a fish mousse on top,

and then make a really great sauce with that, as well,

with these charred peppers.

It's going to have a little side salad.

Did you say side salad?

I think she said 'soid' salad. Soid.

It's gonna have a little 'soid' salad.

I'm ready for my 'soid' salad. I love a 'soid' salad.

I'm up for it. (LAUGHS)

Well, guys, I'm steaming myself out,

so I smell amazing.

Tell me, please, all of you, what is going on over there?

I'm pretty excited by Casper's sweet tamales, right?

Oh! I think it's very interesting.

Everyone's doing a dumpling,

they're doing a fish, and he's just doing something

that's complete on the opposite end.

I'm also going to point out Aaron

because he's gone cheffy,

which he's... You know, that's his thing.

He's going to do a fish roulade

with a prawn mousse stuffed inside.

POH: Interesting.

I hope he can get the technique right.

He's using snapper, which isn't

the most forgiving fish in the world.

No.

So, it's going to be a very fine line

between that perfectly cooked mousse and snapper,

or overdone, or underdone.

AARON: I'm trying to make a fish roulade

with a prawn farce.

So, a farce is kind of like a paste or a mousse.

It's a filling, really.

And that's a very classical French technique.

I'm trying to flavour the prawn farce

in more of, like, an Asian way.

So, I've got, like, garlic, shallots, ginger,

soy sauce in there and sesame oil.

So, the next step, I need

to get this prawn farce into a piping bag,

ready for the super technical part of the process.

Whoa!

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: You must be joking.

Aaron, what...? What...? What's happening?

I was standing over there.

Look, I was literally...

Oh, God. I'm so sorry.

2cm! Are you all good?

You all good? I'm alright.

If it had hit Jean-Christophe,

I don't think I'd be standing here anymore.

I'd be straight into the elim.

(LAUGHS)

Well, I'll tell you what, I'm going to buy you

a lottery ticket now.

We're not swinging no bags, no more. (LAUGHS)

Thank goodness I had the foresight

to only put half into the piping bag.

So, the roulade is a very delicate process

because you have to roll it really tight,

making sure you have a really consistent circumference

so the steam just cooks it evenly.

She's getting steamy in here.

30 minutes to go!

(SCATTERED APPLAUSE)

No?

Thanks, guys. Oh!

Appreciate it.

Just got absolutely left for dead.

(LAUGHS)

GRACE: Yummy.

I'm doing a basil steamed sponge.

I've been working hard with the flavours,

just to make sure they're perfect.

Flavour-wise, I'm super happy with them.

This is my sponge cake batter.

I'm hoping that the sponge itself is super airy,

super light.

Because steaming is such a delicate way of cooking,

you're looking for, like, a soft, delicate cake batter.

Uh-oh.

I'm folding the flour through.

What the heck is that?

And I'm like, "Why is this so thick?"

Um, freaking me out.

Didn't put the eggs in the cake!

(GRUNTS)

OK. Start again.

I got too, like, distracted by focusing on the flavour.

So we've scrapped it. Starting again.

That is so dumb.

But I'm definitely starting to panic.

Oh, my God, this is annoying!

It's more than halfway through the cook,

and it is so important that this batter is perfect.

Sponge.

OK. You sure it's the right way to mix?

Um...

Oh, my God, no.

I realised I put the sugar in too early.

Eggwhites are never gonna reach peaks like this.

Scrap it. Start again.

Um...

Start again, start again, start again.

(GROANS)

No tears. No tears.

Um, this is my sponge cake batter.

I've had to restart it three times.

I've wasted so much time, making this sponge batter

so many times.

Yep, that's better.

Finally, I get it right.

And I need to get this sponge in the steamer, ASAP,

otherwise there'll be nothing to put on the plate.

Alright, they're going in!

Cook, please!

Tamales are in.

Already, I can smell that coconut and corn flavour

coming out of them, so I think they're going to taste amazing.

Now I just need to get started on my custard.

I'm going to do a horchata custard.

So, it's, like, cinnamon and toasted rice.

Horchata is, like, a classic Mexican drink.

So, I'm just doing the flavours of horchata in a custard.

I'm also grilling up some pineapple

to do a little grilled pineapple and hibiscus salsa.

Pineapple, Mexico - goes great together.

I'm going to spike it with a bit of mezcal as well

to really bring home that, like, smokiness

and the flavours of Mexico.

Definitely a good chance that, you know,

if I pull these off, I could be immune.

I think it's a bit different,

which I'm sort of banking on.

VINNIE: Done, done, done, done.

At the moment, I've just got my Sicilian sauce reducing down.

I'm going to give it a blend soon and pass it,

so it's really nice and smooth.

And then I've got my cavalo nero here crisping up.

My snapper is ready to go in.

I just don't want to put that on too early

because it doesn't take very long to cook.

This dish is definitely a bit sentimental.

It was a nice dish that we'd have

during the winter when it was really cold.

It's about hearty flavours,

ingredients that are treated really, really well

and are really high quality.

At first sight, a pretty simple dish,

but once you bite into it, these flavours make it shine.

Don't lose steam.

Only 15 minutes to go!

That is not very long.

(LAUGHS)

Oh, my gosh, it's so hot. (SIGHS)

HANNAH: Oh, do you see that?

Hello. POH: Hey, Emily.

How are you doing? This is lo mai gai, no?

No. Oh, kind of like lo mai gai.

I'm doing claypot chicken rice. Ah.

My chicken is steaming.

Got some vegetables steaming as well.

Gonna sear the rice on the bottom,

and then I'm gonna put the chicken on top

so that the juices are all over the rice.

Is there a nod of approval?

You can't say. I know. I know.

I know how this game works now, guys.

Deliver with flavour. Just trust me.

Good luck.

I am just getting on to my prawn mousse ballotine,

and I've got a steamed lobster tail that'll be served

on a smoky capsicum sauce.

I'm gonna use some Shaoxing wine, ginger,

garlic, chilli, and make it quite fiery,

which will go quite nicely with the flavours

that I've got going on.

I'm just preparing the otak-otak

and it's gonna go in the steamer.

The custard, it should be set,

and then the middle should just have a slight wobble to it.

So, I don't want it to overcook

because there's fish in there as well.

So, just need to set, like, just nicely.

Yeah.

DOT: It smells delicious over there.

LYDIA: The momos? No, it's Casper's.

Oh.

I can't believe I've created this little momo.

It looks beautiful.

It looks delicate.

Let's hope they steam well.

I would love immunity.

I've got a dress picked out

in case I'm ever on the gantry again.

So, we'll see if that can come out tomorrow.

It is time to get on to my chutney, sauce situation.

It's very much a fusion sauce that I'm creating.

A momo is a dumpling from Nepal.

Because Nepal is between India and China,

this sauce kind of combines those two cuisines.

I'm sauteing garlic and ginger,

getting these tomatoes in with a few spices,

curry powder, coriander, bit of chicken stock.

Stock.

I find the sauce needs to be smooth.

That's what the memory is.

It was a little bit silky.

So, I'm pouring in the tomato mixture.

I'm adding some roasted sesame seeds

because I remember this deep, nutty taste.

Seven years ago, though, so I'm not sure how traditional.

YumYum.

AARON: My fish roulade is in the steamer.

I'm working on my sauce now,

and then I'll just have to do a little bit of garnishing.

The flavour of the sauce is really important

because of how light the roulade is.

This sauce will amp up all of that seafood flavour,

all of that umami,

but also bring a silkiness

and a different texture to the dish.

I'm going to steam the mussels,

use that juice, and then deglaze that

with some Shaoxing wine, and really reduce that down.

The prawn heads, as well, in there

to bring out some of that seafoody flavour.

I'm hoping that the flavours of the natural seafood

and the umami of it really come through.

Steam-work makes the dream work!

Ten minutes to go! Nice.

(APPLAUSE) Very nice.

Steam-work makes the dream work.

Got to commit. (LAUGHS)

ANNABEL: Ooh!

I want to serve the mussels, like, in a tin.

I think that would be really fun.

And it would be something that you might get served

at a wine bar, have the crisps on the side.

And you, like, layer it all up into one perfect bite.

Alright, I've got this.

Some of those mussels are starting to pop open,

so I'm grabbing them out.

I don't want them to overcook.

Popping them in the escabeche.

Hot, hot, hot, hot.

Escabeche is like a tangy vinaigrette.

It just adds some zing and some acidity,

really lift up those mussels.

Annabel. Hello.

Whew! Big steamer girl or what?

Uh...no. No?

I like fried things, so I'm combining the two.

(SOFIA LAUGHS) OK.

Yum?

Yum. Yum?

Yum. Yum. Yeah, yum.

You could have just put them in a pan, lid on,

popped them open, and they're done.

Yeah.

Whereas is this, which is the showpiece

and the challenge for today...? Yeah?

Are you getting the best use out of it?

Ooh.

Do you feel you are?

When we, like, decide what dishes we're going to taste...

Yeah. ..there's a lot of different

things that come into mind. Yeah.

And one is making sure that you use this steamer basket

in a decent way.

Yeah.

Andy's concern is that the dish doesn't really hero steaming.

There's just an element that maybe is steamed,

that it's not super obvious.

I just don't want to add something to the dish

just for the sake of it, just to, like...

'Cause, otherwise, I still want it to be really yummy.

So, I'm just going to think

about how I'm going to make this more, like...

And then, I'm like - this might be a bit cheeky -

I'm gonna humour Andy, and I'm gonna serve the mussels

in the steamer basket instead of the tin.

Keep the shells.

Andy can't argue

that they don't hero the steamer basket

if they're served in a steamer basket,

and then they've been cooked in a steamer basket.

Wow. It's like a sauna here.

Please, guys, five minutes to go!

Woo! Please, steam up!

(APPLAUSE)

Just making my mango salsa, getting that balanced.

It's so important to Indian cuisine

because you need sweet, tangy, sourness.

You need that cohesive balance.

The fish is cooking,

so I'm gonna probably have to keep that in as long as I can.

Oh, my God.

I'm just making my pelmeni.

I'm making them bright green.

I hope this colour is gonna really kind of

come through as well.

And I'm actually gonna serve them

in a broth because, normally, that's how you eat it.

But today, I'm going to steam them

and pour the broth over it.

(SIGHS)

Oh, wow. Well done.

It's really yummy.

I'm doing a charred yellow capsicum sauce.

I really tried to work hard

on getting some good flavour into that.

And a fish mousse on top of a trout fillet.

I really want this dish to be tasted,

and I really want the judges to like it.

And I really want them to send me

up to the gantry tomorrow.

OK.

Lemon anglaise. Let's do it.

I was expecting this to be a bit of an easy one today,

but I've had to restart the sponge batter three times,

so I'm on the back foot a bit, to be honest.

The texture of this sponge is so important.

You're looking for, like, a soft, fluffy cake.

Um...no.

Otherwise, it can lead to sort of mushiness in the middle,

which would be an absolute disaster.

Don't run out of steam now.

Three minutes to go! (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Setting things on fire!

Oh, my gosh. Let me take over.

(LAUGHS) There's a lot going on today.

Oh... Come on, come on, come on.

LUKE: Oh, that's warm.

AARON: Moment of truth - I have to cut into this roulade

and hope that the prawns are cooked,

that the fish isn't overcooked.

Yeah, I think it's, like, bang-on.

It's still juicy.

I'm happy,

but to get immunity and impress Dim Sim Lim,

it has to be perfect.

I taste it with a bit of the sauce,

and I feel as though there's a lot of richness.

It needs a bit of acidity.

So, I decide to make a quick pickle

with some daikon radish.

I get the width of the ribbon to the width of the roulade,

and from there, I'm just

slowly wrapping it around the outside of the roulade.

JACKIE: Yes. This one is actually working.

LYDIA: We're balancing some sauces here.

DOT: My momos are steaming, my sauce is saucing,

and my chilli oil is coming together.

So, I'm gonna have a dish. That's great.

Oh! That's hot.

It's time to open the steamer.

And through the steam...

..I see these beautiful momos.

They're done.

My chutney-curry sauce is tasting and looking great.

I've got a beautiful round plate.

I'm placing my sauce on the bottom,

topped with my momos.

And it's starting to look quite nice.

I'm happy. Hopefully, they want to try them today.

Come on, guys. One minute to go!

(APPLAUSE)

It's super soft.

I have no idea how I'm going to get it out of that thing,

to be honest.

My basil sponge cakes have been in the steamer

for as long as possible.

They're coming out.

So, in terms of texture, I'm really crossing my fingers.

We'll see.

VINNIE: Yeah, cool. OK.

I know all my flavours are there

and it tastes really, really good.

I put my Sicilian sughetto sauce at the bottom,

I've got my crispy cavolo nero around the outside,

and then I've got that perfectly steamed fish

that just flakes apart on top.

Keep the lid on! 30 seconds left to go!

That's set. That's actually set.

EMILY: Steam, steam, steam.

AARON: Just a bit of colour.

Righto, Time's up in ten...

JUDGES: Nine, eight, seven,

six, five, four,

three, two, one!

That's it, everybody! Well done!

Oh! That looks beautiful, as always.

They're raw. They're cooked?

I don't think so.

Hoo!

I think it looks really elegant.

I think it looks quite fine dining-esque.

Um, hopefully there's enough in there for them to taste.

CASPER: Ooh!

I think I've got a good chance of getting tasted.

Looking around, it's different enough,

so hopefully that helps it to stand out a little bit.

Um, if the flavours and everything are there,

we might be up at the top.

But honestly, it's really hinging

on these tamales being cooked.

Dim Sim Lim is in the house

and we tasked you to cook a dish with a steamed element in it.

First dish is...

..Dot. Ooh!

Oh, my God!

Bring on the momos.

What have you made?

Today, I've made chicken momos.

It's a Nepalese dumpling.

And then I've made

tomato chutney kind of curry sauce.

And then a chilli oil as well for on top.

Shall we do it? Shall we?

Yeah! Yes.

That skin is perfection.

You can see through it.

The filling on the inside makes it super meaty

and it's still juicy.

It's just a very meaty dumpling.

And I thought it would be dry when I saw you cooking up there,

but because your sauce just complements it so well

and it's not too thick, not too thin,

it just covers it after you've taken a bite.

So you've done a great job. Thank you.

They are delicious!

Yay!

The texture of your filling is absolutely spot on.

I love that you listened as well

and you took on board that demonstration.

Also, the wrappers on that,

the way they kind of come into that tornado,

they're as delicious as they are appealing to look at.

I think you've absolutely smashed this.

Well done. Thank you.

Dot, you just continue to surprise.

I feel Like dumplings was a pretty obvious choice to go,

but then you've just flipped it on its head

and given us something

that we probably would never have expected.

You burst inside of it,

and it is just jammed full of flavour.

And then the sauce - like, stunning.

It is just ripping with flavour.

Great work. Thank you.

I think every component here

does its job really, really well.

It's brilliant!

Ah! It is Dot full steam.

Well done.

Actually, I'm going to have some more of this.

Mm.

Well done! Well done.

Next one...

..Annabel, please.

Oh, did he say me?

I am very surprised that I'm being tasted today.

I thought they said your name!

Although I tried to pivot,

I didn't actually kind of do anything different

other than just, like, serve it in a steamer basket.

I'm hoping that they can just, like,

enjoy this little one-bite wonder,

but I don't know where this is gonna land.

Oh...

You couldn't look any more sus and sheepish.

I'm really surprised.

Yeah, I'm surprised that I'm getting tasted,

but pleasantly surprised.

So, Annabel, what is your dish?

Some steamed mussels

tossed through an escabeche dressing.

And then I've got a roasted garlic aioli

and some crisps.

The reason we are tasting your dish

is because it's quite intriguing.

So, let's see.

First, I would like to say you took a massive gamble,

steaming mussels,

because I think, technically, it's a nightmare.

But I think I've got to say you've done

a pretty good job on the steaming situation.

They are cooked properly.

Yeah, I think the mussels are actually done really well.

I think they're perfectly cooked

and I found them really flavourful.

There was just this really light, lovely kind of zinginess

and freshness to the mussel.

And then the chips were really crispy.

And then with your steamer basket...

Yeah.

I think there's an idea there somewhere,

you know, for you to rework.

Like, the steaming element is like,

yeah, you know, you steamed the mussels.

(LAUGHS) Can you tell?

Cause I was just like, "Alright, I'll just do this."

"Must make it steamier!"

Yeah.

Full respect. I think it was a pretty cheeky move

and I don't mind it.

I am grateful that I got tasted

because I think, like, any feedback in this kitchen

is, like, so valuable

and I will take it on board

and go home and reflect.

And I'll definitely work on this dish

because I think it does have legs.

It's good to learn.

Next up, Hannah!

HANNAH: We have trout, steamed,

with a dill and basil mousse on top

and a charred capsicum sauce.

There's, like, a lot of technique going on here,

both with the mousse on top of the trout and also the sauce.

You can definitely taste the complexity

of you nursing that thing

from basically the start to the finish.

Pat!

PAT: I've made a prawn mousse ballotine

wrapped in a zucchini,

steamed lobster tail and charred capsicum sauce.

Oh, look at that. Tss!

Impeccable, your ballotine.

I think you've done an amazing job, actually.

Your mixture is fantastic.

Your lobster is steamed so perfectly.

You make me happy. Thank you.

ANDY: Petro. PETRO: Ooh.

I made a banana leaf steamed kingfish,

cashew rice and a mango chutney.

SOFIA: I love your masala.

I think the mint in that

has just really lifted everything.

You've also thought about the balance there.

Adding that sweet mango really rounds out

the acidity in your dish and just makes it a joy to eat.

Miin.

MIIN: I've made otak-otak.

So it's a spiced fish custard.

As you guys know, I'm from Malaysia, so when I had this,

it was on the streets of Asia, grilled over the fire.

I think this is a very smart version,

very home cooked version that's not so intense.

I think the flavours are perfect,

but the fish is a little bit dry.

It should have been a little bit fattier fish.

Other than that, beautiful dish.

Thank you.

Next dish we'd love to taste is Casper's!

CASPER: Hearing my name, super excited.

I'm really proud of this dish.

So I just want to go up there

and get that feedback

and hopefully get that shot at immunity today.

Here we go.

Casper, what a mysterious-looking dish.

What have you made?

I've made tamales. Like, sweet tamales.

Inside there's coconut-spiked masa mix,

hibiscus flowers,

and then I've got a horchata custard on the side

and a compressed pineapple salsa.

Shall we taste? Shall we?

Oh, the little babies. It's a corn!

Casper,

because you have been so inventive,

I don't really have any point of reference for this...

..except to say that it's absolutely delicious.

This is unbelievable.

Oh. I friggin' love it.

I think it is just genius,

the way you've combined these flavours together.

You've got kind of comforting milky flavours

with the toastiness of the coconut,

and then these little pangs of sweetness,

sourness and char from the hibiscus

and the pineapple put together.

This is honestly a match made in heaven.

I'm obsessed with this dish. I think you did such a good job.

I think the beauty of you in this competition

is you have this knack of being able to be super clever,

you know, and come up with really original ideas,

but then also your execution on those ideas.

You could go anywhere in this competition.

Oh, yeah. Well done. Thank you.

I'm feeling stoked after hearing the feedback.

It's extremely validating.

And I think I do have

a real good shot at immunity today.

Well done.

Next up...

..Vinnie.

VINNIE: Steaming is not my preferred way of cooking,

but this dish brings a lot of nostalgia to me,

and I've elevated it in ways that I normally wouldn't.

So I really hope the judges see the amount of thought

and creativity that I've put into this dish.

OK, Vinnie, what did you cook?

Today I've made a steamed snapper

on a Sicilian sughetto,

with some fried cavolo nero and a burnt orange oil.

What was kind of the plan of attack

when you realised that you had to cook

out of a steamer basket?

Yeah, well, the only things I've really had

are frozen dimmies out of a steamer basket,

so not really my forte of cooking,

but I thought, "You know what? Nostalgia Week."

Really, this dish reminds me of, like, a dish

when I was a kid that my nonna would cook

in, like, a sauce.

So it'd be poached in the sauce. Yeah.

So it's like a similar way of cooking it.

And the flavours are very nostalgic for me.

I love that you've got a connection to the dish,

and I'm looking forward to see

how that transferred onto the plate.

In terms of flavours, you are faultless.

And also the ingredients you use to make flavours

are perfectly chosen too.

I think for me the fish was great.

Using the kale, good choice. Nice and crispy.

We love the way you are, so just keep going.

Thank you.

My twin.

From another country.

I love the sauce. I love the tartness from it.

The capers in there, little pops in the sauce is pretty nice.

The fish is steamed perfectly.

I think the dish is very well balanced in flavour.

Really good.

Yeah, the brief was to steam...

To steam!

..and you've tied in nostalgia as well.

So you didn't have to, but props.

Thank you very much. Thank you.

Thanks, man.

Well done. Well done.

Good stuff, Vinnie. Well done, mate.

That was good feedback.

SOFIA: Next up...

..Grace!

GRACE: Winning immunity would just be incredible.

The further we get in the competition,

the more important immunity is.

Hi.

My cake's looking great.

It's really fun and playful,

but I really hope it's, like, light and airy.

So cute. So cute!

What have you made?

I've made a basil steamed sponge with a lemon anglaise.

Wow, that looks lovely.

Grace...

You are a lean, green steaming machine!

That is such a special little cake.

It is really light and spongy,

but it's also got so much moisture in the middle

that there's almost a fudginess to it,

even though it's really airy.

And there's something about the combination

of that perfectly smooth lemon anglaise and the basil,

I adore it.

Thank you.

Steaming is such a delicate process.

I think you've really nailed this one.

I would have never thought to use basil for a sponge cake,

but using basil,

and I can just taste that hint of it at the end,

and that sponge is just so soft.

I can see why you went through three batters

to get it perfect, but you've done an amazing job.

It's perfectly balanced for the steaming challenge.

Thank you. Thanks. Thank you.

Yay!

The last dish we'd like to taste belongs to...

..Aaron!

AARON: With it being the final tasting,

I'm really hoping that

each morsel packs flavour.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Ooh-la-la.

As we say in English, this is going to be tough to portion.

Sorry.

It's an interesting and intriguing-looking dish,

but it has to be cooked perfectly.

You can easily overcook the fish,

undercook the mousse,

and not having the daikon to be even crispy.

So do you think this is going to be good enough?

Aaron, what have you made?

I've made a fish roulade with snapper and a prawn farce.

I've wrapped it with pickled daikon,

and I've made a clam and prawn head butter sauce

with herb oil on the side as well.

It's down to the test, the flavours

and the texture between all of them.

So good luck to you.

Thank you, Chef.

You are very driven, aren't you?

Yes, Chef. I can see that.

I can see you really want to become a chef.

Well, I think in front of me

I can see a chef.

This is un-be-liev-able.

Honestly.

You are...

(APPLAUSE DROWNS SPEECH)

Thank you so much.

It is remarkable the way you managed to prepare this.

Look, I'm becoming emotional now.

There is three elements into your roulade,

which is not easy to get it cooked on time

with the mousse and the fish,

and you still managed to do a fantastic job.

The prawn in the middle tastes superb.

It's cooked perfectly.

Your sauce - oh!

You can actually count every single prawn head,

how happy they were to be into the stock

and to become a veloute with the right seasoning,

the right colour.

You've done an amazing job and I hope you realise that.

So thank you so much for that experience.

Pretty big when, like, you know, Jean-Christophe,

who made a career out of French technique...

He's a Michelin Star chef.

Yeah, I realise!

He's seen and done it all and you've fully impressed him.

This sauce...

..I love.

Like, I can't love it anymore.

I can see your identity in this sauce.

For me, taking, like, the French base of the sauce

with the clams and the prawn heads as well,

and then hitting it with the Shaoxing wine is, like,

that's you, that's your personality.

Who you might become if you continue

to execute dishes like this is a very, very, very good chef.

Thank you.

You know, you've got the French in there,

you've got the Chinese in there and, for me, that's one of

my favourite types of cuisines ever.

I think the dish is actually... It's very well balanced.

You've got the spice, you've got the prawn heads,

which is very, very aromatic.

And after you swallow it all,

after you've finished it, you've got that hit

of scallion oil that just coats your tongue.

And I think that dish is amazing.

Thank you so much. JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Well done, Aaron.

Thank you so much. Thank you.

Amazing.

It's the coolest feedback. Well done.

I think the MasterChef kitchen today showed extreme creativity,

and I'm very, very happy for that.

It's something that I grew up doing,

and I'm just so glad that I got to share it all with you guys.

Thank you for bringing your expertise and YumYum...

Yeah! ..to the MasterChef kitchen!

(WHOOPING)

There was a few of you who really impressed us,

but we could only choose two.

First top dish belonged to...

..Dot.

Your momos were amazing

and your sauce was beautiful.

Congratulations. Thank you.

The second top dish was very hard to choose.

But then it came down to the one who used the most techniques.

Aaron!

(CHEERING)

Your fish roulade was steamed perfectly,

and the flavour was fan-tas-tic!

Dot, Aaron - hoo! -

you're both safe from tomorrow's elimination.

You'll be watching from the gantry, safe as houses.

Unfortunately, the rest of you will be fighting

to stay in the competition.

Go home, get some rest,

and we will see you for a massive elimination tomorrow.

Goodnight. SOFIA: Goodnight, everyone.

Thanks, guys.

Proud of you, mate.

VOICEOVER: Tomorrow night, Nostalgia Week continues

with a family tree that brings

a flood of emotion...

My dad's in that photo. He passed away a few years ago.

Sorry.

..but also a twist.

We will be giving the top dish...

..$10,000!

(CONTESTANTS GASP)

LUKE: I've gone from thinking I just want to play it safe

and stay out of elimination,

to "You're not gonna win

"$10,000 playing it safe."

But the bottom dish

will be going home.

Come on! Oh, my God.

Oh, no, oh, no!

It is a huge fail.

Captions by Red Bee Media