Plus a lot of my dishes aren't working out.
I don't know why.
- It's okay. - I'm really trying.
I know. It's okay, Teju.
I try a lot. But it doesn't work.
[dramatic music]
Welcome to Celebrity MasterChef.
[upbeat music]
It's a new week, a new day, a new beginning.
We enter with high energy and high power.
Because it's so fun to cook when you're well-rested.
Did you even realise that two weeks have passed?
- Usha Tai? - They were quite stressful.
I don't think you stressed us at all.
I didn't stress anyone out.
Maybe you did stress out the chicken.
Please, don't!
[laughing]
Alright.
A new week.
New challenges.
And some news.
There's someone who has
entertained us with their amazing films.
They have ruled our hearts with the countless films
and the characters they played.
It's not me. It's someone else.
Please welcome the very adorable and iconic Ayesha Jhulka!
[cheering]
[dramatic music]
[applause]
As soon as Ayesha ma'am walks in,
it was like love at first sight!
[cheering]
She walked in so gracefully, like a Goddess,
so pretty! I've been a fan of hers since I was a child.
I was so happy to see her here with us.
[applause]
Let me tell you all,
'pehla nasha' was the first ever song I worked on
in my career and
the first actress
I ever choreographed
was Ayesha. She was such a huge star at the time.
Wow!
In fact, a lot of the credit goes to her
because the song that she choreographed for us,
only a handful of lucky people
ever get a song like that.
- Absolutely. - And I'm one of them.
I think it's an iconic song.
Wow! Give it up for Farah ma'am.
[cheering]
My dear celebrity cooks,
why do you think Ayesha is here? What do you think will happen?
I think it could be a Bollywood related challenge.
Because we have a guest from Bollywood in MasterChef.
Bollywood dish?
Something related to that.
Something glamorous.
I think Ayesha will judge us too today.
Guest judge.
Ma'am, I think we'll get a new challenge today.
Something as tribute to Jhulka.
Wow! A tribute to Jhulka!
Brilliant.
She has neither brought you a challenge nor is she a judge.
She's our new celebrity cook
[tense music]
on Celebrity MasterChef!
Ayesha Jhulka!
Are you serious?
MasterChef's first wild card entry!
What? I'm happy with Ayesha ma'am's presence
but am I too happy?
Or am I scared? I don't know.
Ayesha, is food your first love? Or is it a new attraction?
Every Indian has three hobbies.
One is Bollywood.
I have done that.
Second is cricket. Which is out of my skill-set.
And the third is food.
Indians love to eat food, to cook food. All of it.
This is a new beginning for me.
I want to remind my husband
since he has told me many times
that if I excel at MasterChef,
he will open restaurants for me.
[cheering]
Remember that.
Do not forget your promise.
Let me give you a disclaimer. Be very, very careful.
I've eaten the food that she makes.
And she's an excellent cook.
- Wow. - Oh no.
Alright. Once again, Ayesha, welcome to...
[cheering]
Oh my God!
How I've been waiting to wear this!
[dramatic music]
Celebrity cooks, are you ready for today's solid challenge?
- Yes. - Yes, Chef.
Then we'll find out
where everyone stands in the competition.
Right.
Oh.
Usha Tai is not looking excited at all.
- I said it on the first day. - What?
[comical music]
Usha Tai, we aren't allowed to swear.
- I didn't swear. - Then?
I'm scared.
[laughing]
Open it up, ma'am. Show us
what the challenge is.
- Chefs, can you reveal the... - Let's go!
- Please, I beg of you. - Oh God.
This is today's challenge.
[tense music]
Rooh Afza?
And we see that there's a drink
kept in a plate.
All its ingredients are there.
And it has a name tag.
Tejasswi, your drink is sangria.
- Dipika, your drink is thandai. - Thandai.
Ayesha, you have pineapple rasam.
Abhijeet, you have hot chocolate.
Nikki has mango panna.
Faisu has kawa.
Kabita, you have the water from pani puri.
Gaurav, you have guava mojito.
Archana, you have paan shot.
Rajiv, you have coffee.
- Usha Tai, you have gazpacho. - What?
You said some gazpacho... I didn't understand it.
[laughing]
Gazpacho is a Spanish, Andalusian cold soup.
It's made of tomatoes or melons. It's eaten
- during the summer. It has peppers, - It is quite tasty.
Now take your time to carefully
smell and taste them.
Feel every layer and its flavour.
Some flavours might be familiar. Some might be new.
Identify them.
[curious music]
I love Sangria as a drink.
But this definitely is not a challenge to make sangria.
There is surely going to be a twist to this.
Now we'll tell you what you have to do.
You have to use your skill, innovation,
creativity, experience,
to make
a solid dish from these liquids.
[tense music]
It's so easy to say it.
I could never in my life, imagine that
I'd have to make a solid dish
out of a drink.
It is quite tough but
this is Celebrity MasterChef.
I don't know what I can make with coffee.
I hate black coffee!
Rajiv, what are you feeling?
I have only taken a sip
and it's so bitter that I can still taste it.
You think this is bitter? Hold on.
Oh no!
It is important to know that
coming in last today will cost you dearly.
[tense music]
Because the weakest dish of the day
will send its maker straight into
Friday's black apron challenge.
What?
- Oh my God! - Are you serious?
On the other hand, if you make
the best dish today,
you will win a huge advantage for the next challenge.
You will get 75 minutes to complete this challenge.
MasterChef's world-class pantry will open for five minutes.
And your five minutes start
On the count of
- Three, two, one. Run! - Run!
[hooting and screaming]
I get fresh cream, almond flour.
I keep calm and pick off all the ingredients I need.
I'm blank.
I'm confused and I keep running in all directions.
Last ten seconds.
No entry in the pantry!
Ah!
- No, get out! - Let me take the ginger.
- Bloody hell, man. - No, it's not allowed.
Your one hour and 15 minutes of cooking time starts on
- Get, set, cook! - Cook!
[tense music]
I've never made a dessert till now.
Because you need so many ingredients for a dessert
along with so many elements.
That's what makes a dessert.
So I give this challenge to myself.
From my Kashmiri kawa, I'm going to make
saffron macaron with cardamom buttercream.
Ghevar soaked in saffron.
My liquid for today is sangria. I'm very excited.
Because this is mine and Karan's favourite drink.
I'm going to make a savoury dish based on this drink.
I'm making a cottage cheese steak.
I really hope that my dish comes out well.
Please, Lord Ganpati.
It would be a very convenient shift
to make a dessert from thandai.
That's why, the dish I am making today
is fish with thandai cream.
I will give a nut crust to the fish
with the nuts that are used in a thandai.
And I will make a thandai-flavoured foam.
I did have a dilemma as to what I should do.
I have eaten a lot of guavas as a child.
In fact, I have even climbed a guava tree to pick them during school.
I did fall down as well.
But I never would've guessed that
I'd have to think of those in my MasterChef journey.
So I'm thinking of using guavas
to make guava-glazed prawns.
A dish that
is absolutely out of my comfort zone because I am a vegetarian.
And I've never made prawns before.
But this is MasterChef.
You have to think out of the box here.
[dramatic music]
How do you feel, Ayesha?
You're cooking in the MasterChef kitchen for the first time.
What's the difference between watching
it on TV and actually cooking here?
It is quite different.
We are in our comfort zones at our house.
If you want to try anything different there,
you have your helpers to help you with things.
Cutting even a pineapple here is so difficult.
[chuckling]
It is difficult.
To be very honest, I'm very nervous.
Don't be nervous.
If you get nervous,
- you will lose your efficiency. - I know.
With the high stakes in this challenge, you don't want to be in the bottom.
I know.
What are you making?
I want to make a chickpea lentil halwa
with pineapple pur*e.
I also want to create a crumble
with the spices of the rasam.
And I want to make a chilli oil.
And if time permits, I'd like to add a curry powder dust on top.
- It's a lot. - They are good elements.
Can I tell you something?
In the MasterChef kitchen,
you won't even realise how fast time flies by.
Yes.
It's 75 minutes at one glance and then it's nearly zero.
I don't want to look at the clock.
- You have to. - I don't want to!
- All the best. - Thank you.
[tense music]
What's the egg for?
Sir, I'm making macarons.
- Huh? - Yes.
You're making macarons?
- Have you ever made them before? - Sir, I'm making them as backup.
Macarons are never the backup. They are the danger.
That's why I've challenged myself, sir.
- Oh God. - Listen to me, at the end of this
challenge, there will be a black apron.
I know that. That's why, I'll only bring you
the ghevar if the macarons don't work out.
Focus on the ghevar then. Add elements to that.
You're trying to climb two Mt. Everest at once.
You can never climb two mountains at once.
You're trying to make two tough dishes.
Right now you're wearing white over black.
- But at the end of the challenge, - Don't say anything else, sir.
All my motivation and excitement to make that dish
has died.
All gone.
Likes fishes flailing out of a pond.
But I held on to my spirit
and decided to challenge myself today.
I only have 75 minutes. Within these 75 minutes,
I will try my best
to complete both these dishes for the judges.
15 minutes have passed.
You have one hour left. Let's go.
When the MasterChef clock starts ticking, it never stops.
And it's ticking towards one black apron tonight.
[clock ticking]
I have marinated my fish
and I have added lemon and salt to it.
Everything is fine.
I think the caviar will take the longest time.
So that process has started.
Where did you get the idea for this dish?
I'd once eaten a saffron fennel fish.
It was a long time ago and I'd loved it.
So when I was told thandai,
I thought I could create that combination tonight.
With fish the most important thing is
its acidity or sourness.
And that increases when cream is involved because
- the sourness cuts into the cream. - Correct.
The amount of sourness you add
will decide how far this dish goes.
I thought to add sourness to the fish while marinating it
and also with the crust on the fish with some lime zest.
This is a dish that could go either way.
[dramatic music]
My sorbet is going to be a little sweet and sour.
I thought of making the crumble with jaggery.
That's going to be sweet
and I'm going to add chilli to it
to balance the sweetness and the hotness.
Nikki, can you do that again? I didn't steam my face today.
What's going on, Nikki?
I'm making a mango panna sorbet.
What's the sugar syrup for?
- For the sorbet. - You'll add this to the sorbet
which will solidify it pretty quickly if you cook it too much.
For a sorbet, the sugar syrup cannot be too thick.
It only adds creaminess.
- Okay. - This is perfect consistency.
Are you trying to make a jaggery caramel?
Yes.
Firstly, add a pinch of water to it.
So that your jaggery won't burn at the base.
The water will evaporate but your jaggery will be cooked evenly.
- Okay. - It's a good thought.
This sweet meets savoury
where you will add
cumin to your cake,
with a mango panna sorbet,
- it's a good thought. - Very good.
But don't you think it's a big risk?
- Making a dessert? - I do think it's a risk.
Because I have made mango panna before.
But it's quite tricky to make a sorbet with it.
I've never done it before.
[tense music]
Celebrity cooks, in the first challenge of the third week,
you only have 30 minutes left.
Work on finishing the dish.
[tense music]
Only 30 minutes left.
Right now, I'm working on making the sugar syrup with saffron.
And the second thing is caramel.
I will try my best that my dish isn't the worst today and
that I move ahead in the game.
I do not want the black apron.
Sir, your caramel...
Your caramel is going to burn.
Don't say that I didn't warn you.
Sir, it's red because of the saffron.
Get this out right now. It's burning.
Okay, sir. I'll do that right away.
Let it be, Faisu.
This syrup has died.
The sugar has turned black
just the way your apron could be
- if you don't buckle up. - Please don't say that, sir.
I get even more scared.
I'm already disturbed with the way things are going.
And when I see that I might not be able to finish the dish,
my heart literally
stops in that moment. I'm done for.
[dramatic music]
I'm now making my coral tuile.
So I think
I'm only worried about bringing all my elements together nicely.
I'm trying my best today and I'm praying that
my dish isn't the weakest today.
I want to be as far away from the black apron as possible.
Something is wrong.
It's not working.
The one thing I was most confident about,
the coral tuile, it's not working out today.
And I don't know why it's happening.
It's an important element of my dish.
I can feel myself getting scared.
What's this?
I wanted to make a coral tuile.
But something's wrong. It isn't turning out right today.
Maybe it needs flour.
Yes, it needs a lot of flour.
This is my cream. I'm going to put it in a siphon gun to make a foam.
It has to go into the siphon gun, the gun has to charge,
the foam has to form.
Work confidently.
You should know when to change your gears.
Change your gear.
I've never made prawns before.
I don't have much idea
whether the prawns have cooked or not.
If the prawns are undercooked,
the judges won't taste my dish and
I will go into the black apron challenge.
That's why,
I'm giving it my all
and trying really hard to cook the prawns.
I'm braising them in butter.
It means that you saut* the prawns with butter
in a saut* pan.
Then you tilt the prawns to one side of the pan
and keep heating the butter, and you coat the prawns with it.
I won't be able to taste it.
I don't know how it will taste.
I have to judge by its colour.
But the problem is that I am colour blind.
Some people don't know about it.
Is this cooked? I don't eat prawns.
It should be a shade of white.
- Did you add turmeric to it? - A little, yes.
- Just two more minutes. - Okay.
[dramatic music]
Nikki, who do you think is your biggest competitor here?
Tejasswi.
You can say it's me.
No, you don't even exist for me.
Oh!
Oh God! They're at it again.
Look!
Who will you serve a poisonous pudding?
The one Hira Thakur from 'Sooryavansham' ate.
Maybe Dipika.
- Dipika! She wants to poison you! - What did I do?
- Yeah. - She's eliminating competition.
Oh!
I'll take it as a compliment then.
Oh no, what have you done?
Blood!
[dramatic music]
The rice isn't cooking.
I've been at it for so long.
Things have turned messy today.
This has burnt too.
Abhijeet, Ayesha Jhulka is here today.
Yes.
Sweet. Do you want to sing something for her?
I do!
Who does she think she is?
Flaunts such attitude!
MasterChef has seen
a brand new girl!
Oh, man, I think she's beautiful!
But let me teach her a lesson!
We're the kings here.
We could keep you all in our pockets!
Come on, Ayesha!
Don't try to mess with us, my friend!
Celebrity cooks,
you only have 15 minutes to save yourselves from the black apron!
[dramatic music]
Tai!
Can you please taste it? Is it good?
- It's good. - Woah!
I start to cook the fish.
When I'm placing the crust on it while it's on the pan,
and I toss it in butter,
the crust isn't setting the way
I want it to. It's not looking good.
I don't know what to do now.
Thankfully, I have an extra piece of fish left.
I think of cooking it without the crust
I will toast the nuts separately and put it on top of the fish.
The feeling of jumping onto my plan B
with my main element is not very good.
There are a lot of things on my mind right now.
- Archana. - Yes, sir.
Is the fish not cooked yet?
It is. I've kept it here, it'll cook soon.
- How long ago did you keep it? - It'll cook in five minutes, sir.
Your chutney?
It's right here.
Garnishes with the chutney?
The garnishes are here.
That's it? You don't want to add anything else?
Some greens, to make it look beautiful?
- When you use garnish... - Yes?
...always add a dash of salt to season it.
It will enhance its taste.
Always season your garnish.
Celebrity cooks, five minutes left.
[clock ticking]
Oh, ###.
[clock ticking]
Dipika, have you used a siphon gun before?
Once, a long time ago.
- Did you add the charger? - No, just the cream.
- Alright. - The 'thandai' cream.
I'll add the charger now.
- You know, it's a great equipment. - Yes.
But it also has danger attached to it.
It can burst, okay?
- Is it charged? - Yes.
- You feel it? - It's cold.
Simultaneously, I'm also minding the 'Tuile'.
Come on, please work. Please, please, please. Just one.
Please, please, please. Just one, please.
'And the last one is also spoiled.'
It's not working.
So I've turned the stove off
and I'm concentrating on just my siphon gun.
'Because there's very little time left.'
I want the foam to come out well
and the fish to work out at least.
I'll have something to plate.
But I'm very worried today.
What's left?
I just have to grill this, chop it up
and then glaze it.
And... That's it.
Basically, you have nothing on the plate.
- Yes. - Your main element is not ready.
And you say, 'That's it.'
- Five minutes left. - Yes.
- Let's go. - Yes.
[tense music playing]
- Nikki. - Yes, Chef.
Did you make the cumin sponge?
- Yes. - Will this taste like a 'dhokla'
or a sweet and savoury jeera biscuit?
I don't think it tastes like cumin.
It doesn't?
I think so.
I'm not sure.
[tense music plays]
- First time making it? - Yes, sir.
- The first time? - Yes.
- Liar. - No, really.
This is my first time, sir.
- You're sure? - Yes.
Everyone here, tell me this.
Does this look made by someone who made it for the first time?
Sir, I stepped into a kitchen first one and a half weeks ago.
- Liar. - Same, one and a half weeks ago.
Sir came up to me and told me that I couldn't possibly make it
since it was tough. But then he sees it and says it's really good.
He asked me if I had made it before. So it's pretty motivating.
Faisu, you've done an amazing job.
Celebrity cooks, remember. The worst dish gets a black apron.
And you have one minute left.
- So don't wait, just plate. - Come on!
'Every thought in the world is racing through my mind.'
'I managed to conquer two challenges.'
But I calmed myself down and kept working, because last time,
I was in a hurry.
And I know now that haste makes waste.
So I didn't let that happen this time.
I'm very nervous, I've never paired paneer and sangria.
I've never heard, seen, made or tried this combination.
But, of course, Lord Ganesh is with me. It will be fine.
'I don't want the black apron. I have been through it.'
I don't want it. I just want the advantage.
'The pressure is mounting.'
The stress is crescendoing.
Ten.
- Nine. - [second ticks]
- Eight. - [second ticks]
- Seven. - [second ticks]
- Six. - [second ticks]
- Five. - [second ticks]
- Four. - [second ticks]
- Three. - [second ticks]
- Two. - [second ticks]
[in unison] One!
Time's up, step back.
Today's challenge was Liquid to Solid,
that is to translate a drink into a solid dish.
And today, someone's stardom will come under fire.
[music swells]
We start with Gaurav.
[applause]
Go, Gaurav.
'I got guava mojito which uses white rum.'
'I cannot have alcohol or anything non-vegetarian.'
I had no way of knowing if there was enough salt or spices.
So I'm worried about the result.
[music flourishes]
Gaurav, tell us what you made.
The dish is guava-glazed prawns.
- Okay. - And I have paired it
with polenta cakes with parmesan.
It's guava-mole, like guacamole.
I made a sabzi with guava
and pureed it, like the one they make in Rajasthan.
First of all, Gaurav, guava is my favourite fruit.
- I hope it shines. - [chuckles]
I think the elements are really going well together, tone-wise.
If the colour of the plate was contrasting,
- the food would have stood out. - Okay.
- But these three elements, great. - Thank you, chef.
I felt happy that the presentation was in the right direction.
But what about the taste?
- Shall we taste it, chef? - Please.
[slow tense music plays]
'They ate the prawns.'
'The three looked at each other while I looked at them.'
They didn't look at me.
I thought, I'm done for.
Gaurav, today,
you've elevated guava.
[chuckles] Thank you. Thank you so much.
You represented guava three ways, and it's clear
that you have made it the star.
Guava with seafood and prawns is a classic combination.
You represented it well.
The polenta is well-seared. You've shown good technique in this dish.
You've demonstrated balance and combination.
This spoon has risen, and it waits to be
struck on the table thrice and for me to say, "It's delicious."
The spoon has risen, my friend.
It hasn't fallen yet.
I'm sure, this is your finest dish yet in this kitchen.
[applause]
Go, bro!
[joyful music playing]
- Yay! - Yes!
Gaurav, this is gua-wow wow!
The prawns could've been rubbery.
- Hmm. - But it's cooked perfectly.
And it's tasty. Well done!
- Thank you, Farah. - Well done.
[applause]
- Oh, wow! - [cheering]
Let's keep the applause going!
- It's incredible! - Well done!
[laughter, applause]
- Thank you so much. - Well done, Gaurav.
- [applause] - [music concludes]
- Nikki, please bring your dish. - Yes, Chef.
- [applause] - [tense music plays]
I was given 'aam panna'.
So I made aam panna sorbet with cumin cake.
The crumble is made of jaggery and spices,
and we have jaggery caramel.
The gloss on that sauce is amazing.
You could've done the scoop a little better.
In ratio, and as for the cake,
I'd have loved it if there had been a filling in the middle.
- It elevates the cake. - Okay.
The plate is a little small,
- and you've crowded it. - Okay.
'I was told the presentation was clumsy.'
'I was disappointed.'
But they haven't tried it yet.
You never know? So I still have hope.
[tense music continues]
'Why don't they ever react to my food?'
'They're stressing me out.'
Nikki!
- Yes, Nikki. - I'm so scared.
- [applause] - You understood the assignment.
The challenge was Liquid to Solid,
and not just throwing ingredients in.
But to solidify its emotion, the feeling and its story.
And you solidified that emotion, the feeling and the story,
and how well!
Amazing!
The dish has three high points. Firstly,
- the jaggery sauce, taste, glaze. - That sauce is the best.
- You should've added more. - Absolutely. Secondly,
the chilli in the crumble
pulls you in with the heat.
The combination of jaggery and chilli is a great one.
You sprinkled ground roasted cumin seeds on top up the flavour.
It matches the sorbet so well.
The raw mango, cumin, chilli, jaggery...
It makes you want to have more and more.
- It's a fantastic dish. Well done. - Thank you.
- Well done, Nikki!
When we were in school, we would buy mango...
The raw mango slices
with some salt and chilli.
The sorbet tastes just like that. It takes us back to childhood.
So great.
Thank you, ma'am.
[applause]
Please come, Usha.
Usha, what drink did you get?
- Gaz... Gazpacho. - Nice. Very good.
So what have you made?
Risotto.
Risotto, or Italian 'khichdi'.
'Khichdi' with cheese!
[tense music plays]
Usha, this is not the worst dish today yet.
It's somewhere in the middle.
'As the chefs were giving us their opinions,'
I was crumbling inside.
Ayesha, please bring us your dish.
'I was scared. As if I'm waiting for the result of an exam I just took.'
[tense music plays]
Ayesha, how do you feel? It's your first dish.
It's your first infatuation.
- First fever. - [laughter]
It's coming down.
I call this Ananas Rasamri.
Is this a kind of chickpea halwa?
Yes, I made chickpea halwa,
with pineapple puree and jaggery.
Ayesha, it's clear from the presentation
that you've done your homework.
It's off-centred.
You've given it some height.
A good use of textures.
A monochromatic look to which you've added
some greens, purples and reds for contrast.
You've created a flow with the crumble or gravel.
Good first plate. Very well done!
- [mouths] Thank you. - [applause]
[intriguing music plays]
Ayesha, with this dish,
you've proven to be a tough competition as a wild card entry.
- Wow! - [applause]
The combination of pineapple and chickpea
is difficult to understand and translate.
It's easy to go off-balance with it. Right?
But you understood the balance and achieved it in this dish.
The proportions in your crumble could have been better
or added a layer of sweetness,
- to integrate with the dish better. - Hmm.
But you have a clear mind,
and you have skilled hands.
You guys are up for a good competition.
A good one. Nice, healthy competition.
'I'm happy with that compliment, but I won't let it go to my head.'
Because if I do, I won't be able to work here.
This dish represents how brave you are.
There are a lot of takeaways here. There's 'chikki'.
It melts in your mouth like a feather.
Amazing game of textures for me.
All I want to say is,
Ayesha can cook, man!
[laughter]
The competition's already unpredictable.
And now we have a new competitor, Ayesha.
I'm worried because her dish got good compliments.
I made pani puri-flavoured ice cream.
I took the elements in pani puri
and presented them in different ways. If you eat them together,
hopefully, you can taste pani puri.
And this is made of tamarind?
Yes, tamarind.
Just beautiful.
This has won my heart!
So precise, so detailed, so delicate.
- Thank you. - [applause]
Wow!
[tense music plays]
Oh my God! It's like eating pani puri. I love it.
Flavours immediately follow each other.
It takes me to six cities at once
with one bite.
This dish is really a breakthrough for me.
- [applause] - [joyful music playing]
Thank you, thank you, thank you so much!
Wow!
Come on up, Faisu.
- All the best, man! - [applause]
'Did I add too much cardamom?'
'Or too little saffron?'
'I started having all these thoughts.'
But the dish gave me confidence,
'Don't worry, you made something good today.'
[tense music plays]
So what's the name of your dish, Faisu?
Saffron macaroons ghevar with cardamom buttercream.
So you made 'ghevar' with ingredients for 'kahwa'...
- All except cinnamon, ma'am. - Okay.
It takes people years to make macaroons this perfect.
Look at these macaroons.
[applause]
We call this foot of the macaroon or a macaroon's lip.
Such a good lip, such a good rise,
- such great shine. - Full.
This is either beginner's luck or...
Did you make a deal with God?
I wanted to say, it was my mother praying for me back at home.
Because I had called her before I started the challenge.
Macaroons are not remarkable until you add a personal touch.
A very simple way to do that would be
to add some saffron to the batter.
Like so, it changes everything for the presentation.
[hopeful music playing]
Beautiful, Faisu.
[suspenseful music plays]
I was worried the most about you today.
I'm glad you proved me wrong.
Both these dishes are quite technical.
It takes time for an ordinary cook to perfect them.
[suspenseful music continues]
I could just take this dish and serve it in my restaurant.
- Let's go! - Wow!
- Yay! - [cheering]
After he said that, I wanted to say, 'Please stop.'
'I cannot be so happy at once.'
For me, this is like a mic drop of the cooking world.
- Whoo! - [cheering]
'When he dropped the spoon, I jumped!'
'What have I done?'
How did I make such a good dish?
I was happy, and I saw Farah walking around the table.
- Wow! - [cheering]
Thank you, ma'am.
- Whoa! - Oh!
It was next level, that moment.
I couldn't believe that Farah kissed my head.
She's only ever kissed a contestant's hand.
I want everybody to taste this 'ghevar'. It is outstanding.
I think you're going to open a bakery.
- Whoo! - Yeah!
Faisu!
Faisu, you see, only once in a while in every season,
you get three of this, but...
- [spoon clanging] - Whoa!
'I was ecstatic!'
No contestant so far has got compliments from all three judges
like I did.
Well, brother, I have nailed it! I cannot believe it.
Please, guys. Taste it. It's a work of textures.
- Thank you. - Faisu!
[overlapping voices]
Brother.
Next up, Dipika.
[applause]
I already know
my plate is lacking in flavour today.
I've missed a key element.
Still, I just hope it's not bad enough
to land me in a black apron.
[applause]
Dipika, what have you made?
I've made... 'Thandai' was my drink.
I've also made pan-seared fish.
The cream at the bottom, the foam,
is 'Thandai' foam.
And rose and cardamom caviar.
The presentation is not speaking.
Am I an appetiser or a main course?
If I'm a main, I should have another element.
Carbs, veg, fennel, something more.
If I'm an appetiser, my portion's way too big.
Basically, the presentation isn't getting the message across.
Don't you think this dish needed one more element?
- I couldn't add anything else. - Why?
I messed up the batter.
[tense music]
I think the milk and fish combination just didn't work.
And it's totally tasteless.
[intense music]
I thought the idea was lovely. But when I tasted it...
Nothing is adding up to a Dipika-style dish.
[tense music]
- What I was searching for... - Yes.
Fish needs acidity, which is missing here.
The sauce has no salt.
The 'Thandai' essence isn't coming through at all.
This is not a good dish.
[intense music]
I know I'm in danger today.
I really pray
that someone else's dish is a little weaker than mine.
Maybe then I can dodge the black apron.
[sombre music]
First, tell me the name of the dish.
Chicken mince glazed
with coffee teriyaki. With a slight tiramisu dip.
And potato skin chips.
[suspenseful music]
The use of coffee is confusing to me.
Okay...
It's just odd that
the chicken has no flavour at all. Just the glaze cannot work.
- Okay. - It has to have a three-dimensional taste.
This definitely won't make it to the safe dishes.
This one's going to be at the bottom.
- Thank you, Rajiv. - Thank you so much.
- All the best. - Thank you so much.
[applause]
Sangria aka Tejasswi, bring your dish.
- Come on, Tejasswi. - Go, Teju!
I am very nervous because
I've never heard, seen or made a combination of
Sangria with cottage cheese before.
But I stepped up to the judges full of hope.
I've made Sangria glazed cottage cheese.
The presentation looks great.
Perhaps you could've chosen a different plate.
This handle and all... You know...
Sometimes, they mix up restaurant plating with caft plating.
But the detailing is on point.
I hope it tastes pretty.
[tense music]
None of the judges look impressed.
I've seen this happen to others. And now, it's happening to me.
It's a horrible feeling when
someone literally
spits out your food.
What is going on today? Our top
two celebrity cooks, Dipika and Teja,
have both served inedible dishes.
[tense music]
Tejasswi, first off, in this cottage cheese is the star,
not Sangria.
The flavours haven't infused into the cottage cheese.
And it's cottage cheese all over.
Also, if there's a massive piece of cottage cheese
in the middle of my plate
with just a little sauce on the side,
I'm not sure if the dish is even properly constructed.
I think we could have sliced it a little thinner. In the middle...
But this Sangria
- You could've filled something in it. - in the dish...
It is still liquid.
The red sauce isn't getting absorbed into
the cottage cheese at all. In fact,
the cottage cheese is making the sauce taste bad, and the sauce is
- making the cottage cheese taste terrible. - Okay.
- The idea was nice, but the execution was not. - It doesn't matter.
It's a bad day. Tomorrow should be a better day.
- Yeah. - It can only be better now from here.
- Yeah! - Teja. - Yeah!
Okay! Thank you. Thank you.
Maybe I shouldn't have used firm cottage cheese.
Maybe 'malai' cottage cheese would've been better.
I think the choice of cottage cheese was also wrong.
I can already see my black apron.
Just hoping I don't have to wear it again.
Ma'am, I've made steamed 'paan' fish.
Served with 'gulkand chutney.'
And a quinoa base.
It's average, Archana.
This is not your best presentation.
[tense music]
I feel it's losing on acidity.
Fish and sourness are a crucial pairing.
If that was balanced, I could have found more ways to
appreciate the flavour of 'Paan.'
Archana, it's the third week now.
- You've been scraping through. It's time to step up. - Yes, ma'am.
My dish is called Chocolate Chicken.
[subtle music]
Today's dish is definitely going to be in the bottom, I think.
Time for results.
And to reveal today's top three dishes.
[suspenseful music]
We'll call three names. First name...
Gaurav.
[applause]
- Second name... Nikki. - Huh?
Nikki...
Spoons are broken. Come forward, Faisu.
[applause]
Gaurav, Nikki, Faisu. You three
made today's best dishes.
Wow!
Now, the celebrity cook
who makes today's best dish gets a big advantage.
They'll find out tomorrow.
And that celebrity cook is... Let them guess.
- Come on! - Faisu! - It's Faisu, of course.
- Thank you. - Well done, Faisu.
Amazing, Faisu!
If you keep this up, you might win MasterChef.
- If God blesses me. - Huh? - Thank you.
Thank you.
And now, let's move on to the bottom three.
[tense music]
First up, Tejasswi.
Dipika.
No need to call him, he's already invited himself.
- Well done. Self-awareness is good. - Yeah!
And now, the contestant with the weakest dish today...
[intense music]
Dipika, it was yours.
[stillness]
Dipika, none of us can believe it. You're the first contestant
in this week's Black Apron Challenge.
It's surprising, given you've been leading the way all along.
- It's okay, just a bad day. - Bad day.
- Teja, why are you crying, baby? - I'm not.
Don't ask me!
She's been holding back for a while now.
No, it's not a good feeling, you know.
Last, many dishes have gone wrong.
I don't even know why.
- Okay. It's not like that, Teja. - It's okay. No...
- It's okay. - I'm really trying.
What's there to cry over?
It's okay.
I'm trying hard but it's not working.
Enough! Enough! Enough! It's okay.
[sobbing]
Teja, now Usha Tai is crying, too.
What is going on here? Seriously, what is happening?
- What's happening? - It's going to happen, baby.
It is going to happen. This is just how life is.
[sobbing]
[melancholic music]
- Teju, you are going to kill it next time. - Teja!
This keeps happening back-to-back.
It's just the bottom three, bottom three, every time.
You can't give up now, baby. You can't.
- Guys, tomorrow is a new day in MasterChef. - New day...
This is the one prize no one wants to win or give away. But Dipika...
[tense music]