Episode 9 MasterChef

It's the quarterfinal.

And this week's best amateurs are back

to face two more daunting tests.

It's a fantastic feeling to be in the quarterfinals.

As long as I cook food that I'm happy with,

then I can't do much more than that, really.

I still have the aspiration of just delivering

one perfect plate of food.

So, hopefully, today's the day.

I'm hungry for more.

I'm not going to say no for it.

I'm going to grab it with both my hands.

Absolutely!

Today, hopefully, I'm going to blow their socks off.

Four very ambitious cooks,

and, at the end of the day, we'll find out

which two of them really have what it takes.

This is the palate and skills test.

I don't mind admitting, one of my favourite bits of the competition.

Today I'm going to cook a spiced potato cake with ginger

and chilli chickpeas.

It's about amazing food from humble ingredients.

So, chickpeas first.

Heat up a pot.

And into that oil, a good couple of spoons of mustard seeds.

And, in a moment, those little mustard seeds will start

to dance in the pan and that's when you know they're ready.

Whilst they do that, I'm just going to chop some tomatoes up.

They're dancing and singing, John.

This is now the crucial bit.

You've got to start to move fast.

A good couple of spoonfuls of chilli powder, ginger.

That spice, that chilli powder, has got to be cooked

because the spices are dry. They need to come back to life.

To that, we add our chickpeas.

And then tomatoes.

And just leave our chickpeas to boil.

What I'm going to make the flavour the potatoes is a garam masala.

Garam masala is a blend of different Indian spices,

mixed according to each cook's preference.

The secret to every garam masala is that you must toast the spices.

John is making his from cumin seeds, a cinnamon stick,

black peppercorns, cloves, cardamom pods and grated nutmeg.

I wonder how many of our contestants are going to be

scared by the spices.

My garam masala is made.

One part of the potato is going to be flavoured,

the other is not.

Now, to that garam masala potato mixture, you add chilli

and coriander.

And I make this little rissole

and then wrap the potato around the outside.

It's going to confuse the contestants

because they won't, necessarily, understand

that it's got a different flavoured centre.

That's the skill, Mr Wallace.

John, I'm really, really intrigued.

I feel like a kid on Christmas morning.

I just can't wait to get inside it.

-That's stunning.

-Thank you.

-It is stunning.

Crispy on the top and, in the middle is nice,

warming heat of those Indian spices.

Let's get them in. Let's get them in.

But not too quickly because I want to have another nibble.

John has cooked you a dish.

We want you to taste it,

write down what you think is in it.

After that, we're going to ask you to make it.

10 minutes to taste the dish. Off you go!

It's got lots of spices in there, yeah,

in the middle of the potato cake.

I'm just trying to work out exactly what they are.

Garam masala is a very tricky spice.

So, I hope to pick up the key notes and I'll just wing it.

It's gorgeous.

When I came here, I thought I was going to get some

sort of souffle, some baked Alaska or something.

And I thought, if that comes then I'm dead.

Literally dead.

This'll leave me alive. It really has!

Right! Time's up.

You have one hour to recreate that dish.

Ladies and gentlemen,

let's cook.

The ingredients have been separated onto three trays,

for the chickpeas,

the garam masala

and the potato cake.

But not all of them were used in John's dish.

I've got to say the lists today are really, really impressive.

As far as the skill's concerned,

they have got to understand how to use spices properly.

And toast them right and make a great garam masala.

And then the technique of actually doing the potato cake.

What I've seen from Jack so far is

brilliantly, technical, classic food.

My fear would be Asian foods or foods with a lot of spices.

That's not something that I'm massively familiar with.

You look a little concerned to me.

Yeah, I do feel...I feel quite

far out of my comfort zone right now,

but I'm going to give it a good shot.

And, hopefully, I can get something close.

Ha-ha! Who knows?

Jack does not do spiced food.

But what he is doing is scientifically dissecting

your plate bit by bit and working it out with his cook's instinct.

And that is impressive.

Standing over there

and watching Ping working was like standing here watching you working.

It's virtually a mirror image.

All right, she's better looking and she moves with more elegance,

but the dish, John, is very similar.

-Do you feel any pressure at all?

-Yes, immensely.

There are some notes of Indian spices I'm really familiar with,

but I can taste that there's something more in that

and it's quite difficult when it's all in a sauce.

We'll see. We'll see.

I have seen fantastic spicing from Ping.

And I've also seen some fusion stuff that doesn't quite work.

I, actually, think for Ping this is a great round

because we'll be able to see her grab hold of those spices again

and really get stuck in.

Focus. What do I need to do?

You are halfway. 30 minutes gone.

30 minutes left.

James has had more ups and downs

than an elevator in this competition.

I've seen him cook some wonderful stuff

and I've also seen some silly mistakes.

But I have to say right now he looks calm, which is a good sign.

There's been little, kind of, hiccups along the way.

The competition has really hotted up now.

So, it needs to be perfect.

What worries you the most about it?

Erm, the potato cake falling apart and I'm a half Glaswegian, so,

if I don't do a tattie scone right,

I don't think I can ever go back there.

Watching them work, John, every single one of them seems

to have a potato cake of sorts, but that's not even half the story.

It's the flavours in it.

Can they get your flavours in their cake?

20 minutes to go. Just 20 minutes.

Rani. We understand her heart is firmly embedded

in the subcontinent of India.

This should be her round.

I know I have got the skills. I've got the ability.

I just hope that I will be able to stand up to their expectations.

Rani, how did you feel when you saw these ingredients?

Well, I was really very, very happy about it.

This is something that I have grown up eating.

And it just brought up

all the nostalgic childhood memories, as well.

You know, I used to go with my dad at Chaupati

and we used to have these ragda patties,

you know, tucked under little huts

and the lovely waves, you know, splashing.

-And it just brought those memories back.

-Brilliant!

I'm like a tape, you know,

you need to push a button to make me stop or else I'll go on and on.

You got 10 minutes left.

Final five minutes, ladies and gentlemen.

Just five minutes left.

That's it, your time's up.

Step away from the cakes.

The skills we wanted people to identify here

was about the use of spices and actually forming this potato cake.

James, let's start with you.

Oh!

Shish kebab!

Your chickpeas, you've got raw spice in there

and that raw chilli powder is really harsh.

But, actually, as a potato cake,

French style with the egg running through it, it's nice.

But nothing like mine was.

All nicely cooked.

You can identify flavours cos your palate test was good.

You can't, yet, handle spicing in a subtle way, James.

Yeah, a bit deflated by it.

The spicing just wasn't right.

So, yeah, a little bit disappointed.

Ping.

Mmm.

Your potato cake is fantastic.

Warming, spicy, light and fluffy.

Really, really good. You roasted everything.

I watched you work, but then you put the garam masala

in with the chickpeas.

The chickpeas are simply flavoured with mustard seeds,

chilli powder and the ginger.

Garam masala is for the spud.

But this is very, very good.

Well, I wouldn't say that went really well. That went OK.

At least I got the potato cake right,

but the sauce was just annoying.

Jack.

Love the flavour in your chickpeas. I do like that.

That's a build-up of good flavour.

I can't eat that the potato cake with three kilo of spice

in the middle of it.

It's as if you're not trying to flavour that potato cake,

it's as if you are trying to smuggle out spices

hidden in the middle of it.

You didn't understand the technique, but all you had to do was to get

those spices into some potato and put it in the middle

and you would have had a perfect cake.

I'm like a fish out of water when it comes to spices. So...

But to come up with a dish that was edible

and looked OK, I was pleased with that.

Rani.

Your potato cakes are really not good, Rani. I'm sorry to say.

They're gluey. They don't have much flavour.

They're not seasoned, which is a shame

because your spicing is monumental.

Thank you.

Your spicing comes up gradually bit by bit

like a thief in the night.

John's talking, I'm standing here getting hotter and hotter

and hotter.

It was bit like a mixed reviews but I'm not entirely happy

because I could have done much, much better than what I did today.

So, it was really a shame, I thought.

Next up, their own dish and they're fighting for their MasterChef life.

Two places in the next round, two go home.

But they're not just cooking for you and I.

They are cooking for a respected restaurant critic, Tracey MacLeod.

And I wouldn't want to serve up anything but perfection to her.

I've been a restaurant critic for 16 years.

And it started almost by accident. I stood in for a friend.

Someone saw my column, liked it and offered me

a permanent job at the Independent.

And I've clung on there ever since.

The greatest thing about being a critic on MasterChef is

you never know what you're going to get.

They put their food in front of you and then the story is on the plate.

I think I'm going to be fair.

I'm going to be constructive

and I'm going to be honest.

I always try and be balanced.

You know, and not just, sort of, criticise for criticism's sake.

What we require of you is one exceptional dish.

It's over to you, guys.

80 minutes. Off you go!

I'll tell you what, Ping, I am fascinated

by the stuff on your bench.

-Good!

-Are we going to get Malaysian food from you today?

Yes. What we're going to have is a seafood laksa with tiger prawns,

scallops and all the garnishes.

Rarely have I seen a prawn that big.

Ha! My mom called this a tiger prawn and not these.

These are called little shrimpy.

-Little shrimpy and tiger prawn?

-Yeah.

Not unlike me and John Torode, really.

Ping is promising us a laksa.

It's a big bowl of steaming soup with noodles.

And then she's serving on the side of that a sambal made with

fermented shrimp paste.

Very strong, very rich, really hot.

I love a laksa and I want proper spice and I want proper fire.

The dish is quite hard to achieve

because you need the level of spiciness.

I don't want it to be bland.

I just have to believe in my dish and my capabilities.

Rani, what is your dish today?

Well, it is a spicy curried goan lamb chops

and they are going to be served with a green, yellow and red rice on top.

You've got presentation in mind, have you, with this dish?

Well, at home I'm quite rustic in my approach.

I just cook nice food and I just serve it.

But here I have to keep those Michelin standards in mind, as well.

So, we've got three different flavoured rice

and we've got lamb chops,

which have got in there about seven different spices.

Wow!

I don't know what Rani's dish is supposed to taste like,

but I do know one thing, she's a spice angel.

40 minutes gone. Halfway.

I'm going to make lamb loin with ras el hanout,

which contains about 16 different spices.

And also a North African speciality, which is called a brik,

but is in filo pastry and has an egg yolk in the middle as well.

So, there's definitely things that can go wrong with that.

James, you got a highly flavoured and complex spiced dish here

and you weren't brilliant

with your spicing in the last round, forgive me.

-Yeah.

-You getting back on the bike?

-Hopefully.

-Best of luck.

-Thank you.

Has your food come back to Europe now?

Yes, moved away from the spices where I was slightly,

-slightly less comfortable.

-What is your dish?

It's a hay-smoked rack of lamb with lamb sweetbreads

and then it's with butternut squash three ways.

-Too much smoke, and we're going to be tasting fumes.

-Yeah.

So, you've got to get the balance right, obviously.

-And it's got to be quite a light smoke.

-Good luck, mate.

Thanks a lot. Cheers.

I'm really excited for Jack. He's a young guy. He's full of energy.

He's pushing really hard. Lots of technique on show.

I just hope that all of that energy, all that technique equals flavour.

I'm pushing myself again

really quite far with this dish.

There's a lot of elements that need to be executed well.

Nobody wants under or overcooked lamb.

And the same goes for sweetbreads.

They need to be crispy on the outside and soft in the middle.

Erm, sorry to scare you,

but you have just 10 minutes left.

Restaurant critics are portrayed as being rather scary

and formidable, but I'll be very pleased if I don't make someone cry.

I'll be very pleased, if I have four delicious dishes

that really do the people who cooked them proud.

Oi!

Oh!

-Are you OK?

-Can I have a bowl, please?

-Do you have more noodles?

-I have more noodles, yep.

Don't panic, don't panic.

Don't panic.

You've got just two minutes.

That's it. Time's up.

To help us taste and make a decision,

we've invited a guest judge.

Somebody with tremendous foodie insight.

Restaurant critic Tracey MacLeod.

-Nice to see you again.

-Good to be here.

Jack, bring your plate up, please.

Jack has served hay-smoked rack of lamb with a herb crust,

butternut squash puree, braised leek and savoy cabbage

with roasted squash, sweetbreads, potato galette and a lambs jus.

-It looks very rare. Is that...

-Yes.

-Is that a function of the smoking?

No, it's just slightly undercooked.

Oh, it's better cooked inside. Phew!

You've got a lovely plateful here.

It's well-balanced and I like the hay-smoked lamb,

but, particularly, I want to applaud you on those sweetbreads.

I always order them when I go to a restaurant because I love them

and those are super good.

Thank you very much.

I think it's absolutely delicious.

However, quite why you bothered bringing in a bale of hay

and wrestling around with the lamb in the hay,

-I have no idea because I get no smokiness whatsoever.

-OK.

There are gems of salty potato and earthiness coming from your cabbage.

I've got to say at 21 years old and walking in here

and doing stuff like that, it's very, very good.

Yeah, it's been a great day. I've really enjoyed it.

Erm, everything went to plan as I'd hoped.

Definitely one of the better days.

Rani has served spicy curried goan lamb chops with

three coloured rice, green flavoured with chilli and coriander,

yellow infused with saffron

and red cooked with carrot and tomato.

I can't stop eating it.

It's brilliantly spiced because it just takes you

to the edge of being too hot but comes back

and the rest of the flavours then develop.

The only thing I would question about it is the saffron

from the middle one is very much the dominant taste.

Yeah, I completely agree.

However, individually I was just marvelling

at the different flavours in that tower of rice.

I love the sauce, but lamb too dry for me.

OK, thank you.

For them to say nice things about my food, it's just, you know,

an achievement in itself.

I feel great about it. Really do.

Didn't expect that!

James has cooked North African spiced lamb loin,

a merguez brik,

turmeric couscous

and a courgette and squash stack

with a harissa sauce.

I think you got some really nice strong,

distinctive flavours in there,

the lamb, in particular, and the spicing on the crust. Very good.

Slightly disappointed that the braise that you put inside the brik.

It feels like it could have had a little bit longer to melt

and kind of come together.

-But, erm, I think it's a good dish.

-Thank you.

I like your stack of vegetables here with a little bit of

feta cheese that gives saltiness.

I'm not too fond of the brik

because the filo isn't all crispy.

Really nice idea. Some lovely flavours.

I think the one thing that we all agree upon is the brik is

a bit heavy.

I can't believe a food critic just stood there

and said, "I really like it. I like the spicing."

Soon as she said that, I felt like running in here

and picking up, like, a two-piece suite and going,

"Yes! I did it! I did it right!"

Finally, Ping has cooked laksa, a spicy coconut-based noodle

dish with tofu, scallops and both tiger and king prawns.

Visually and taste wise I think it was a really, really good dish.

Just hot enough but not knocking your socks off.

You know, I can sort of feel that there's a lot of heart in it.

-Thank you.

-I wasn't brought up in Malaysia.

I was brought up in Peckham.

It's an exotic place in southeast London.

I find that very hot and very salty.

And I find myself wanting more sharpness of lime.

Yeah.

As far as a laksa's concerned,

it's a proper laksa.

I really, really like it.

Am I sensing a "but"?

Nope.

It's great to see people smile because they eat your food.

That's how my mum makes me feel when I eat her food.

That's exactly what I want to replicate.

I'm really pleased you joined us today

because the standard of food was great, wasn't it?

I tell you, that's going to be hard to decide who goes from those four.

-Bye-bye.

-Bye, Tracey.

Jack, not only was his lamb dish today lovely, in my opinion,

he has technical ability in abundance.

Tracey was truly impressed by the way Jack cooked those sweetbreads,

but it was the rest of the dish as well.

The way the whole thing came together.

Ping. You and Tracey loved her Malaysian noodle broth.

I found it rather strong.

A lot of work in making a laksa and doing it properly is a big thing.

I think her food tastes great and it brings a smile to my face.

James had a lot to prove in this round for me

after the skill and palate test. So, the recovery was good.

Deft touch, classic food, really good.

Rani. You look down. It doesn't look anything special.

It tastes divine.

Her spicing you can't ignore, but there's things where,

like potato cakes are gluey and lamb is a bit dry, that worry me.

A few errors I hope they ignore. And I hope that, you know, I stay.

So, fingers are crossed.

Mr Wallace, we've got a serious decision to make here.

We got four cooks who have really fought for their place.

Some really good food.

But good, sometimes, isn't good enough.

You have to be fantastic.

What a brilliant quarterfinal!

Two of you are staying with us and two are leaving the competition.

The first person staying with us...

..is Jack.

The second cook staying in the competition is...

..Ping. Congratulations.

It was great to go out on positive feedback.

And although there is the disappointment of leaving now,

I'm still, you know, really, really proud of what I've achieved.

I cook to see the smile on people's face and that is what

I will try and do for the rest of my life because I just love it.

And it's my passion.

It's really tougher than I thought,

but to hear them say that they loved the noodles was great.

So... It was good!

-Well done.

-Cheers.

-Thank you very much.

It's a great feeling to be through to the next round.

It was so tough today.

And I don't want to jump the gun and say I could be in the final, yet.

But, you know, maybe it will start to take over my mind a little bit.

Next week, another 12 hopefuls will fight it out

for a place in the quarterfinals.

Ow!

It's shocking.

That is awesome!