Episode 6 Junior MasterChef

The competition to find the best young cook in the country is back.

From over 1,000 applications, only 32 cooks have made it to the heats.

Now top chef John Torode...

..and food blogger and TV cook Donal Skehan

have to decide which cook is good enough

to win the title of Junior MasterChef.

Junior MasterChef, four cooks all passionate about cooking.

Today, we only have one quarter-final place to give.

-It's going to be incredibly tough.

-First up, masterclass from me.

Today, it's all the way to south-east Asia

for a classic Pad Thai.

Then they'll be cooking two of their most delicious dishes

for us to taste.

Wow!

Competing today are Catherine, Benedict, Iman and Josie.

I am actually quite competitive because I like to win.

I'll try my hardest to become the Junior MasterChef champion.

I'm going to try really hard.

I think I have the potential to win.

I'm going to try and give it everything.

It'd be just amazing if you can show everyone how you're meant to cook.

Today, I think I'm going to try more

than I've ever tried ever, in anything.

Who is going to come in here today and really shine?

Good day and welcome to Junior MasterChef.

Today, we're going to go to the Orient

and make a classic Thai dish called Pad Thai.

The first job is to take the heads off all the prawns.

So this isn't the time to get squeamish about your food.

To peel them, you turn them upside down with their legs sticking up

and gently pull away.

The prawns have a little tract through the back of them.

Take a skewer or a pin and on the back, stick it in,

and then very, very gently just pull.

And there it is, up it comes.

Spring onions have two parts to them.

The white part needs to be cooked and the green part we'll eat raw.

Remember, when you're using a knife, be extremely careful.

We're here in the MasterChef kitchen,

but if you're at home, you need the help of a responsible adult.

Next John prepares a classic Thai paste of coriander root,

garlic and ginger.

All of that into the mortar and pestle, then grind it down.

Keep on pounding.

Has anyone ever used a pestle and mortar before?

-I've used one.

-What did you use it for?

To crush our ginger and garlic.

Stick your nose in that.

Oh, that is incredible!

Have a smell of that, everyone.

It's sort of like a floral perfume. You like that one, don't you...?

To prepare the final ingredients, John fine-chops some red chilli

and roasts some peanuts.

We've now got all our prep ready and we're now ready to start cooking.

A little bit of oil in there, then our paste gets spooned in.

Then our prawns.

The prawns will quickly turn to a pink colour.

We've got the whites of the spring onions, and then add our noodles.

And now some seasoning.

Three teaspoons of oyster sauce

and a little, tiny shake of fish sauce.

And stir it all together.

Add our bean shoots, a little bit of our chilli and an egg.

Then stir it around really quickly.

And right at the last minute, a squeeze of lime.

So there's our noodles done.

So take your spring onions, coriander,

our chilli,

some peanuts

and there you are - Pad Thai.

Wow, that looks absolutely incredible!

-The smells are wonderful too.

-Feeling happy, confident?

-Yeah.

-Over to your benches, wash your hands and let's cook.

12-year-old Catherine from Yorkshire cooks three-course meals

for the family every month.

Her last one was melon starter, roast chicken

and sticky toffee pudding.

Cooking makes me really happy because I learn something new every time.

Everyone else enjoys it as well.

Pad Thai, a savoury dish, lots of spices.

-Yeah.

-The food you like or you prefer sweet things?

-Probably sweet things.

I've got my own cake business

which I do for people in the village and my school every Friday.

-How old are you?

-12.

-You're 12 and you're selling cakes already?

-Yeah.

-Are you going to be a cake millionaire?

-I don't know.

You're going to make lots of dough(!)

Ten-year-old Iman from the West Midlands

has helped cook for birthday parties and celebrations

for up to 20 people.

My main inspiration is probably my mum

because my nan has taught her.

It's kind of something that goes down the family for her to teach me.

Obviously, it's incredibly exciting to be here on Junior MasterChef,

but what is your big dream?

I'd like to be a vet when I'm older.

Cooking is more of a hobby to me

because I think if you do it as your full-time job,

it drags some of the fun out of it.

-How do you feel about this dish?

-Preparing the prawns slowed me down.

But I think I might be able to catch up.

12-year-old Benedict is from Gloucestershire.

He loves to experiment with recipes from around the world,

including Italian, Mexican, Middle Eastern and Thai.

Recently, I cooked Beef Wellington for eight people.

To get the pastry right is difficult and I nailed that when I last did it.

Where do you find your inspiration for dishes and cooking?

-I have a lot of recipe books at home.

-Who do you cook with?

-My dad.

He always teaches me new skills.

A lot of ingredients in the Pad Thai. Is it going well so far?

Yeah, it's going well,

but I had some trouble getting the intestinal tract out of the prawns.

-But I managed it.

-A bit of a gooey job, but someone has to do it.

-Yeah.

We have ten minutes left. You should be done with your preparation

and you should start stir-frying now.

12-year-old Josie from Durham enjoys cooking with beef, pork

and chicken from her family's farm

and vegetables from the garden.

When I was much younger,

my grandad bought me this little book with all these different recipes in.

My grandad has always been willing to try all of my food.

-Why do you love cooking?

-I like eating.

It also kind of like chills me out if I'm in a bad mood,

so it just like relaxes me.

-How do you feel about this?

-I wouldn't say I was confident,

but I think I will be able to do it within the time

and hopefully I'll be able to do it as nice as you did.

You've only got a few minutes left.

Start thinking about getting your food on the plate and garnished.

Ten seconds, guys. Make it beautiful.

Your time is up. Please step away from your benches.

It's now judgment time.

Are the prawns perfectly peeled and cooked?

Are the noodles soft?

And is the balance of chilli, ginger and coriander right?

Benedict, let's start with you.

This looks like a bloke's dish. I like the look of it a lot.

Everything is cooked very well. Your prawns are wonderfully crunchy.

Your noodles have a bit of bite to them. You need a lot more paste.

The background is there, but it needs to come up one more level.

Really fantastically cooked. Your noodles are nice and moist.

Your prawns are cooked all the way through.

Just work on that flavour balance in there.

I cooked a Thai green curry before

and I think it really helped me in that challenge

because they're similar dishes.

Josie, you're up next.

Really great-looking presentation. Let's see if it tastes as good.

Wonderful flavours. You've got the salty and sweetness from the prawns.

And I'm loving the heat in the back of my throat. You've got it spot-on.

What I do like about your dish is the tingle of that chilli

on the end of my tongue, the sweetness surrounding my mouth

and the saltiness at the back. A really good dish. It really works.

I'm just so pleased because I've never made the dish before,

so I'm just really happy, I'm really chuffed.

Iman, let's try yours.

I like the sort of scattered approach, minimalist.

The true beauty is in your paste.

That wonderful fragrance from the coriander root, ginger and garlic.

I would love to see more of the peanuts and the coriander,

just a bit more texture in there.

I like the way you've fried that wonderful paste really well,

so it's got a depth of flavour.

And your prawns are cooked beautifully.

It might not have been the perfect one,

but at least I managed to get it done.

Catherine, you're up next.

The dish is really well seasoned.

I like the softness of the noodles. Your prawns are cooked very well.

I would like more vibrancy on top.

It's only inside that you realise all those jewels are stuck in there.

The balance of flavours are perfect.

You've got the sweetness, the saltiness

and that lovely heat that comes after a few bites.

-Well done, Catherine.

-Thank you.

I think I did quite well

because the judges did enjoy my food. I feel quite proud.

I'm really impressed with what you've done. Thanks. Off you go.

I totally forgot to put my peanuts on the plate and they were crushed.

I saw all yours. I thought they were really good.

Really impressive.

You can see the style of cook just by doing this masterclass.

It will come down to the next stage where they cook their own food.

I'm excited to see what they have up their sleeve.

Great first round, but now it all comes down to your two dishes.

Remember, there's only one place in that quarter-final,

so stay focused and produce delicious and beautiful food.

You know the rules. One hour. Let's cook.

Whilst in the MasterChef kitchen, they have you and I to call upon.

To do this at home, they'll need a responsible adult with them.

Iman, what are the two dishes you're cooking for us?

I'm making pakoras with a mint and coriander and yogurt dip

and I'm making a chicken balti.

Where did the inspiration for these dishes come from?

They came from my mum because I've been cooking Indian food

for quite a long time and she's taught me.

Are you excited about cooking these dishes?

My only problem is my onions.

My eyes go runny with onions.

Iman is promising us these wonderful, light pakoras.

They're puffed-up fritters with vegetables and a mint dressing.

Then a really kicking balti. We'll get a fantastic taste of India.

Catherine, lots of bright colours. What are we going to have?

Well, I'm going to make a marinated tuna with beetroot salsa salad

and new potatoes. And a fruity Victoria sponge for pudding.

-I'm very pleased that we're going to get a Catherine cake.

-Yeah.

The Victoria sponge I got from a recipe, but I've added the fruit.

Fantastic.

Victoria sponge is a classic, so it has to be wonderfully light.

With those fruits, she's pushing the boat out.

She must make beautiful cakes, mustn't she?

Halfway through your cooking time now. Think about presentation.

Make your food taste beautiful.

Benedict, you've got some really interesting bits and pieces.

-Pomegranate molasses, tahini. What are you going to cook?

-For starter,

aubergines with tahini yoghurt and pomegranate molasses.

And for the main I'm cooking tuna steaks,

-with spring onion and parsley mash.

-Quite different ingredients.

-Have you tried the dishes before?

-I love these two dishes.

They're really nice. I got them from an Arabic cookbook.

I get ideas from different cultures.

I think it's the best way to explore flavours.

Benedict's using some unusual ingredients. Tahini, sesame paste

and pomegranate molasses - syrup from a pomegranate with sugar.

It's just whether those flavours work together.

As far as the eye can see, Josie, it's a forest of mess.

Even you, you look dishevelled! What have you been up to?

Well, my gran says that the best cooks make the most mess,

so I've been going with that.

-What are you going to cook for us?

-Chicken in basil and Parma ham

with crushed rosemary and garlic potatoes

then a summer berry mint tart.

-What would a place in the quarter-final mean?

-Everything!

It would just be so great. It would set me up for life, really.

I'm very excited, should you be able to find a plate of food among this!

For Josie's main course, she has the classic chicken in Parma ham.

I'm looking forward to seeing it.

The dessert I love the sound of. It sounds pretty and elegant.

Do you really think with that mess she'll do a pretty, elegant dessert?

You've just got five minutes left. Five minutes.

10 seconds. Finishing touches.

That's it. Your time's up. Step away from your benches, please.

Catherine has made pan-fried ginger and coriander tuna

with new potatoes and a beetroot, chilli and spring onion salsa.

You've got that wonderfully cooked tuna and that interesting texture

and spice from the beetroot salsa. Then lovely, buttery potatoes.

-Beautiful altogether and a really well-composed dish.

-It's stunning.

I don't use that word very often, but I think the sweet beetroot

with the wonderful spice of the chilli, the spring onions,

is absolutely delicious. If you cook with flavours like that,

you'll be a very good cook.

Catherine's dessert is Victoria sponge, layered with whipped cream

and strawberries, raspberries and blueberries.

I like it a lot. The sweetness of the blueberries,

sourness of the raspberries and mellow strawberries.

You overwhipped your cream a little but, but you know that

and it does exactly what it says on the tin - make you smile. Good food.

I like that you put your own twist on it. The sponge is beautiful.

It's lovely and light. This is a proper rock star of a dessert!

'It makes me feel really happy when they say nice things about my food.'

All I've worked on over the last couple of weeks has come together.

Benedict has made a starter of roast aubergine slices

topped with tahini and yoghurt paste with pomegranate

and roasted pine nuts.

It's very strong with that tahini and sesame paste

and then very sharp, thick sweetness from that pomegranate molasses.

Your aubergine is very smoky. A really interesting combination.

-It's a very powerful dish. I like your bravery in doing it.

-Thank you.

You've got that wonderful smokiness from roasting off that aubergine.

Just a little too much tahini paste, but inspired. Really impressed.

Thank you.

Benedict's main course is seared tuna with parsley and lemon dressing

served with spring onion and parsley mashed potatoes.

The tuna is beautifully cooked. My one thing about the potatoes is

as an Irishman I like a good bit of butter to be lovely and creamy.

I like the flavours here. It's quite elegant and sophisticated.

Thank you.

The powerfulness of that simplicity with the parsley, lemon juice,

-potatoes, spring onion and tuna is very good indeed.

-Thank you.

'I'm very pleased'

with how I performed. I made it to the best of my ability

and I probably couldn't make it any better.

Iman's made a starter of potato, onion and spinach pakoras

with a mint and coriander yoghurt dip.

Lots of different spices in there. A sweetness from your spinach,

fragrance of your coriander and a little crunch.

I really like your yoghurt and mint dip. Wonderful.

It's a really interesting mix.

I love the colours. Those pakoras are wonderfully spiced,

but that heat is then balanced out with the yoghurt and mint dressing.

Very, very nice.

Iman's main course is chicken balti, a spicy, tomato-based curry

served with naan bread.

I expected your balti to be quite spicy,

but it's not. Your lovely moist chicken is coated

in this very, very sweet, quite sticky tomato relish.

-I like the texture.

-Thank you.

There's a wonderful sweetness there and then a tiny build of heat.

We expected it to be more spicy, but it's sweet. Is that what you wanted?

I wanted it to be different from other baltis

-because it's my different way of cooking.

-Brilliant.

It didn't go as bad as I'd expected!

So I'm feeling better because it went quite well.

Josie has made chicken wrapped with Parma ham and a mustard sauce,

served with crushed garlic potatoes and courgette boats,

-stuffed with tomato and cheese.

-Wow!

This looks great. And you've got almost as much on your jacket

as you have on the plate!

You have a wonderful sauce over your chicken, then that lovely Parma ham,

so there's a salty kick. And your potatoes - wonderfully garlicky!

A really fantastic dish.

It's got little sweet notes and sharp notes and salty notes,

but every bit you want more of. It's cooked well, seasoned well.

It's a good thing.

Josie's dessert is a summer berry and mint custard tart

on a raspberry and elderflower coulis.

Your pastry is short like shortbread.

The mint custard is inspired

Sharp raspberries and blueberries. You're a really good cook.

Really wonderful flavours here and that mint cream is wonderful.

A really fantastic dessert and the presentation is wonderful.

Woo-hoo!

They actually liked it. It's like, "Wow!"

I made the biggest mess of the century and John was not impressed!

What an incredible day! Four cooks who wanted to show us their skills.

Iman's starter, those pakoras.

A really interesting combination between that subtle spice

and the cooling effect from that minty yoghurt.

The chicken balti was very sweet.

I expected some spice from it. Not a bad idea, but not what I expected.

I'd really like to stay in the competition because

not only do I get to cook, but I can learn more.

I loved watching Catherine today. And what a revelation!

-That beetroot salsa really worked.

-A beautiful Victoria sponge.

Things exploding in your mouth. It was a great thing.

'I hope I've done enough.'

It's probably a hard decision for the judges.

Josie produced really delicious food today.

She gave us crowd pleasers. Chicken wrapped in Parma ham.

Sweet, salty, wonderfully moist. It was great.

And then that wonderful dessert.

The flavours and textures were wonderful. It was a perfect dessert.

If I don't get through to the next round,

then at least I can say I have tried my best.

Benedict had these slippers of aubergine. It was bitter, sweet,

sharp, nutty. Quite powerful.

Those tuna steaks - really simple, elegant flavours.

He had a few ingredients and they worked.

I think I've done enough to get to the quarter-final.

It's quite nerve-racking.

Interesting day, really.

For me, there's one there that really has potential.

Incredible day today, guys. You showed personality and passion

for what you were making.

But as you know we've only got one quarter-final place.

Our quarter-finalist is...

Josie.

Well done.

-Well done, Josie. Really well done.

-Yay!

Oh, my gosh!

I feel a bit disappointed, but I really enjoyed the day

and I feel really happy for Josie that she got through.

I'm a bit disappointed, but it's just been really fun to take part.

I have enjoyed competing,

but I'm glad the best person won.

Josie could definitely get to the final and maybe even win.

Oh, wow!

Yay!

My granddad is the person that started me off doing all of this.

And...I wanted to do this mainly for him.

I'm so happy! I feel like I'm in a dream!

Josie will be back for the quarter-final

to compete with three other heat winners

for the title of Junior MasterChef.

Woo hoo!

If you'd like to make John's masterclass dish,

visit CBBC's Junior MasterChef page for the recipe.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd