Original subtitles

VOICEOVER: Previously on MasterChef Australia...

NAT: What? Oh, my God.

POH: Up here are some of the sweetest...

I don't like it.

..the spiciest...

Oh-ho-ho!

That is wrong on so many levels.

..the most bitter, sour and pungent ingredients

on the planet...

(ALL LAUGH)

What the hell is that?

VOICEOVER: They took those fearsome flavours...

Smells like a dirty pair of socks.

I don't think people truly realise it is blindingly aggressive.

..and made them MasterChef worthy.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Ooh-la-la.

SOFIA: It's very seductive.

I think he has tamed the beast.

He's balanced that very well.

But we had to say farewell to Mimi.

MIMI: This won't be the last of me.

I'm going to continue to make sure that people across the globe

understand the magic of food and eating.

Tonight, a mystery box

gets them one step closer to the semifinal.

Oh! Oh-ho-ho!

Let's do it.

(LAUGHS) Can you believe it?

Oh, mate. I can't believe how small this is getting.

Just look at it. I know. This is wild.

Yeah, it's so wild.

I'm so grateful to be here in finals week.

And I've got so much energy in me.

I can't wait to just, like, run to the finish line.

Do you remember the first walk up here?

Being on this journey

has been an absolute roller-coaster for me.

I was eliminated and I had to fight to come back,

but here I am in finals week,

so I'm ready to tackle

whatever today is going to throw us.

(JUDGES APPLAUD)

Here they are, the final four.

Bring it on, brother. Let's go for this.

Welcome to finals week.

(ALL CHEER)

Well, this is it.

Everything you've been working towards

is about to come to a head.

The semifinal is only a few cooks away.

If you want to be one of the three competing in it,

you have to start pulling out all of the stops.

Alright, let's get this challenge started.

You can head to your benches.

Walking into the kitchen today,

I did not expect to see these mystery boxes.

Like, it's finals week, there's got to be a twist here.

POH: These are not your average mystery boxes.

Wait until you see the inside.

(LAUGHS) Oh, my God.

You can lift your lids...

..now.

Oh! (CHUCKLES)

(GASPS)

Oh...

(ALL LAUGH)

Oh, my God!

That right there is your ticket straight through

to the MasterChef Australia 2024 semifinal.

Wow. Oh!

(SCATTERED APPLAUSE)

Wow.

PEZZA: A golden ticket!

It reminds me of Willy Wonka

and I'm going to the chocolate factory.

If I win this golden ticket straight to semifinals,

wouldn't that be nice?

That's everybody's dream here today.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Right, guys.

You're here because you've worked so hard.

You have improved so much since day one.

So now today is for you to reconsolidate

everything you've achieved, everything you know

and use it to make the dish.

You're gonna have 90 minutes.

You can cook whatever you think entitles you

to the first spot in the semifinals.

Our expectations are through the roof.

Pantry and garden are fully open.

But it's not all good news today

because there is nowhere else to be today but top.

If you're not first, you are last.

That means everyone else

will be headed into tomorrow's pressure test

where someone will be going home.

(EXHALES)

So, go for gold, gang.

This is your time to shine.

Your time starts now.

(JUDGES CHEER)

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Good luck. Bonne chance!

PEZZA: Oh, yeah.

I've had some ups and downs, but really feeling good today.

Back on track.

And I've really got to put out a really cracking dish today.

ANDY: Come on, mate!

Ooh. Good choice.

My dish is going to be a nice lamb cutlet.

I'm going to cook it as a rack,

but then slice it so you can see that beautiful meat in it.

I'm going to do a cauliflower cheese croquette.

We're going to put some prosciutto and that in it.

And then I'm going to do pea two ways

and bring it all together

with a really luscious and beautiful jus.

Yeah. I've just, um, frenched the lamb racks,

so I've just frenched them up.

I'm going to give the bones a bit more of a tidy up,

but I wanted that little bit of meat to go in for my stock

that I can reduce down and get into a jus.

Today I want to take my jus to the next level.

So I just want to deglaze it with some cognac

and I'm just caramelising it and getting that beautiful colour

before I add the stock and just let it reduce right down.

Today, it's the big day.

It's like grand final.

It's time to go out and kick some goals.

So I'm really excited.

What a golden opportunity

and you can feel the electricity in here.

Everybody wants that ticket.

Everybody wants to skip the pressure test tomorrow

and go straight through to the semifinals.

POH: Of course.

And can you imagine if that was you as well?

Because you'd just start mentally preparing.

I can imagine, actually.

Yeah. (LAUGHS) I'm sorry. That wasn't meant to be...

It hurts.

But seriously, it is game on.

We are 90 minutes away from deciding

who's going into the semifinals.

And that dish today should be the best dish ever

so far in the competition. Yeah.

That's what it's going to take for the golden ticket.

Today, I'm going to be cooking a crayfish tail.

It's going to be done with a choo chee bisque.

Choo chee curry is one of my favourite Thai curries.

It's punchy, it's spicy from the dried red chillies.

It's full of aromats and coconut cream,

but it's also bright 'cause of the makrut lime in it.

It's going to be like a South-East Asian inspired dish,

so I just want to make sure

I get the balance right with this dish.

And everything from flavour to presentation to textures,

it all needs to be spot-on.

I'm working on the crayfish

and the shell's coming off beautifully.

It's all intact. All the colours are still there

and it looks fantastic.

Oh, she's fresh!

And my crayfish meat is ready to go into the vacuum sealer bag

and then into the water bath.

I want this ticket more than anything, you know.

The stakes are extremely high today.

Like, you know, a ticket straight into the semifinal

and not have to battle it out in a pressure test,

like, that's absolutely huge.

And, you know, I know these guys are going to pull out all stops,

so I'm going to do the same.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Sav. SAV: Chef?

Be careful with that oil. Yeah.

Watch out 'cause this is very hot, yeah?

And this is a beautiful face. Yes.

Do you know what I'm saying? I know.

This dish is something that my mum used to make.

It's one of those dishes where knowledge is passed

word of mouth from mother to daughter

in Sri Lanka.

So I'm making something called lamprais.

So it's literally said as like, "lump rice,"

which I consider to be the crown jewel of Sri Lankan food.

In a traditional lamprais,

there's a lot of different elements

wrapped up in banana leaves.

(HUMS)

It's really important that I nail this dish

because this dish is very special to the Sri Lankan community.

So it's actually a massive point of pride for me.

I'm feeling the pressure.

Come on, Sav.

Where's my salt?

I'm starting the base of my stock,

which my rice is going to get cooked in.

I'm frying my eggplant for my pickle

and I'm doing my caramelised onion sambol.

I have 100% been waiting for the chance

to be able to do this dish,

and I think if there was ever a day to do something like this,

today is the day.

I want the golden ticket so bad.

Eggs. Eggs. Eggs.

Eggs. Cream. Sugar.

ANDY: What...? What is she doing?

I don't know.

I want to take a risk today to get top dish.

Nat. Hey, Nat.

What are you making?

I'm making a hung lay lamb shank curry,

which is a Northern Thai curry,

with some rice.

And I'm also making a faktong sangkaya,

which is a, um, coconut custard

baked in a pumpkin,

and I'm going to serve that with some ice-cream.

Is that a dessert?

Yeah, a dessert.

Hey. What?!

Hey... You're making two dishes?

You're making a savoury and a sweet?

Yep, I am.

Hang on.

Hey, uh, heads up, everybody.

Is anyone else making a savoury and a sweet?

Two dishes? No.

Sav? No.

Pezza? Nope.

Nat.

You've heard the room.

You are the only person to be doing this.

Yeah.

This could either be genius or foolishness.

This could either be genius or foolishness.

I'm just worried that having two things to focus on

means that both are compromised. Yeah.

It's something you have to think about.

Yeah. So is there a plan B?

No plan B right now.

Um, I'm just gonna try as hard as I can to execute the two.

I...I don't know. Andy's not into it.

I don't know. Andy's like, "You're bonkers."

I don't know.

Oh, it's just I really want to showcase this dish.

Just don't let your stubbornness get in the way

of you winning the golden ticket.

Yeah, I won't. I'm gonna work so hard.

OK. Let's go, pumpkin!

Lamb shanks and pumpkin, they both take a long time to cook.

So the obvious challenge is definitely the timing.

Um, if I get the timing incorrect for this,

both those dishes could be executed terribly.

But there's one thing that I know I can do to get these dishes done

and that's just work super fast, work super hard.

And if I pull this off, it could seriously pay off.

We're looking for one top dish and you have one hour to go.

Come on, everybody! Good luck.

Hey, Sav, what sort of curry are you doing?

Sri Lankan. Hey! Mine's a Thai curry.

It's on.

(LAUGHS)

The crayfish is ticking away. That's in the bath.

I don't have to worry about that.

I know it's going to come out absolutely perfect.

And now I'm working on my choo chee sauce,

so I'm doing it kind of like a choo chee bisque in a way.

So for my bisque,

I'm cooking down the crayfish shells.

That's going to bring out the beautiful colours,

the beautiful salty flavour from the crayfish.

But I want to fuse my bisque

with some of those spicy, punchy and bright flavours

from a choo chee curry

because I think the flavour combinations

pairs perfectly with seafood.

Ooh, that's good!

You smell that, Sav? It smells like a golden ticket.

Dream on, babe.

(LAUGHS)

Wow, look at that.

You're doing well.

Take your time.

Yeah, I've frenched the lamb racks.

Stock's just reduced.

I got the cauliflower on.

The key component on this dish today to me

is going to be that cauliflower croquette.

I want them to be creamy in the inside,

then the outside

I want it to be super crisp and crunchy.

This could be tricky because it's something

that I've never done before.

Cauliflower has been roasting,

but it's got to go in with some cream and just simmer away

so it's a little bit more tender,

and then I can mix it in with the bechamel.

It's going to be yummy. It's going to be yummy.

This is going to be so good.

We've given them absolutely everything they need

to make killer dishes.

They've got open garden, open pantry, 90 minutes.

They can make sweet. They can make savoury.

In Nat's case, she's doing both.

Two dishes.

Andy, you look devo, to use your terminology.

I've seen it so many times in this kitchen,

so I'm just so worried about that.

But if she can pull it off,

we did say we want to see technique and personality

and nothing more than a double dish during a single dish challenge

to speak to Nat's personality. Sure.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: She's doing two dishes, every second counts,

and she's not actually, uh,

monopolising her time correctly.

I'm pumped for Harry's dish.

He's going down this South-East Asian path

with, um, a Thai style curry sauce,

but then leaning on his strengths in butter-poaching a lobster.

Sav, she's a woman on a mission today.

I'm just watching her cook.

She's just tipping stuff in, you know?

No measuring.

Just...it's in her veins.

And just calm and... Yeah.

She's got that steadiness about her now.

It's completely opposite of who I am.

It's just... I feel confused. Yeah.

Pezza. Pezza.

Oh, Pezza. What do you think?

I feel a bit French now.

So Pezza has done, very Frenchly,

a French trim on a rack of lamb. Look how happy you are.

I am! So he's done that very well, of course.

No doubt.

Who dares? He does.

Daring to make a croquette with cauliflower.

So, a good balance with flavours, ingredients.

So far, I like it.

He's got a solid concept, but can he execute

under immense pressure

to where we need it to be for this to be dish of the day?

And the plating for Pezza is such a huge thing

and we don't see that until the very end.

Pezza. Hey, Chefs.

Perfectly butchered as per usual.

Looks beautiful.

Mate, I'm standing here smelling this.

It smells epic.

What I'm smelling is refinement. Mm.

It's all very subtle, beautiful, round flavours.

Talk to me about the croquette, because I think that is something

that, you know, will probably make or break this dish.

Yeah, I agree.

We're going to make our bechamel, which I'm making now,

and I'm going to put some prosciutto in it

just to give it that little bit of saltiness,

which is a bit different.

Just got to balance it right.

Got to add the cheese

and all the salt and pepper and everything,

so the flavour is really nice in there.

I just really need to do my deep-frying

for my cauliflower croquettes.

Is that your croquette mix?

Yep.

I'm just a little bit worried that it's very loose.

Do you know what I mean?

Think it'll hold together?

I've got no idea.

I'm hoping it's going to.

She just sort of put the fear of God in me.

Now I'm worried about this croquette.

Is it going to fall apart in the oil?

So I want to get straight on to this and do a test run.

POH: I'm just interested to see

how he does the cauliflower croquette,

because how is he going to...?

How is he binding that?

Oh, I'm shaking, brother.

POH: I'm just interested to see

how he does the cauliflower croquette.

It's scary. I'm scared.

You guys are scaring me.

It seems to be going alright.

I'm just going to give it a couple of minutes

to get a nice colour on it and see how it looks.

She's worried it's going to work now, aren't you?

Mate, if it works, it's...

Going to be so pleased if it does.

..bloody brilliant if it does.

It's going really, really well.

And it's got a beautiful golden exterior on it.

And I think it's... I think it's going to be fine.

I haven't tasted my croquette yet.

I tasted the inner

and I haven't tasted it since it's been cooked.

Oh, my God.

That'd give a horn to a jellyfish, that would, mate.

They are to die for.

They're really, really luscious.

Now it's time to get this lamb rack into the pan.

I'm just going to, um, like, fry it off

and get some nice render all around,

then I'm going to finish it in the oven.

Going to cook it medium rare.

Mate, look at that.

Cooking beautifully.

NAT: I am taking a little bit of time

trying to get all my elements on the go for my main and dessert.

So for the faktong sangkaya here, the pumpkin custard,

I've made a very simple custard mixture.

Oh, God.

And I put my custard base into the pumpkin

and into the oven to set.

And also I finally put my ice-cream mix

into the churner.

That's going to be served up with my dessert.

There's a lot going on, Nat.

How is your custard, by the way?

Uh... It's good, it's good.

Yeah. It should take 30 minutes.

30 minutes to go.

Oh, my God.

Sure.

Hmm. That's pushing it.

Uh, my lamb shank, according to this,

says I've got 34 minutes to go, so that's very pushing it.

That is not OK. That's not good.

Um, how's this going to work?

I'm really worried because, like Andy was saying,

I could be in trouble.

I've just spent way too long on my elements.

I could have nothing on the plate, which would be horrible.

(SCREAMS QUIETLY) Ah!

Let's go.

There's so much going on right now, but we're gonna get there.

My crayfish is still in the water bath,

but it's looking perfect.

I'm really happy with the smell and the taste of the sauce.

It's punchy, it's spicy, but it's also bright and fragrant,

so it's just a matter of straining it and letting it reduce.

Just need to do this emulsion, and then we should be right.

But, to be honest, the emulsion's a bit of an experiment,

because sea urchin - it's a pretty powerful umami flavour.

What I want that uni emulsion to do is just to wash the dish

with that rich, beautiful ocean-ness,

and also be a really good support act

to this crayfish and that beautiful choo chee sauce.

So I'm just going to blend it with some olive oil

and, um, hopefully it tastes good.

Oh, it tastes like uni.

That's what it tastes like. (CHUCKLES) That's so bloody good!

(CHUCKLES) Wow!

That's insane.

I'm really happy with the emulsion.

Oh, holy dooley!

That is punchy.

The balance of the emulsion is great -

it's packed full of uni flavour but it's not too overpowering.

And I think it's going to complement and elevate my other elements.

So, everything's coming together.

It's so exciting.

SAVINDRI: Under 30 to go.

Pretty much all the elements are on their way for the lamprais.

It smells lovely, by the way. Thank you, Chef.

My plantain is done,

and I'm finishing off my, um...

Ooh, mouth's on fire!

..eggplant pickle.

It's almost done.

I've got my rice on the go.

I am cooking the rice

in the meat stock,

and lots of butter.

Perfect.

Perfect.

Hey, Sav. Hello.

You're making one of my favourite Sri Lankan dishes.

Well, that's no pressure at all, right?

It's also one of my favourites as well.

It's a buffet in a parcel.

There's nothing better. And it smells great.

I consider it the crown jewel of Sri Lankan cooking.

So, how do you want your rice to be cooked?

It needs to be oily and coated but separate grains.

OK. Separate grains? Yeah.

Good luck. Thank you.

I have not started on my meatballs at all,

which I'm going to do right now.

15 minutes left!

Come on!

(TUTS) Oh!

Oh, my God.

I'm checking my lamb shanks.

They're definitely probably not going to be ready.

With 15 minutes left,

I've got 20 minutes left on the pressure cooker

of my lamb shanks.

I have to find a way to...to fix this.

Am I going to do it? Am I gonna do it?

Am I gonna do it? Am I gonna do it?

I'm gonna do it.

I don't have time to wait for the lamb shanks

to slowly simmer away.

So I'm opening that pressure cooker

and I'm going to transfer it into a pan, reduce it right now.

I'm not sure if I can get this done in time.

SOFIA: It smells good.

I hope that's so tender and bone-sliding.

I am in so much trouble,

but I'm hopeful that the lamb shank's

gonna fall off the bone.

Come on, work your magic, curry.

Need you to reduce so fast.

The second thing is that my custard isn't done yet,

so my custard is currently very liquidy.

Um, it's getting there.

It's... The sides are starting to form.

I'm definitely very concerned.

PEZZA: Less than 15 minutes to go.

Pressure is really building.

Check on that lamb. One more check on that lamb.

I still want to get that lamb rack

out of the oven and give it some time to rest.

(WHISPERS) Just another couple of minutes.

I just hope I've left myself enough time

to get this lamb done to perfection.

Fingers crossed it comes together.

So, I just want to finish this sauce off.

The colour, the smell of this jus is unbelievable.

Yum, yum, yum, yum.

That's just bubbled away and bubbled away

and taken all them beautiful flavours,

all the vegetables and the cognac.

It's just going to tantalise their tastebuds,

there's no doubt about that.

But the main hero's that rack of lamb!

10 minutes to go!

I can't leave it any longer. I'm running out of time.

I want it to rest, so I'm taking it out.

Look, the lamb's cooked to about 48 in the middle,

which I wanted about 52 or 53,

but on the outsides, it's up to that 52 or 53.

I only need a couple to finish that thing,

so I wanted a bit of resting time,

so I'll give it five minutes to rest.

I'll slice through and I'll pick the best couple of bits

just to plate up.

Let's bring this home.

How are you travelling? Travelling OK.

The meatballs are the only thing I'm not started on.

You haven't started the meatballs?

I can knock out a meatball, Andy, it's fine.

(CHUCKLES)

This piece is definitely not done.

Right now, I'm very nervous,

because nothing's working at the moment.

Took my lamb shank out really early and it's definitely not done.

I just want it to fall apart - not falling apart yet.

Um, yeah.

Maybe I've taken...taken it out too early. We'll see.

My ice-cream is not ready yet.

It's more of a sorbet, um, consistency right now,

so I'm just waiting.

I also am just waiting for my custard,

and it needs to be pretty much set now.

Ooh.

Come on, custard.

Still got a bit.

Custard's pretty much not done.

Hmm, not looking good.

My choo chee sauce is done.

It's creamy, it's rich, it's punchy.

I've nailed the cook on that crayfish.

It's really buttery and tender.

I've cut these crunchy nashi pears into beautiful little circles,

because I'm going to arrange them to look like a sort of scale pattern

onto the crayfish.

I actually think the sweetness of this pear will balance out

the curry, but also tie in with the sweetness of the uni.

I'm really happy with the dish.

I just hope this will be enough to get that golden ticket.

This could be a chance of a lifetime.

Five minutes to go!

(JUDGES CLAP AND CHEER)

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Keep going!

SAVINDRI: Getting close to crunch time.

I'm nearing the finish line of this insane marathon

that I decided I needed to run today.

My little meatballs are perfect.

This is my eggplant pickle,

this is the toasted coconut and shrimp belacan,

this is my caramelised onion,

and that's my twice-cooked eggplant.

I taste all of those elements.

Yum!

Oh, my God. Yum!

So, I've got my rice here.

I'm happy with my rice.

It just needs a little bit of salt.

It has the right texture,

it has the right kind of flavour.

I am getting it done.

I'm really happy.

I know the flavours are there, but to walk away

with the golden ticket would be perfect.

Two minutes left!

(JUDGES CHEER AND APPLAUD)

Hey!

Got the lamb resting.

I'm really happy with the pea puree.

The flavour is so pea-forward.

It's pungent,

and you can taste that mint.

That cauliflower croquette,

it's really, really yum.

I think the prosciutto lifts it another element,

gives it that salty texture and flavour.

And I've got the tweezers.

I'm just putting some little peas with some nice little micro herbs.

And I think

them little finer touches just bring a dish to life.

Little sucker.

Oh, the hands! The hands, Pez!

Come on.

Time that I need to get into this lamb rack.

I want to see that beautiful, beautiful, medium rare lamb

so it's just blushing.

These cutlets are just a little bit under.

Just got to go with it.

Show us what you've got.

One minute to go!

(JUDGES CHEER AND APPLAUD)

Push!

NAT: My curry sauce is beautiful.

I just hope the lamb shank is gonna semi-fall off the bone.

Oh, my God, this is hectic.

I can't wait any longer,

so I am taking the custard out of the oven.

Ooh.

(INHALES SHARPLY)

No, it's not set at all.

So, yeah, it's not set.

I'm not doing it.

Hmm...

The custard can't get on that plate.

It isn't set at all.

I'm not... I'm not going to have it.

Oh, man.

(US ACCENT) Oh, man!

Someone here is going straight to the semifinals!

10...

JUDGES: Nine, eight,

seven, six,

five, four,

three, two,

one.

Well done, everybody! That was heavy.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Well done.

SAVINDRI: I can't believe I did that.

That was sheer ridiculousness, wasn't it?

I think I'm in with a shot to get that golden ticket.

Like, I love the dish, it's so close to my heart,

and I'm happy that I got it all done.

NAT: Uh, yeah.

That was probably the worst cook I've ever done.

The dessert doesn't even exist anymore,

so I'm not serving that.

I'm very disappointed.

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

..Pezza.

HARRY: Yeah, Pezza.

PEZZA: I'm really stoked with these croquettes.

And it looks really good,

but I'm a little bit worried about the cook on the lamb.

So I just hope I'm in with a shot.

ANNOUNCER: In the mood to cook?

Grab your aprons and try

these delicious MasterChef-approved recipes on 10Play.

So, Pezza, what have you cooked?

Today, I've cooked for you lamb chops,

cauliflower cheese croquette,

I've done a pea puree

and just a nice, really rich jus.

Well, mate, real with me,

the cook on the lamb - are you happy with it?

Honest with you, I wasn't overly happy

with the cook on the lamb.

Alright.

What are you thinking, mate?

I was just dreading that lamb.

But watching youse cut it,

it didn't look as bad as what I thought it was.

It's... It looks nearly perfect!

The nous of you taking the two end pieces...

..has got you out of jail,

because it has rested through to a perfect medium rare.

That lamb is like butter.

Like, you can just sink your teeth through that.

It's so perfectly cooked.

And that jus?

Amazing. Like, seamless.

And that little bit of booze at the end just gives it

that beautiful sweetness.

When I walked over to your bench today,

it smelled like a French kitchen.

Classy, you know? (CHUCKLES)

And it completely translates to the plate.

This croquette is not just generous,

it is crispy, tasty,

right textures, and the right amount of seasoning.

And it's beautifully fried.

I think the reason I like this plate so much, Pezza, is because,

yes, it shows your journey,

but it also hasn't really compromised on who you are.

And that's so nice to see, because it feels real.

And it means that we just know where it's come from.

Pezza, well done. Thanks, Chef.

Pezza! (APPLAUSE)

It's brilliant, Pezza!

It is.

That blew me away.

Next up, Harry.

(APPLAUSE)

Sauce up, mate.

Harry, what'd you make?

I've made you a crayfish choo chee.

My choo chee,

it's like halfway between a bisque and a curry sauce.

There's a uni emulsion,

compressed nashi pear

and a makrut lime salt.

Ooh.

Pretty fancy.

I reckon we should dive in.

Harry...

..did you nail it?

You absolutely nailed it, mate.

I felt every bit of growth in you in that plate.

Like, it's just done so differently in such a good way

than what you would have done when you walked through those doors

on day one.

You've got this amazingly cooked cray.

It's like on the edge of being translucent

with that pearly sheen on it still.

I love the uni emulsion.

It's just a really clever pairing of two things from the sea.

Ooh!

I'm excited!

That bisque sauce is brilliant.

You've got that introduction of the spice, which is very clever,

and then you've got that core of the shellfish coming in.

That is not just a plate of confidence

but it is very well done.

Your crayfish, it's really meaty, it's really sweet.

For me, that sweetness is mirrored by the nashi.

I think that was a really lovely, delicate use of that fruit.

But everything on the plate is quite strong in flavour.

For me, that choo chee is really strong.

It's way spicier than I was expecting.

Yeah. (CHUCKLES) It's got quite a bit of punch to it.

So I think your sauce is a little bit overpowering.

Thanks, mate. Well done.

Thank you.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Oh, lo-lo-lo-lo!

Next dish we'd like to taste is Sav.

SAV: I am very apprehensive taking this dish up to the judges

because I know I did a good job,

but it's a dish that just means so much to me.

It's my baby.

Open it, open it, open it.

Should we do it? Let's do it!

POH: We are so excited to see what's in your little prezzie.

Oh, look! Look at that!

(ALL GASP)

Alright, talk us through this, because this needs a map.

The meat stock is what the rice is cooked in.

There's another meatball hidden in there somewhere...

I'll find it. I was just about to say that!

This is a caramelised onion sambol.

It's sweeter, spicier.

I've got an eggplant pickle.

And then we've got twice-cooked plantain.

And this was usually a package that was sent off

to people that were working.

So it's supposed to be rich and hearty and full of carbs and fat

because you need it to last through the day.

Sav, how do I eat it right?

Hands?

We traditionally eat with our hands, but you can eat it however you like.

Oh, yeah.

Sav...

Around 10 years ago, when I was in Colombo,

I ate this dish,

and I've been trying to find one that comes close to it ever since,

but nothing has quite come close.

Sav, this is far beyond what I had that day in Colombo

and...

It's actually making me emotional.

It's so good.

Like, it's truly amazing.

Oh... You're making me emotional.

Um...

Everything in that banana leaf

doesn't just have purpose and flavour,

it's got feeling,

and it is... It is a total privilege.

I think it's my favourite thing I've eaten this competition to date.

Oh, my God.

The dish itself is bloody mind blowing.

The rice cooked in the meat stock is just...

It is so perfectly perfumed with a little bit of aromatic spice.

The eggplant!

Holy... My God, the eggplant.

Like, that... That is just insane.

The amount of heat that it's got is beautiful

and the texture of it versus the plantain - like, what?

The plantain!

Who goes on about plantain?

But I'm going on about plantain

because it was surprisingly my favourite part...

It's one of my favourites, too.

..on that whole cacophony of flavour.

It's executed flawlessly, Sav.

Well done.

(EXHALES SHARPLY)

What you've achieved today, I hope you realise, is mind blowing.

And I absolutely believe you are now holding up-front...flag.

You are the threat now.

It's already been said, but...

..this is my favourite dish of the season.

Uh...

I feel like this is a love letter to your mum.

And I just know she would be so, so proud of you.

You absolutely smashed it. Well done.

Thank you. Thank you.

Oh, what a dish.

PEZZA: Good work, Savi. Thank you.

Next dish we'd like to taste belongs to Nat.

Dishes. Dishes!

Dish. Dish.

Not having the custard set in my pumpkin means

I only have one dish.

That's half of what I said I would plate up.

Yeah, I feel devastated.

SOFIA: Promised two, delivered one. Yeah.

So instead we have...

We have a hung lay lamb shank curry.

Right now, when you're in the top four of MasterChef

and you can see the finish line,

would you rather be a risk-taker

or win 250 K and be crowned MasterChef Australia?

I definitely would rather win, for sure.

So you need to find that sweet spot. Yeah.

Because you being a risk-taker is what makes you great.

Yeah.

But if you take the wrong risk at this time of the competition,

like today, there ain't no more competition for you.

You've got to straddle that line. That's good advice.

SOFIA: Alright...

That's tough.

Nat, Nat, Nat...

I can taste the potential in this,

it's a really lovely curry base,

but clearly the lamb shank needed that extra 20 minutes

in the pressure cooker.

We came around,

we asked you whether you thought you should do the two dishes

and you were sure...

And I get it, I really get it, more than anyone else,

because that feeling of pulling a rabbit out of a hat can be quite addictive,

but you need to rein it in, lady.

The lamb shank,

it doesn't have that beautiful gelatinous, silky smooth finish

on the palate that lamb shank is all about.

It's still so tight and hasn't given way.

I just see the potential in you so hard.

You can achieve so much.

But now I'm just starting to go,

"Am I right about Nat?"

Today makes me question that because it was the wrong decision

and this plate of food has totally suffered.

I don't know.

What I see there doesn't belong to Nat.

Definitely clear - no relation between you two.

Please go back to square one, yeah? Please.

SOFIA: You alright, Nat? Mm.

Sinking in?

Alright.

Go back to your bench, and, tonight, think about it.

Are you OK?

What a way to kick off finals week.

From the four of us,

thank you so much for sharing your food with us today.

In the end, it was a battle between Sav and Pezza.

Pezza.

The cook on that lamb was immaculate,

the croquette was dynamite,

and that verdant pea puree and glossy sauce -

all together,

that's one of the best dishes you've ever delivered.

Sav.

You produced my favourite dish of the competition so far.

The whole thing was rich in flavour and feeling.

It was flawless.

Sav...

..you're in the semifinals of MasterChef 2024!

I got a little something-something for ya.

Yes! It's the golden ticket!

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Oh, yeah.

There you go. Thank you.

Any time.

Today, it was a lot of work, but it was done with so much love,

and I'm just honoured that I get to go to the semifinals

of MasterChef Australia,

having cooked the absolute jewel of Sri Lankan cuisine.

Sav, congratulations! You are safe up on the gantry tomorrow.

Pezza, Nat, Harry, you've got a pressure test to prepare for,

and this one, man, it is going to push you further than ever before.

Let's go!

OK, guys, goodnight and good luck tomorrow.

POH: Well done, guys.

Great cooking today, everybody. Well done.

VOICEOVER: Tomorrow night on MasterChef Australia:

The fish king himself,

Josh Niland!

(CHEERING)

His pressure test...

You'll be making my Flounder Kandinsky.

..and his fish butchery...

No way.

..is next level.

The devil is in the detail.

Who will impress this shark in chef's clothing?

HARRY: My reputation is on the line a little bit.

You know, like, I'm the fish guy in this competition.

I'm really worried.

How much do you want it?

Captions by Red Bee Media