Original subtitles

VOICEOVER: This week on MasterChef Australia...

..an Asian adventure...

..of epic proportions...

DARRSH: This is a dream!

..will stimulate the senses...

NAT: Oh, look at this!

..tantalise the tastebuds...

POH: Absolutely delicious!

It's really, really flavourful!

..and test our home cooks...

Keep going. Keep going

..to the max.

This is so hard!

The incredible odyssey begins now.

I'm so lucky because the last challenge

is the first challenge that I've actually won,

and it's come at the perfect time

because it means I'm flying business class to Hong Kong.

Hey, hello. Good afternoon, sir... Hi, how are you?

..welcome aboard. Thank you.

May I show you your seat? Absolutely.

This way, please. Cheers.

I'm so stoked.

I've never flown business class before.

(LAUGHS) Cool! Thank you.

I'm feeling like a rock star!

Always had to, like, walk past the nice seats

and continue down the back!

We don't really know what we're going to be doing in Hong Kong,

but it's super exciting...

Hello, sir. May I serve you your pan-seared barramundi?

Wow, thank you! Please enjoy.

Thank you so much. Oh!

..and no matter what the challenge is...

Cooked to perfection!

..I'm going to be well rested,

being waited on for nine hours!

I reckon this is going to give me an edge in this competition.

Ha, yeah! It's just... Yeah, it's super nice.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

MIMI: Oh... Oh, wow!

..my God!

ANDY: Hey!

Come on, everybody!

I just can't...

..I just can't wipe the smile off my face!

Oh, my God!

I've lived here.

I've grown up here.

Food is so powerful in our culture.

What in the world...?

I feel very proud to be representing both Australia in Hong Kong,

but also representing Hong Kong as part of MasterChef Australia.

Come on, everybody!

LOCHY: Oh, my God, look over there!

Harry, you're looking particularly fresh!

(SOFIA LAUGHS) Look at him!

PEZZA: Man, that makes my legs shake.

I could not go near that edge there.

Look at that, mate!

Oh, how pumped is this?

Little Tassie boy that's never been out of...

..really, out of Tassie.

I'd come to Melbourne and that every now and then

to watch the footy,

but I've never been out of Australia...

..let alone Hong Kong!

It's lit up like Luna Park.

All of the huge buildings and the lights, like...

..it's like it's a cinema in front of us.

It's unbelievable!

I cannot believe I'm saying this, but...

..welcome to Hong Kong!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

NAT: Awesome!

# Je revais Hong Kong!

# Je revais Hong Kong! # (LAUGHTER)

Oh!

And, Poh, you've finally made it to Hong Kong!

I don't know if you guys know, but in season one, I got eliminated

just before we went to Hong Kong,

so I'm stoked to be here.

Look, guys, unfortunately, for some personal reasons,

Sav won't be able to join us this week,

but we'll be seeing her when we get back to the MasterChef kitchen.

Lochy, mate, pinch-yourself moment,

dream come true - what about this?

I've never been to Hong Kong before,

so this is extremely exciting for me.

I travel for food, and this is the first time

actually travelling to cook.

Well, over the next three days, we're all going on a food adventure

that none of us will ever forget.

You're going to get a true taste

of one of the world's culinary capitals.

Home to 79 Michelin stars, Hong Kong is one

of the highest densities of restaurants in the whole world.

From local street eats...

..to international flavours and award-winning fine dining,

it's got everything.

And we...we're going to experience it all...

..surrounded by some of the most iconic landmarks.

And it all kicks off...

..tomorrow with a mystery box...

..just down there, right on the iconic Victoria Harbour.

So, guys, be ready for some amazing challenges

and enjoy great food.

We'll see you there.

Trust me, eat some food, but get a good night's sleep.

See you, crew! Oh, yeah!

Well done.

NAT: So cool!

DARRSH: Being up on this rooftop, you can see everything,

and I just want to go and taste and explore it all tonight

because...the Michelin-starred restaurants, street food tours -

I'm just so pumped for this whole experience of Hong Kong.

MIMI: Oh, I can't wait!

I can't believe we're in Hong Kong!

HARRY: Look at this.

PEZZA: City of dreams. Yeah.

MIMI: I can't believe it! (LAUGHS)

NAT: Why the hell are they putting everything here?

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Come on, let's go! Allez!

Give us a bit of that Hong Kong energy, eh?

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) Woo!

SOFIA: Welcome to the Art Park...

..located in the West Kowloon District

on the Victoria Harbour front.

This is the heart of Hong Kong.

This vibrant cultural quarter is home to world-class museums...

..performing arts venues...

..and today, your Mystery Box Challenge!

To keep the good times rolling,

there is only one elimination this week,

and it's happening back in the MasterChef kitchen.

Yeah! (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

You're welcome!

None of you will be leaving Hong Kong broken-hearted!

Every day, in this beautiful city,

you will be cooking for a shot at immunity...

CONTESTANTS: Oh! Oh, let's go!

Feels good.

..starting today!

Cook one of the best three dishes,

and you'll be in tomorrow's immunity challenge.

LOCHY: At this point in the competition,

immunity is so important,

'cause if you get immunity, you're in the top six,

so the pressure here in Hong Kong is definitely on.

Nat, how are you feeling today?

After walking through all the markets today,

I'm just, like, I have no idea what you guys are going to give us.

Like, there could be some, you know, fish hearts or...

Harry's gonna make some fish-heart ice-cream, so...

Oh, yeah! (LAUGHS) (LAUGHTER)

Are you guys ready to see what's inside?

Yes! Yeah! Let's do it.

Alright, go ahead and lift your lids...

..now!

(SURPRISED GASPS)

Oh, yum!

Mangosteen!

It's a celebration of Hong Kong!

We've got flower crabs,

there's also Pu-erh tea -

that's an aged, fermented tea -

fermented bean curd,

just think of it like cheese.

The yam bean.

You've also got gai lan...

..red scallions,

mangosteen...

..pork belly,

ginger,

lap cheong,

soy sauce,

a little bowl of warm spices -

we have 20-year-old dried mandarin peel, whole cloves,

black cardamom, fennel seeds, star-anise and cassia bark.

With authentic local produce,

you've got a real opportunity here to make something fantastic.

We're gonna give you 75 minutes,

and we want you to whip up a dish

using at least one ingredient from the Hong Kong box.

And the under-bench staples are in play.

If you bring us one of the top three dishes,

you'll be in tomorrow's cook,

vying for immunity from Sunday's elimination.

Mm.

Phew! Let's go!

Are we all ready? ALL: Yeah.

Are we all ready? Yeah!

Louder! 75 minutes will start now!

Oh, my God, pressure cooker!

Come on! Oh, let's go, let's go, let's go.

Am I going to use those?

Maybe!

No.

No.

Just look at this, you know, like, right on the water,

the boat's coming up and down the riv...

It's just beautiful!

And I'm still pinching myself that I'm in Hong Kong, you know?

Like, never been out of the country

and the first trip, I'm in Hong Kong!

I'm living the dream. That's what we say at home.

But this is not my style of food.

I love eating it, but I've never cooked it much,

so definitely pushing myself today.

Hong Kong mystery box is stuff that I'm not used to using.

But this is top seven,

and you've got to be so able to adapt.

Local pork. It's bloody beautiful!

I mean, I like the look of this pork belly.

It's very nice and fatty,

and I've got something in my mind that I think that I can crack.

I've never made the dish, I've got to be completely honest,

but I had it in Hong Kong yesterday.

Pezza. Chefs. How are yous going?

What are you thinking?

I'm thinking about doing a sticky pork noodles.

Mince that pork belly up,

put some nice...probably some of the sausage and shrimp,

and then I'm going to make a sort of sauce,

I'm gonna make it sticky.

Mm-hm. Gotcha.

So, because you are doing Chinese... Yep?

..I would always think about

how you're balancing all those flavours...

Yep. ..OK?

Salty, sweet, sour, bitter and umami.

You need all of them to sing, so that it's like, "Yeah, baby."

You know? If it's overloaded with sweetness

or overloaded with saltiness...

This isn't gonna be a win. Yep. ..it's not going to work.

Yeah. Alright?

But chance at immunity tomorrow. Yep, for sure.

Got to remind you, right? Yep.

So, go hard! Thanks, guys. Appreciate it.

Good luck. Good on you.

This is going to be well outside my comfort zone,

because there's some flavours here that are new,

but got to get this balance of that pork mince perfect.

That's all I was after.

It's only just sort of hit me that, like, we're doing this.

We're here, cooking all this, like, incredible produce.

Yeah, I was stoked that there was some seafood in the box! (LAUGHS)

I think I've cooked seafood

nearly every challenge, this competition!

I've even cooked fish in Sweet Week!

So, today, I'm going to play to my strengths.

Making the top seven on MasterChef, it's really just solidified the fact

that I'm not going back to my previous life,

and being here in Hong Kong...

..that just, sort of, makes you take it all in and realise

that I'm so close to my food dreams

to have seafood restaurants,

and now it's just about what you make of it.

So, today, I'm making

a Cantonese-inspired, like, crab egg noodle dish.

It's gonna be finished off with an aged mandarin-peel salt.

I haven't cooked this flower crab before,

but it's very similar to a blue swimmer crab,

just with, like, bigger, juicier claws.

Tastes amazing, it's super sweet.

When you smell it raw, it smells like a sweet, cooked crab.

The inspiration for this dish has come from the Cantonese dish

with lobster and, like, ginger and scallions,

and it's tossed together in a wok.

Yeah, I've got a fair bit to get done.

I've got to first get this crab stock on the go.

Normally, it uses chicken broth.

Oh, my God, I'm making such a mess.

But I think it'd be better suited if I just make the stock

out of this crab.

We've got limited ingredients, but I think I can use that

to highlight the crab

and just pack this full of crab flavour.

Yeah, going hard.

Alright!

Darrsh. Hong Kong mystery box, full of goodies in there.

Wow, yeah!

What are you cooking? I'm making bao buns.

(GASPS) Oh, OK!

So, yeah, braised-pork bao buns.

Also, can I just correct everyone?

Just say bao. Just say, "Pork bao",

'cause bao is buns... Got it. "Bun buns."

..so you're going, "Bun buns!" Yeah!

(LAUGHS) I like bun buns!

Bun buns is cool, it's kind of cute!

Also, how are you going to make sure

that that bao is just, like, beautifully fluffy?

Oh! Yeah, yeah.

75 minutes isn't a lot of time to make bao buns.

It's gonna be a bit tricky today, so...

Yeah, that's what I'm sweating a little bit for you about.

Yeah. Come on, Darrsh!

Cool. Thanks, guys. Darrsh, ambitious, I like it!

The major pressure point for me today are these bao.

I'm gonna have to work really hard...

Nice!

..because we're outdoors today,

which means it's a lot cooler than the MasterChef kitchen,

which is going to impact how much my bao rises.

If I pull this off, I think it's going to be enough

to get me into tomorrow and fight for immunity.

So, fingers crossed it all kind of comes together!

NAT: Come on, Darrsh-ay! Yeah, Come on, Darrsh-ay!

(LAUGHS)

MIMI: Um, this feels pretty insane!

Like, I can't believe what we're doing,

I can't believe where we are.

The gravity of this whole situation to me is...it's huge.

There's a lot of pressure on my shoulders right now.

It is truly an emotional experience to come here.

I grew up in a family that was very, very food-driven.

My mum's a great cook, my grandma's a great cook,

my dad loves fishing,

so being part of this competition, it really is a homage

to all of those people that helped create me.

Where did I put the thing?

But I know that being in Hong Kong

as someone from Hong Kong,

there's going to be a higher expectation.

Oh, my God, I'm losing my mind!

Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God!

There's so many ideas in my head, and I'm trying to cipher through.

I have no idea what I'm doing!

"What are we doing? What's the plan?

"What are the ingredients we're using?

"Which one's going to impress the judges the most?

"Do we go authentic? Do we go fusion?

"Like, what are we doing today?"

It is just so much going on.

Panicking, panicking, panicking!

Being here on the harbour, with this view,

I just need to focus,

because I feel like this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,

and I'm thinking, "You're in your city.

"What do I want to eat?"

Let's do it.

I have an idea in my head.

When I grew up here, one of the most indulgent dim sum dishes

that my brother and I would always force my parents to order

is barbecued-pork-filled pineapple bun...

..but it is a rarity.

Not every place does it, so whenever there is that dish,

we'd love to order it.

Yummy!

It is a pastry, with a sugar-cookie topping.

Tarsal pork in the middle,

and then a pineapple bun as the exterior.

Looks like pineapple, but no pineapple involved.

I need to get my dough on proof,

I need to shape the buns, cook the buns,

do the meat on the inside,

and if I have some time, as well, let's just get some pickles on.

I am going pretty ambitious with this recipe,

and so...

..here goes nothing!

We cannot wait for you to bring us some of that Hong Kong magic!

You have one hour to go!

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Come on! Let's go!

You alright, Nat?

Hm, yeah. Getting there.

OK, so...

I've done a few Cantonese dishes before, but pretty basic ones.

So, today, I have to go with what I know

and what I can actually do really, really well here,

because I want to get into that immunity challenge.

Lochy. Andy, Poh.

How have you gone, working all these things together?

Um, I think well, at this point.

So, I'm going to take some inspiration from a Thai dish

of some boiled and fried pork belly - moo krob -

and then, you kind of make, like... use that mandarin peel to make,

like, a really nice, sticky glaze. OK.

Brighten it up with a...with a nice yam-bean pickle.

Yeah, yeah. Gotcha.

Pork's getting, like, a quick, little boil right now.

Just don't want to send it too far.

Yep, yep, yep. And then, fry it and get it crispy.

Look, keeping it simple, especially when you are out

in the elements, is...that'll work to your advantage

But there's nowhere to hide, mate. Yeah.

That pork's got to be, like, on point.

You know what you've got to do. Yeah.

Can you do it?

Good luck, Lochy! Good luck! Thank you!

I've done this moo krob dish plenty of times before.

I know I can get it done in this time.

I just need to make sure that that pork is cooked perfectly.

OK, they are good.

NAT: Have you been here before? Hong Kong?

Yeah. Never, no.

Never? I'm excited!

That's so cool! That's for sure.

Imagine a French man in Hong Kong!

I know! I can't believe there's a Frenchman in Hong Kong!

(LAUGHS) I'm feeling great.

I can't really complain - I'm in Hong Kong.

It's, like, the wildest thing ever.

Especially, like, on MasterChef, in Hong Kong.

That's a big deal.

Very excited.

Darrsh, look! DARRSH: Nice!

I want the immunity.

We're so far in this competition, where every immunity

is just getting you closer to winning.

So, I'm gonna make a cheung fun.

Can't pronounce it, but it's a steamed-rice noodle roll

with my version of char siu pork, dried shrimp and some yam beans.

Ow!

I need to start on the pork belly.

Let's do this.

I'm trying to do my version

of char siu pork in the pressure cooker.

So, to pack that flavour in, I have to make sure I add

some soy sauce, some vinegar and some fermented bean curd.

It smells weird.

Whoa!

The fermented bean curd is so salty,

but I think it needs to be salty.

It's also not, like, the main sauce component either.

It's just to marinate and coat the pork.

Whoa! SOFIA: Are you busy, Nat?

Um, I am doing alright...

No, do not steal my mangosteens! Sofia!

We want to taste Hong Kong!

45 minutes to go!

Come on, let's go everybody!

PEZZA: Going alright.

I'm just trying to make my sauce so I can put it on the pork,

make it sticky. I want it a little bit sweet,

bit of savoury, bit of that umami in it.

I just want to, hopefully, get these flavours really down pat,

and then we'll be looking good.

Today, I'll be making a sticky pork noodle.

With Cantonese food, it's all about the flavours

and getting the balance right.

I'm going to try and get the perfect balance

with the shrimp, the soy sauce, the ginger,

the little bit of the fermented bean curd...

By trying it. I guess that's the only way I'm going to know

that the flavours are all balancing and, sort of, work with what I like.

It's all new to me, I'm just having a crack!

But we're getting to the end of the competition

where I need to shine.

It's really salty, Chef.

Man, it is salty.

I'm worried about the pork mince.

It's a little bit salty.

All I can taste, and it's just in my mouth.

Think I've probably overdone it with the soy sauce

and then the fermented bean curd.

Yeah, I don't like it.

What are you going to be doing with the excess of salt?

Don't know, Chef.

And I'm starting to think,

"Shit, what have I done?"

I'm really worried about the balance of the pork mince.

I salted the pork when I first put it on,

and then you add the soy sauce and also this soy bean,

and they were all very salty.

How's it coming together?

It's a bit salty. It's a bit salty?

Yeah, I'm pissed off.

Mate, it's not over.

You know what you've got to do.

But I'm thinking,

"Just take a breath, and just work our way through this."

Just, sort of, putting a bit more vinegar in there,

just a bit of sugar, just to bring it down.

Just going to keep getting it right.

I just want to get it as perfect as I can.

Really tasting it a lot, so I keep working on these flavours.

I'm determined to get this pork mince balanced.

You're gonna make me a champion, you are!

I don't know about you guys, but I'm pretty pumped!

Yeah. Smells good.

It smells good, and there are some solid concepts.

Harry is doing a Cantonese-style crab noodles.

Very simple, but it's just how he edits along the way, for me.

I'm excited about...

I don't know what that is!

I'm excited about Nat.

She's braising that pork belly in lots of sugar,

fermented bean curd, and then those warm spices.

I'm really excited about what Mimi's doing -

pineapple buns with some char siu pork.

Pineapple buns don't actually have pineapple in them.

They've got this...sort of a crackling top,

which looks like a pineapple, which is where they get their name.

And I've seen them in so many bakery windows

since being here, but I haven't had one yet.

I mean, Darrsh has done the most fabulous bao mixture,

and I cannot wait any longer to taste it.

Yeah, like, a good bao is... It is!

With, like... BOTH: Sticky pork!

I'm excited, but I'm a little bit concerned.

I think we have an issue with trying to get, you know, heat

with air outside in Hong Kong, and I think they are using the same

techniques as indoor kitchen.

Alright!

I'm really happy with how my dish is going.

What are we doing here?

My noodles, they're resting.

My crab stock's on, it's simmering away.

I need to make the aged-mandarin salt.

As soon as I smelt the 20-year-aged mandarin peel,

I just fell in love with it.

It just smells like citrusy flowers.

Quite tangy.

Harry. Hello, hello.

How are you going? So, I'm doing, like,

a Cantonese-inspired crab egg noodle dish.

I've got my little crab stock, simmering away.

I've made a little mandarin-peel salt

to finish the dish with. Mm-hm.

Uh, yeah.

Uh, mate, I think you've got a good idea here.

Yeah.

It's just about how you edit the things, OK?

For sure. Even with the mandarin-peel salt...

Yeah.

..like, is it going to be a necessity to make this dish,

like, even better?

It just smells so florally.

But just taste it. Yeah, for sure.

Don't just be driving down... Hopefully, I do.

Thanks, guys. Good luck, Harry.

Thank you.

The judges, a little bit worried about the mandarin salt.

Well, it could either make or break this dish.

Like, if it doesn't go with the flavours,

then, you know, the dish is ruined.

But it could be that standout factor,

being a simple dish, that makes the judges go,

"Wow, this deserves to be in that top three."

If you want a shot at immunity tomorrow,

you've got to bring us your best.

30 minutes to go!

30 minutes!

Ow!

Darrsh, you doing alright?

Yeah, mate. Just need to smash these out.

I've got the dough for my bao finished,

but it's taken me so long,

which is frustrating because bao needs time to rise.

I think I've left myself enough time,

but I'm definitely pushing it.

So, I really need to hustle hard

to get as much flavour as I can into this pork belly filling,

and just blow the socks off the judges in terms of flavour.

POH: Nat. Hey, Nat.

Hello, how we doing?

Oh, we are great. How are you?

So, I'm making cheung fun.

Cheung fun?

(PRONOUNCES DIFFERENTLY) Oh, cheung fun!

Cheung fun. Cheung fun.

Which is a steamed-rice noodle roll with my version of char siu pork.

OK. Wow!

Obviously, dried shrimp because that usually goes in there, as well, and I love dried shrimp.

And, of course, you're making noodles.

Yeah. Wow.

That's the bit I'm really scared about.

OK. Very scared about.

Have you done these before? No, I haven't.

I've watched my mum do them, but...

In Thailand, we have the same thing.

The same, yes, yes. Yeah.

Same types of noodles, yep.

So, what kind of mixture are you making?

So, I'm doing rice flour and tapioca.

I've eaten it so many times... Yep.

..I feel like I know... I can, like, memorise

what the texture's meant to be like.

Palate memory, yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, that's legit. That's the part that's hard, though.

You're definitely being creative. Definitely.

And definitely being a daredevil.

Oh, God! As always! As always!

But this is the time for it, this week.

Yeah. OK, good luck!

Good luck, Nat! Thank you.

Cooking with confidence. Let's go!

I'm basing the rice noodle rolls on my intuition and also memory.

I have seen them do it, and it is really wet...

Am I doing the ratio right for this?

..so I'm going to try and work out a ratio that is going to work,

and make these rice noodle rolls soft.

I really hope this works!

So, I oil the pan,

I pour the mixture in, and I put it into the steamer

and test it out, see how it goes.

I feel like it's way too thick. I don't know about this.

But they're a little bit too thick and a little bit too chewy,

so I need to adjust the ratio.

More tapioca, maybe.

Or more water, even.

So, I'm gonna try and make a few more and see how it goes.

Yeah...

..just need to lower the steam.

(SIGHS HEAVILY)

(MACHINE BEEPS) OK.

MIMI: My dough for the pineapple buns is done.

It's looking great.

And I've done the top of the pineapple bun,

which is a sugar cookie topping.

Really relieved that the buns are in the oven,

'cause that's what I was most worried about.

Let's do the pork belly.

With my pork filling,

I'm gonna slice it into thin slices.

I seared off all of those pork slices on a high heat,

so that I can get some golden crust.

Oh.

Gonna get a very sticky sauce going.

Can I get this out?

I put the sauce in to reduce

to develop that richness of the flavour...

Smelling lovely, by the way.

Thank you.

..and I combine the two elements together.

I'm trying to get the sauce infused into the meat.

I want to create a very, very rich and luxurious pineapple bun

because my dish is a beautiful celebration of Hong Kong.

Wow, this is looking good, huh? Thanks, Chef.

You must be feeling good, no? Happy.

You just keep going. Yeah? Yeah.

I'm gonna make sure that my filling is just packed full of flavour.

My pork belly's in my glaze with my aromatic scallion,

soy sauce and rice vinegar.

And I'm working on my bao buns right now.

I promised the judges soft, fluffy bao...

Sticking a bit.

..but I'm looking at my bao dough,

and it hasn't risen as much as I would like.

And I think that's just because we're cooking outside,

which is a concern.

But I have to just keep pushing through with this dough

because time's going to run out.

Nice. Um, vegie oil.

And I'm hoping that once I get these into the steamer,

they're gonna rise and puff up.

Bring us a dish worthy of these beautiful surroundings.

You have 10 minutes left! Yeah!

POH: 10 minutes! Come on!

Smelling lovely!

LOCHY: Alright. Lovely. So...

The sauce is really getting there.

It's starting to be really nice and sticky.

Yeah, I think the flavours are good.

My pickle?

Yeah. Really nice accompaniment to what,

how heavy and fatty that's going to be.

Um, I've just got to make sure this pork's right.

Pork belly's been in the deep fryer.

I wanted to have, like, a big crunch on the outside

and leave all that juice on the inside,

but I take this pork belly out...

(SIGHS LOUDLY)

..and it doesn't have the crunch.

Usually, when I've cooked this dish, it just happens.

So, I put the pork in the oil again.

This just isn't getting as hot as what I thought it would be.

And I can't cook that pork any longer.

I think maybe being in the outside elements,

this oil is just not hot enough.

I just can't seem to get the fat to really brown up in the fry,

but I can't, uh...I can't fry this pork anymore,

otherwise it's going to be overdone.

I can't seem to get the fat to really brown up in the fry.

I don't know what to do.

If I don't have that,

then I don't have proper moo krob.

You alright, Locho?

Nah, it's just not working the way that I wanted it to.

Keep going, brother. Keep going, keep going.

But I'm running out of time.

So, at this point, I'm just going to toss it through the glaze

to give it a bit of extra flavour, give it a bit more moisture,

'cause if I don't even serve anything at all,

there is no chance.

We can't wait to taste your dishes in five minutes!

Come on, everybody! Five minutes.

Good, good, Darrsh-ay. Good, bro.

Doing some kind of steam action.

My bao is steaming away in the bamboo steamers.

I think that they're looking alright.

Um, I'm gonna open them in about two minutes,

and then, hopefully, I can just stack them up.

But until you cut open that bao,

you just have no idea how it's cooked.

Did you steal my tongs, Darrsh-ay? Yeah, I did, sorry.

Oh, it's actually better.

I'm finally happy with my rice noodle rolls.

OK, that's good.

Oh, my God, there's stuff everywhere.

Oh, how did your pork turn out, dude?

Mmm.

Damn, that's actually really good.

I can't believe I didn't taste it yet.

I'm very happy with how it's cooked.

Can't seem to cut it because it is hot.

So, to put this dish together,

I have to chop the char siu pork up quite finely,

lay it onto the rice mini rolls,

and then I put the shrimp on top of the rice mini rolls

and also the yam bean, as well.

And I have to roll it up very, very delicately.

I have no idea how to roll these!

It is so fiddly trying to roll this up right now.

Oh, maybe like this.

Oh, that makes sense.

Just like a spring roll.

Immunity is where you want to be. Three minutes to go!

Three minutes, guys!

I've spent a lot of time on the balance of the pork mince.

I think we're getting there.

I've got saltiness, the sweetness, the spiciness, you know, the umami.

I think I've brought it back from the dead,

but definitely still got a lot to do.

So, time to get the noodles on.

And then I want to fry an egg and just plate it up.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: You're coming close to the service here.

NAT: Yes, Chef.

Three minutes left to go,

I finally pull my pineapple buns out of the oven...

Yummy!

..and glorious moment.

It just smells of sugar, butter, bread.

I need to plate up now.

The buns go on.

The pork slices go on.

The pickle slaw goes on - extra indulgent.

It's not just barbecue pork or pineapple bun -

it's, like, the two together.

So happy with the dish.

But at the same time...

..it's such a special dish because it represents who I am,

and I hope the judges see it the same way that I do.

Are you nearly there? HARRY: Yep.

It's all coming together, I think.

Alright. Cool.

So, to finish off my plating, I've got the noodles

with the crab meat and the broth.

Carapace on.

I've topped it with a bit of the pickle

and a taste of the mandarin-peel salt,

and it's pretty heavy-duty stuff,

like, a little goes a long way with this,

so I'm doing the tiniest little sprinkle

of the mandarin salt.

Really nice.

But I've said that before in this kitchen,

and, uh, well, not in this exact kitchen, but in the normal one.

And so, yeah, hopefully, um, the judges are into it,

and I did the flower crab justice.

Your time is up in 10...

JUDGES: Nine, eight, seven, six,

five, four, three,

two, one!

(APPLAUSE)

JOSH: Hoo-hoo-hoo!

Alright, brother?

Give me some love. I love you.

Holy shit!

Yeah! Bring it in. Holy shit!

NAT: Oh, mate.

Your hand is really sticky! I know!

Holy Dooley!

Whoa!

First cook in Hong Kong, and it started off with a mystery box

full of epic ingredients from all around here,

and we're looking for the top three dishes

to go into tomorrow's immunity challenge.

And trust me, you want to be there.

First dish we want to taste...

..belongs to Harry.

Oh. POH: Mmm.

So, I've brought you Cantonese-inspired Flower Crab

with Egg Noodles.

You combined a really solid concept. How do you think you went?

I'm really happy with the flavours of the dish.

Like, those crabs, I've never eaten anything like that.

Even the smell before you cook them,

like, they smell like a cooked crab.

Sweet and fragrant and just beautiful.

The mandarin salt. Yeah.

How did you go with that? Did that end up going on the dish?

Like, a light sort of dusting, little snowflake, sort of, yeah,

coating over the top. Right.

I reckon I'm going to give 'em a big mix before we dig in,

because I can see all of that broth.

Yeah, for sure.

Harry...

..I think you've done a great job.

I think you've hit all those Cantonese notes.

The sauce, it's so rich with that crab.

You've really honoured the crab.

So, great job on that.

Noodle work, beautiful.

I was so doubtful about that mandarin salt,

but it actually adds this little hint of bitterness,

which, to me, strangely,

and a little bit of that citrus, tastes like wine.

Like, you've used a rice wine... Yeah.

..which is really curious to me and works really, really well.

A really perfect dish to cook in this environment.

Thanks.

I think that's a great dish.

You've handpicked the crab so well.

In terms of the taste, it's so sweet.

This is my first time having these particular type of crabs as well.

And it's just the kind of dish that I want to dive into.

I think you've really nailed it.

Just really special.

Come here. HARRY: Ha! Yes!

I think you deserve a medal. Yeah?

Don't move. Or a little hat.

I'm giving you a medal.

Are you going to do his washing as well?

And now you go back there.

Because I think what you've done...

Thank you, Chef.

..is fa-bu-lous!

Thank you. Thanks, guys.

Thanks, Harry!

Hey. Good job, bro.

Thanks, mate.

How long do you think he's going to wear the crab for?

I don't know, but who knows? He'll take it off now.

Wear it as, like, a little hat.

Pezza, let's see what you've got. Yeah, Pez!

Let's see what you've got, Pezza!

Walking this dish to the judges,

yeah, I'm a little nervous.

I've never made the dish.

Just feeling a little bit worried about the balance of this sauce

in the pork mince.

Check out this incredibly Chinese-looking dish.

POH: Wow.

I just want to show the judges that I've grown in this competition.

I'm not just the meat-and-three-veg guy.

What have you made, Pezza?

Sticky Pork Noodles.

You sure about that? No, I don't know.

This is not my style of cooking, so I wanted...

We're in Hong Kong, so I wanted to cook something

that I thought was Cantonese, Chinese, or...

Everybody has a style of cooking. Yeah!

And the challenge, when you're in the MasterChef kitchen

is to try and broaden your style of cooking.

And what better place to do that than in Hong Kong

on your first-ever overseas trip?

Yeah! Yeah, loving it.

I don't know if the waist's going to love it when I get home,

but, uh, anyway... Nah!

Poh, do you wanna give it a mix? POH: I shall do it.

I thought it was delicious.

The filling is really well-balanced.

You've done a great job.

Egg on top was, like, the perfect thing to enrich it.

It probably needed to be a little bit runnier.

It was a little bit jammy rather than proper runny,

so it probably didn't quite coat that sauce enough,

but otherwise, absolutely delicious.

You've done a really good job,

and I can tell you've been eating here.

Thanks, Poh. JEANÐCHRISTOPHE: Pezza...

..you know what is amazing with you

is you're always pulling your trick out of your sleeve.

And somewhere, somehow, you are doing a good job.

I like the chewiness of the noodle.

It's actually very well sliced.

What amazed me the most about your dish

is this pork belly situation,

and what you've done is to add an addition of shrimps.

That was very clever, too, because that sea side is unusual.

I've never actually tried that.

It's fantastic.

I think, for your first cook in Hong Kong, mate,

like, you're kicking some goals there.

All I would say is, I think you've got the right balance

in your sauce.

But, for me, it just it felt like it had been cooked for a long time.

And I feel like, like, a bowl of food like this

can have, like, pieces of ginger and pieces of spring onion

and that in it, just to brighten everything up, you know?

So, cracker of a start, mate. Welcome to Hong Kong.

Thanks, guys.

Well done. SOFIA: Yes. Well done!

Well done!

The next dish we want to try is mon cher Lochy!

LOCHY: My biggest concern right now is that pork.

I want it to have, like, a big crunch on the outside

from being in that fryer,

and it just hasn't fried how I wanted it.

But I have tasted a little bit with the glaze

and it still tastes really, really delicious.

But is it good enough?

Wow!

Lochy, tell us, what is your dish?

This is a Cantonese-inspired Moo Krob.

Thai-style pork belly,

where you boil it and then fry it.

And then we've got a pickle on the side.

Thank you.

Lochy, I loved all the flavours on that plate.

I just had troubles with it texturally.

I wanted just big slices of that pork belly

that had been cooked beautifully in the slow cooker

until it was just, just holding together

and then deep-frying it

would have just given you just a few crispy edges,

and then I would have just piled on fresh ginger

and that beautiful pickled yam bean on top,

and you would have had the most gorgeous dish.

You said on the rooftop, Lochy, that you travel to eat,

and that you were so thrilled that you were travelling to cook.

And I think what happened for you today is it was overwhelming.

It's the first one.

And instead of travelling to cook, you took a recipe you know

from your existing travels and from home

and sort of tried to force

the mystery box ingredients into that.

So, just shrug your shoulders off a little bit, loosen up,

go eating, enjoy yourself,

and then come back and cook a ripper next time.

Alright. Thanks, Lochy.

Thank you.

Darrsh, you're up, mate.

NAT: Yeah, Darrsh!

Darrsh-ay!

Ooh!

Run us through it. I've brought you a Pork Belly Bao.

Pork Belly Bao.

Inspiration - where did it come from?

I love eating bao back home,

and, yeah, I saw the pork belly there.

Um, thought, "We're in Hong Kong. Braised pork, bao."

Yeah. What about the actual bao itself?

Is it just gonna be the fluffiest,

cloud-like structure that we've ever had?

Uh, to be honest, that's probably

the one thing that I'm most concerned about.

Aw! Just in terms of the rise on it.

Yeah. I'm hoping for a soft, fluffy cooked-all-the-way-through bao.

'Cause on the streets of Hong Kong, you find that fluffy bao, don't you?

You do. Yes. Like a cloud.

Shall we? Go for it!

VOICEOVER: Get inspired by our fabulous home cooks.

Stream full episodes of MasterChef Australia now

on 10Play.

Shall we? Go for it!

Darrsh, I've got good news and I've got bad news.

What do you want? Uh, bad first.

The baos were raw. Yeah.

I don't think you've had enough time to execute it in the rise,

because they are still a little bit dense.

The insides, though...

POH: Yeah. Pretty bang-on.

Like, I could see me diving into that any day of the week.

So, the pork was really well cooked.

I'm just gutted for you.

But, mate, the game's only just starting.

Plenty more cooking in Hong Kong for you.

Darrsh, I still love that you did a bao even though it didn't work.

I think, like, you learn so much from your mistakes.

And the filling,

it's really, really flavourful.

So, had that bao been perfect, it would have been the perfect bite.

Great guts.

You know, when you cook pork belly,

it is really absorbent of all the flavours that you cook it in.

And that's probably the way that you best used the ingredients

that you had in your mystery box. Awesome. Thanks, guys.

Cheers. JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Thank you, Darrsh.

NAT: Come on, Darrsh-ay!

Roll it up, Nat!

See what I did there?

POH: Hey, Nat. Hello.

Nat, that looks amazing.

Thank you.

I've made Cheung Fun with my version of Char Siu Pork.

And the sauce.

How did you go with the noodles?

Honestly, I've never made rice noodles before, ever.

And I've never made rice noodle rolls.

It was...it was difficult.

Nat, I think, regardless of how it tastes, it looks amazing,

and you gave it everything. Thank you.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Amazing. Shall we try? Chop, chop.

Yes, please.

Andy's hankering.

Very small piece.

Yeah.

I'm going in!

I think that you've done brilliantly.

Really?

I loved watching you struggle through making those noodles

and trying over and over and over again. Thanks.

Because that's what makes you really special.

You've got a lot of determination, and you're a perfectionist.

I think you've done such a great job.

But having never tried it, honestly, I would eat that whole thing.

It's amazing.

I hail you, brilliant. (LAUGHS) Thank you.

Nat, this is exactly what I was hoping to get today.

That is what makes you so good.

To see you be able to come up with a concept

and get so, so close

to those perfect rice noodles is phenomenal.

The filling was next-level, both in texture and in flavour.

I love that...that pork that was stained

with the fermented bean-paste broth that you made to pressure-cook it in.

Yeah, you're...you're a talent.

And I feel like you are going to get so much out of this trip.

Thank you.

JEANÐCHRISTOPHE: It's phenomenal because we went out together.

And me, personally, I think this is already better

than some of the dishes we had.

Oh, thank you!

So that, already, is a mark.

What amazes me is the way you've managed to do

this tapioca rice noodle,

and you never did it.

I've never did it.

But I know tapioca is a nightmare to mix.

So remarkable.

I hope you realise what you've become.

Because what is interesting, people like you...

..who keep flying.

You're not surviving. You're flying.

You're expressing yourself,

and, for us, is a delight.

For me, all the time I've spent in my life cooking with many people,

you don't always see it.

Because every time there is a challenge,

you provide something, you progress,

and it is remarkable.

So, well done, Nat.

Thank you, thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

Oh.

Mimi, come on down!

So proud to be walking this dish up to the judges.

Hey, guys!

This dish is so special to me.

But at the same time...

Little sliders for you.

..with feeling like I'm representing a lot here today...

..the pressure is on.

Alright, Mimi, tell us what you've made.

So, I've made my take on a dim sum dish.

But it is Pineapple Bun Pork Sliders.

The actual dish,

it's my brother and I's favourite dim sum dish

because it's just extra indulgent. Yeah.

I have to ask you, did you feel a little bit of extra pressure

being in your motherland

and having all those beautiful local ingredients in the mystery box?

Um, don't get me wrong, I'm so excited.

But I think trying to process all of this is a lot.

I was... Like, to be standing in the MasterChef kitchen

in Australia is one thing. Yeah.

And then, to be here, um, in top seven

from Hong Kong, in Hong Kong,

cooking on an Australian show,

it is... I don't know if it's a dream come true

or a little bit of a nightmare, to be honest.

It's a lot to process, for sure. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

Two, four, six, eight! Dig in. Don't wait.

Oh, sugar.

Andy's dying!

Jean-Christophe.

Far out. That looks pretty... That's hef...

..that's a hefty bun. Yeah.

(JUDGES LAUGH)

Do you know what? Sometimes, in fact, all the time,

we talk about balance and how good it is.

I'm so happy that this is completely over the top.

It is so over the top.

Mimi, we wanted you to blow our minds

and tastebuds' mind.

I'm having, like, an out-of-body experience.

This is such a full-on handful,

and I love it.

Sometimes more really is more.

And when you've got those thin bits of pork that are so sticky,

you could just serve them on a plate by themselves

and people would fight over them.

With a cookie top to a bread roll?

It's so good, Mimi. Well done! Well done!

I would dare say that you are our most maximalist cook.

Sometimes, you put so much flavour into your food,

it can be a little bit OTT.

But today, you've hit the nail on the head.

What you've shown here

is you knew how to navigate your way around that mystery box

like an absolute boss.

Thank you, Chef. Um, Mimi, I don't know.

Did you see that? I just had...

..I had a bit of a moment there, like, I kind of...

(IMITATES ANDY'S MUMBLING) I had a moment.

It's the salt.

I was, like, just looking out there...

Yeah.

..eating my pineapple bun with pork in it.

That's good fun. I was like, "This is it."

Like, you know, part of me wanted you to cook something traditional.

And then, part of me was like,

"No, no, no, let's get something creative."

I was doing that, too.

I think that's when you're at your best.

And, yeah, there is... There's a lot going on there.

But on a day like today, to stand out from the crowd,

that's exactly what you need to cook.

I polished mine off because I was like,

"There's a chance that I will maybe never eat this ever again."

So, thank you very much, Mimi.

You smashed it. Bye. Woo!

Thank you, thank you.

Woo! Woo! Woo!

Yeah!

Well, first day cooking in Hong Kong.

The standard was so high.

Choosing only three winners, it was insanely difficult.

But the decision had to be made.

So, the cooks going into tomorrow's immunity challenge are...

..Mimi. Oh, yes!

I would smash those pineapple buns any day of the week.

Well done.

Nat, you are well on your way

to becoming a chef with knock-out food like that.

Well done.

And...last but not least...

..Harry!

Yes.

Slurpable noodles. Succulent crab, mate.

Delicious dish.

Well done. Thank you.

Well done, you three.

Mimi, how does that feel?

Oh, I'm so excited! Hometown win!

Yeah, yeah.

Honestly, if we're on my turf... Aw!

Yeah. Got to bring it. Yeah.

Nice.

Well, Mimi, Nat, Harry, congratulations.

Tomorrow, you have a one-in-three shot at immunity.

Everyone else, you'll be cheering these guys on from the sidelines.

Get ready to explore more of this breathtaking city.

Bye! See you!

(APPLAUSE)

VOICEOVER: Tomorrow night, on MasterChef Australia,

it's a masterclass from a Michelin-star chef...

VICKY LAU: Every little step is very important.

Then...

NAT: No way!

Get your dish identical to Vicky's in look and taste by memory alone.

..immunity doesn't come easy in Hong Kong.

Oh!

How am I ever going to produce something this intricate and complex?

HARRY: Hopefully, I won't forget anything.

This is so hard!

Captions by Red Bee Media