Only 40 minutes left.
- What are you doing? - Usha Tai going thrice.
Chicken tikka masala to Usha Tai! Well done!
Usha Tai, you've got chicken tikka
for 55 minutes.
- Brilliant, Usha Tai! - Why did you do that?
55 minutes it is.
But I got the chicken tikka.
Because I didn't do well last time.
- Oh my God. - Usha Tai, it's completely raw.
Farah ma'am had said. This time, I'll show them.
We'd started with six dishes.
Two dishes are off the market.
Nihari and chicken tikka are gone.
Four dishes are left.
Butter chicken, bedmi aloo puri,
chole bhature, and kidney beans and rice.
We'll now bid for kidney beans and rice with Madras curry powder.
Who wants kidney beans?
Shall I get the butter chicken?
- Gaurav, what are you doing? - Kidney beans, anyone?
They're the best.
Come on.
You're vegetarian. At least get the vegetarian dish.
I did not want to waste my time.
I was ready for whatever was left
but I'd keep my 120 minutes intact.
And I'll just watch the chaos around me.
Rajiv, 10 minutes for kidney beans.
- I want chole bhature. - Come on!
Look, whoever's not bidding,
the kidney beans might just end up with you.
- Kidney beans! - Archana!
15 minutes.
- Next bid is 20 minutes. - When did you want kidney beans?
Who wants kidney beans for 20 minutes?
Ma'am, how did he...
- Oh! - Gaurav!
Brilliant, Gaurav!
I'd decided that I'd play such that
I could keep all my currency.
Who wants kidney beans for 25 minutes?
25 minutes!
- Okay! - Oh God! 25 minutes!
I'm liking this.
Because you could do so much with it.
Yes, go for it.
Final call for kidney beans.
- Gaurav, don't. - Goes once!
Don't do it.
- No, Gaurav, please! - Goes twice!
Gaurav will do it! There you go!
- 30 minutes from Gaurav. - 30 minutes!
Gaurav is willing to give 30 minutes for kidney beans. Very good!
- Nice, Gaurav. - Come on.
How much will I have to give?
I'm trapped!
I was busy cutting everyone's time and now I'm trapped.
They played me so well.
Kidney beans!
- Go for it! - Pick it up!
Kidney beans!
Now I dare you.
Very good! Gaurav, counter?
He won't do it now.
Don't.
Do it, Gaurav. You're a vegetarian.
- Gaurav, please don't. - Come on, kidney beans
for 40 minutes.
- Gaurav played well. - Indeed, Gaurav played well.
- How much did Rajiv bid? - 35 minutes.
- 35 minutes only. - 35 from 90. How much is left?
- 55. - 55 minutes.
He can still make it.
- Oh my God! - Come on!
- Goes once. - Let's go, Gaurav.
Goes twice!
Goes thrice!
Sold to Rajiv!
What do you want, Gaurav?
I gave up 35 minutes.
Now I've got 55 minutes left.
Who'll make kidney beans in such short time?
Now we're left with
the lowest time and the highest time.
A candidate with 90 minutes
and two with 120 minutes.
Three items left. Next bid will be for chole bhature!
[tense music]
- Yay! - Archana is quick.
- She's in with 10 minutes. - Gaurav, you're my friend.
I'm not in this now. You'll be a fool to let this one go.
10 minutes are on the board.
- Next bid for 15 minutes. - What's the spice with it?
Iranian advien spice.
Who'll let Archana make chole bhature in 110 minutes?
Oh God, Archana will win!
- Easiest dish. - Who is so kind-hearted
to give Archana 110 minutes for chole bhature?
What are you doing, Rajiv?
- Let them decide. - Why are you meddling?
You are the one meddling.
- You're interfering. - You're out of the auction.
- You're making your nihari. - You're out of the auction too.
So?
- So don't talk to them. - Why shouldn't I?
- You should shut up. - You have nihari.
- Nikki, you should do it. - You need to shut up.
Nikki, if chole bhature are gone with 110 minutes left,
you might end up using the immunity pin for these 5 minutes.
If I'm going to bid, I'll only bid for the butter chicken.
I knew that.
So I knew I didn't need to bid high.
I only wanted to bid for my dish.
Chole bhature for Archana for 10 minutes
Alright, Gaurav!
15 minutes!
You're competing with me?
15 minutes in the market now, ladies and gentlemen!
- Next bid will be 20 minutes. - Are you mad?
Archana, 20 minutes. You can cook it in one hour.
- Next bid 20 minutes. Alright! - Yay!
- Archana! - Oh!
Archana has bid 20 minutes.
Archana has 100 minutes now.
No one will touch the bhaturas.
You can make great chole bhature in 100 minutes...
[indistinct]
Someone will counter this!
- Who will do it? Let's see. - Gaurav, don't let her win.
If you cut 25 minutes, you can make it easily in 65 minutes.
- Alright. - Very good!
Oh!
Gaurav and Archana, who were once teammates,
are fighting tooth and nail with 5 minutes.
Archana, next bid is 30 minutes. The paddle is in front of you.
You're letting a good dish go for mere 5 minutes.
Sir, how many minutes will I have left?
You will have 90 left.
- Three. - Hurry up, Archana! Are you mad?
- Two. - Archana!
Very good.
Next bid for 30 minutes by Archana!
The market rate has become 30 minutes.
Next bid is 35 minutes.
Who will bid 35 minutes to counter Archana?
Gaurav!
Nikki, you'll lose the most in this.
Because for the next,
Gaurav has 120 minutes to bid.
You only have 90 minutes.
He'll take the best dish.
- Nikki, get it. - Nikki.
Guys, I will cook something. Trust me.
Right, thecha!
We trust you.
- Thecha! - Thecha!
- What if you can't make that?
I'll make thecha. Trust my thecha!
Nikki can cook anything and we'll eat it. Trust us.
[laughing]
Next bid is 35 minutes.
- Archana will get the chole bhature - Pick it up!
- in one. Going twice! - Nikki!
Archana won't bid now.
- And gone! - Go on, Nikki!
Archana, chole bhature is yours.
Archana, you get chole bhature with 90 minutes to spare.
Next dish is the butter chicken.
Only two people left! Make your bid!
- Gaurav, you can't do this. - Butter chicken?
You won't stop her? Deplete her time?
15 minutes.
Okay. You made your bid.
You didn't bid it against the butter chicken.
You made the bid to reduce my time.
Nikki, think carefully.
Nikki, you are very good with chicken.
Right now, he has the power to deplete my time which I don't have.
If I keep bidding, he'll do the same.
If he stops when I don't have much time,
I won't be able to cook the butter chicken.
But how low can you go with the time?
What will you do with aloo puri?
Nikki, listen to me. They'll give you a breast piece.
It only takes 20 minutes to cook.
You're the best in this kitchen with chicken.
- He's riling you up. - 90 minutes.
Will you just cook aloo puri for 90 minutes?
She has 80 minutes.
What will you do?
The next bid is 20 minutes.
Nikki, you're at 90 right now. If you make
this bid, you'll have 70 minutes left.
[dramatic music]
There she is!
Very good! That's our thecha queen, Nikki Tamboli!
- 70 minutes. - Thecha!
Gaurav, go ahead and counter.
[laughing]
Gaurav, next bid is 25 minutes.
- You have 120 minutes. - Your hands have the magic, man.
When you came here, you couldn't cook.
Even if he bids 25 minutes, he still has 95 minutes.
How will you beat him?
Alright. Butter chicken going once.
Butter chicken going twice.
The better dish is butter chicken.
Gaurav, this is the time to show her that you aren't insecure.
I'll make whatever I get.
- I have cooked meat before. - Going thrice!
Butter chicken goes to Nikki!
Alright. Very good, Nikki!
70 minutes, right?
70 minutes are more than enough.
It's fine.
I don't think Gaurav wanted bedmi puri.
I think you wanted butter chicken.
But you missed out on butter chicken to save time.
No, chef. Actually, we're in the eighth week now.
In the initial phases, I cooked a lot of meat.
I made the prawns without tasting them.
With the guava glaze, it was my best dish.
So I didn't mind the vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.
I wanted time to ensure a good presentation,
and good innovation.
So that's why, my main criteria was this, not this.
You wanted to save time. Your strategy worked.
Thank you.
Rajiv, your strategy worked extremely well.
I think you should do all the auctions hereafter.
I think this hammer should be gifted to you.
[laughing]
Hit him in the head.
You can conduct auctions way better than me.
You're number one in provoking people.
Very good.
Alright. The first one to start cooking is Gaurav
with 120 minutes.
After 30 minutes, Archana will start.
After 15 minutes, Teju will start.
Nikki is next after 5 minutes.
15 minutes later, Usha Tai and Rajiv.
And everyone will finish cooking together.
Okay.
Celebrity cooks, ready for the pantry run?
- Yes. - Yes, ma'am!
- On your marks. Get, set, run. - Run!
The world-class pantry is open for five minutes.
Along with bedmi puri and aloo, I've got a special jeeravan spice.
[dramatic music]
You want to cook aloo puri for two hours?
- So much for your strategy! - Let me get the ingredients!
You bested everyone with that.
Rajiv did all the dirty work but I didn't fall for it.
Last ten seconds.
Ma'am, don't do that!
Today, I thought of making... with kidney beans
instead of rice.
Gaurav, start cooking.
Everyone else, please step aside.
Gaurav has started cooking.
I'll start cooking 45 minutes after him.
And Gaurav has potatoes.
Two hours for that?
Look at him. He's got 120 minutes for potatoes and tomatoes.
For aloo puri!
I would've managed a shower after cooking that within 120 minutes.
Even the potatoes must be lazy.
I know that in a game like this,
I always follow my thought process.
I do not care what anyone is
saying on the side.
I don't care for the chaos around me.
My focus was on utilising my 120 minutes.
I didn't want to work under pressure.
Tell me, how will you plate?
How will you plate aloo puri?
120 minutes for plating that?
I keep teasing him and making fun of him.
He's my friend, I was just playing around.
He got riled up and started doing these things.
[laughing]
- Oh! - Behave yourself.
I can leave from here. Just behave yourself.
He's irritating.
I'm leaving the set.
I'm leaving the set. This is disrespect. I'm leaving.
Do whatever you want. I won't come back until he says sorry.
I lost my temper.
Gaurav and I do not share a bond
where you can just peel stuff like that on me.
At the end, it's garbage.
When you peel carrots, you peel off the dirt.
And he did it purposely on my face.
He was just kidding. He wasn't angry.
He was just joking. We're all a family. Why get angry over this?
What can we do, Tai?
Some people have a lot of ego issues.
Let her go. She wasn't getting enough attention.
He was just joking.
Let it be. She isn't getting attention.
She has to do something about it.
What got into Nikki? He was just joking.
[tense music]
They didn't have a good strategy and ended up with less time.
I won the previous challenge and got extra time.
And I'm not under pressure because I used my brain.
They run their mouth and I use my brain. That's the difference.
Do you know how to make puri, Gaurav?
I don't think so.
Come on.
Then she came back inside. These two are always locking horns.
I don't really care. But
this did get heated over just aloo puri.
I don't want to stoop to Gaurav's level.
So I decided that when I come back,
I won't throw food at him, like he did to me.
I will make my best dish.
30 minutes have passed out of the two hours.
90 minutes left. Archana, it's your time now.
Come on, Archana!
I was very happy that
I've got enough time to make chole bhature.
But the problem is you can't cook chole bhature,
you have to be inspired from it.
On top of that, you have the Advieh spice.
There's always something going on here.
I don't know what the spice is. I'll taste it now
and see how it is. I'll have to use it
to make Delhi-style chole bhature.
- Gaurav. - Yes, chef.
You've got Delhi's famous bedmi puri and aloo.
- Yes, chef. - Let me tell you, be it Karol Bagh,
Rajouri Garden, Punjabi Bagh,
- you can find this for breakfast there. - Yes.
Right? How will you present this
in a new way?
I'm trying to make a potato fondant.
I don't want to serve normal potato.
I have lightly pan-seared the potatoes
to get that golden-brown colour and make it crisp.
- I've prepared veg stock here. - Okay.
I'll add the veg stock in this to half dip the potatoes in them.
Then I'll bake it at 160 degrees in the oven.
- Perfect. - At least for 9-10 minutes.
Got it. You're cooking potato in classic French style.
But how will you serve it? With a sauce?
The potato gravy and puri
we eat at home on Sundays,
we call it kachori aloo,
because it's a bit different.
I'm going to make that curry
and serve it on the side.
And the potato fondant will be in the centre.
And I want to serve the puri as a crisp instead of the regular puri.
I'll bake it, then fry it for extra crispiness.
What about the jeeravan spice?
I added the jeeravan spice in this while butter basting.
It's in my stock as well.
And it will also be in the dough
I'll make now.
This jeeravan spice,
it's an interesting spice. Usually, they sprinkle it
- on poha in Indore. - Yes.
But it's used in various forms in different places.
It's main job
- is to provide that kick in food. - Yes.
It gives that spicy kick.
Make sure your food has that kick
along with the flavours of Delhi's aloo puri.
The presentation should be different.
There should be innovation.
Your cooking technique and skills should reflect on your plate.
- All the best. - Thank you, chef.
I sit there and watch the clock.
I want it to hit 75 minutes
so that I can put the mutton in the pressure cooker.
Tejasswi, Gaurav has been cooking for 45 minutes.
That means it's time for you to cook.
- Thank you, chef. - Let's go.
- Come on, Teja! - Hurry up, Teju!
Firstly, I get the cooker and put my mutton to cook.
I'm going to let it cook till seven whistles of the cooker.
With that, I think I can't
just serve nihari with a naan.
I'm thinking of making an apricot chutney.
Nikki, on your marks.
- Ten. - Nine.
- Eight. - Eight.
- Seven. - Six.
- Five. - Four.
- Three. - It's time!
Let's go!
Today will be a big challenge for me.
Today,
either I'll have the worst dish or the best dish. And it's in my hands.
It's war time.
Nikki's lucky mascot Gaurav is right by her.
Ma'am, someone stole my potatoes.
I'd brought 7-8 potatoes.
The man on your counter is cooking potatoes.
- Archana. - Yes, sir?
- How are you? - I'm good. How are you?
I'm doing great.
What are you making?
Sir, right now I'm making a pickle.
Pickle of what?
Carrots and sweet potatoes.
- Okay. What was your dish? - Chole bhature, sir.
So are you making chole bhature?
No, sir. I'm making a ring of bhatura
- which will be crispy. - Very good.
With that, I'll serve something on the plate
that's fried with fennel seeds,
it's triangular in shape.
Pyramid?
- Yes, that'll be on the side. - Pyramid of what?
Of chole bhature, sir.
Then there will be a carrot pickle,
with some taros.
There aren't any taros so I'll make it with potatoes.
I didn't understand anything.
For chole bhature, the first thing you're making is a pickle.
Yes, I've made this for the bhatura.
For now, whatever this is,
it won't set at this temperature.
If your oven is on,
place it in a warm temperature to help it rise.
They said it won't rise.
And I was confused.
I don't have the time to wait for it to rise through yeast.
It'll rise as much as it can.
Hey, cut it like this.
- I'm doing that. - Straight.
My whole spices burned over.
I was stumped because I was too worked up.
Something is burning.
Someone's heart maybe?
No, it had but it's in the basin now.
Tejasswi, do you know what I think? I'm not trying to scare you,
But making a MasterChef-level nihari
in 75 minutes?
When you were bidding your time,
I think it'd have been better if you had thought it through.
It's too close. It's a recipe for, may I say, a disaster.
Don't say that!
There are high chances of you missing the train.
I won't, chef. Please don't say that.
Remember that the nihari you find in Old Delhi
its gravy is thickened
using maida
and not flour or besan. A tiny bit of maida.
- Okay. - Remember that.
Luckily, I had already taken refined flour for my naan.
Thank god! I make a flour slurry with that
and, I pour that slurry inside.
I have set the pressure cooker again
for at least 5 more whistles.
Usha Tai! Rajiv!
You can run off to wherever you want!
Go, run!
So, I ran.
I took the chicken out of the fridge.
I quickly washed it...
and marinated it.
[gentle music playing]
Whom would you bet on in today's challenge, if you had to?
- I think, Gaurav. - Hmm.
Because, it's two hours and potatoes.
But, good dishes can be ruined with too much time too.
Chef Kunal.
I think, it's Rajiv...
because, unexpectedly...
he suddenly emerges like a dark horse and leaves a mark.
So, it has been his nature to deliver under pressure too.
I think, it's Nikki.
- Hmm. - As, Nikki cooks the best food when she's the most irritated.
Just anger Nikki once, and, see her focus.
Today, she's cooking in a temper.
She's fully focused. I think, she'll do something great.
Come on, Usha Tai, let's go!
[tense music playing]
- Your Butter Chicken will be ready in 70 minutes? - I'll try my best.
What are you making now, Nikki?
I'm making a naan crisp.
And, what have you added to it?
I've added refined flour, cornflour, salt and carom seeds.
Okay. If you add all the butter right now
this crisp will become extra hard.
A naan needs to be spongy too.
For that, add a little shortening or butter now
and, a little after kneading the dough.
- Oh, okay. - That will lend a shine to your crisp
and, will make it spongy too. That saves effort and the dish too!
Okay, thank you.
- Any tips for Gaurav? - Nothing.
Give some tips.
Get out before me. That's my tip for you.
I will make a mark this time.
And, I will set such a benchmark
that, someone will have a hard time keeping up.
He will be destroyed!
What is cooking under this lid?
- A secret dish? NASA's secret thought? - Rajma.
You've already boiled the Rajma in the pressure cooker?
Pressure cooker?
He didn't cook the Rajma in the pressure cooker.
- Did you receive them boiled or soaked? - Soaked.
Huh? So? Didn't you pressure cook...
- Did I have to pressure cook them? - Of course.
They'll get done.
Impossible! Rajiv, it's impossible for them to get cooked.
Use a pressure cooker, bro, or else, you are doomed.
- What are you saying? - Yes.
If there was ever a time to panic, it is now.
Okay! I'm doing it.
I've never cooked Rajma in my whole life.
And, I didn't know they need to be pressure cooked first.
I thought it was enough to soak them.
Oh man! They are raw.
Only 20 minutes left. I was distressed.
I put them in the pressure cooker.
- Huh? - Ma'am, it broke.
- What is this? - You know when this happens, Archana?
When you have a dish in mind...
- but, not on the plate. - Sir, one minute.
Why have you put your hairband in the oil?
No, ma'am. I made it round, it broke.
- You made it round? What is this? - A bhatura.
This is a bhatura?
- Yes. I will place it... - It's looking battered to me.
Sir, it's hot.
- Oh no, it is my job to work with hot things. - Sir!
Sir, she made a hairband. Place it on her head.
This is your bhatura?
What shall I do, sir?
What you need to understand is
- that whenever any dough is fried, it shrinks. - Hmm.
Once it shrinks, it will break.
Get it? So, before frying it...
you have to leave it a little loose, to give it space to shrink.
- Where are your chickpeas? - The chickpeas are undercooked.
- No, ma'am, here they are. - Okay.
You'll make hummus out of this now?
No, sir. I'll grind it into a thick paste and place it on the side.
Archana, you always relate tall tales that I cannot understand
but, I have faith that you'll end up making something.
I could not understand your tall tales again today
but, I have complete faith that nothing will come out of it.
You are not focused today.
- No, sir! - Her in-laws live in Delhi.
She'll make something.
- Yes, sir! - You have to uphold your in-laws' honour.
Of course, sir.
He completely confused me. I can't understand...
My initial idea was to place a ring
and then, convert it into a Tikki and put it underneath.
But, sir said it didn't resemble a bhatura.
Then, to be on the safer side, I decided to make a bhatura crisp.
Usha Tai, you gave light cuts to the chicken?
I didn't.
Why was your chicken undercooked the previous time?
That was thicker.
This is without bones.
Will it get cooked, Usha Tai?
It will, sir. Or, Rajiv can come and talk to it.
You give rise to stress.
That's all. That's enough!
Just touch the knife to it. Enough!
You see, I don't want to take a risk now.
So much stress! First, stressed about Farah ma'am.
She teases me about my chicken.
Secondly, stressed about the time and my old age.
In all that stress, I forgot to make incisions.
Celebrity cooks, last ten minutes!
[dramatic music playing]
Plate your food now.
My rice is ready.
My Rajma is not ready yet.
The whistles kept blowing one after the other.
It refused to cook!
Oh man, bro!
[tense music playing]
Literally, last ten minutes remain.
I check my mutton.
I don't know if the mutton
is fully cooked or not.
But, I don't have the time to think up something new.
Nikki, what's left?
Uh, plating is remaining. Most of my elements are done.
The salad is left to be done. I have chopped the onions.
I'll see what I can plate now.
Nikki, five more minutes.
You can't still be confused about what to plate.
You should be sure by this time.
And, according to me, your grave is still thick.
So, I had some butter lying around.
It became a little flowy when I added a lot of butter to it.
And, it tasted just... [slurping]
It was delicious! I mean...
if I love something that I have cooked
Chef will definitely like it too.
Tejasswi, is the mutton cooked?
I think, sir. I haven't checked it yet.
I mean, I cooked it a little extra.
- I don't want to disturb it. - Five minutes left.
Careful, sir.
[dramatic music playing]
- This is it? This is the dish? Just Nihari? - Yes.
No, no. And, the naan, and an apricot sauce.
We've come so far in MasterChef
and, just a Nihari, a chutney and a bread is enough?
75 minutes.
You chose the time.
It was your intelligence and choice.
Your plate should reflect
that MasterChef level intelligence and choice.
- No excuses. - Yes, sir.
- Yes, Rajiv? - It's done.
- That's done, but, is the Rajma done? - It's done.
- Only plating... - How do you know it's done?
I think so. It is soft.
I've left it in this, to keep it hot for the plating.
It may be a little extra... it's completely cooked.
It's ready.
[Chef Ranveer sniffing]
- I doubt it. - Huh?
- I have doubts. - You doubt it?
I think it's done.
God knows if he will eat it! I hope my food is fully cooked!
[dramatic music playing]
Celebrity cooks, last thirty seconds!
Better, Gaurav, better. Think more.
Think of how to give it height.
You have to elevate it.
- Give it some height. - Don't place it flat.
Think of how to give it some height.
At least, I feel like what I wanted to do...
Somewhere, I could not... Because, time...
120 minutes was a lot, but...
it feels like I could do better if I had some more time.
Like, in an exam, you want to fill up several sheets
but, when the teacher asks for it, you want a little more time.
That's happening here. I was reminded of my school days.
- Last ten seconds. - Please wait.
Chef, I can't!
Come on, guys! Ten!
[dramatic music playing]
Eight!
Seven!
I can't!
Six!
I am trying to stick my naan on the pan.
It's coming off in some places.
The naan keeps falling off when I turn the pan.
Three!
Two!
- One! That's it! - One! Hands up!
[applause]
Hands up! Archana, stop!
Time's up, step back. Archana!
Tejasswi.
Time's up!
Time's up and I couldn't prepare my naan
because, I couldn't manage to turn the pan.
This is the first time that my dish is incomplete.
Time for tasting.
Well done.
Gaurav and Nikki, come up.
All the best, Gaurav and Nikki!
I felt like I was in Delhi while I was cooking this dish.
Now, I want to see if I am able to transport Chef to Delhi.
I'm very scared.
[pleasant music playing]
- Nikki ma'am. - Yes?
- Which Delhi dish did you get? - Butter Chicken.
And, what masala did you get?
Berbere.
Berbere masala, an Ethiopian spice mix.
Sir, we've become so used to brands now, that...
spices are also sounding like Burberry!
Berbere!
So, what have you cooked, Nikki?
I've made Butter Chicken Ball.
- Butter Chicken Ball. BCB? - Yes.
And, where have you used berbere in this BCB?
In the Butter Chicken.
- In the Butter Chicken gravy. - In the sauce.
The outer coating of the Butter Chicken Ball
is made of chicken and potato.
I've stuffed it with Butter Chicken gravy.
- Oh! - So, the gravy will ooze out when we cut it?
- I hope so. - So, it should be called Butter Chicken Bomb!
- Yes, Nikki. - Yes.
Will this bomb explode in your partner's face?
I want it to!
By the way, the presentation of your dish is very beautiful.
- It's very attractive. - Thank you.
You chose the correct plate, the correct style.
Your portion size is correct.
You served it correctly with the correct colours.
Thank you.
What-what is this? Is it a main course or an appetiser?
- Appetiser. Yes. - Appetiser?
Nikki, the portion is excellent for an appetiser.
- Thank you. - Excellent thought.
Arancini is usually served in Italy
- which are fried balls. - Okay.
With a tomato sauce.
It's an excellent appetiser. We have to see if the bomb explodes.
[suspenseful music playing]
Is it good or not?
The gravy is locked inside very well.
The bomb exploded!
[applause]
[suspenseful music playing]
How did you cook the chicken?
I had boiled the chicken.
I boiled it with some spices.
- Later, I ground it in the mixer. - Hmm.
I think, that one thing which is screaming out in this dish
is the Butter Chicken gravy that you've used as a sauce.
This gravy is fantastic.
Thank you so much.
Nikki.
[Nikki screaming] [cheering]
[applause]
Wow!
To say it in Delhi style, this is delicious!
Thank you!
If Butter Chicken is not delicious, it's meaningless.
Thank you!
Oh my god!
[kissing sounds]
- Thank you! - Lovely.
My god! Getting a spoon tap at the first tasting
is something very difficult. I am very happy.
Textures, the sauce is mind-blowing!
It is so good!
Typical Delhi style Butter Chicken sauce.
You can keep eating it with bread.
What was good is that she didn't
serve us with a regular Butter Chicken and some bread.
She actually converted the Butter Chicken
- to a MasterChef-level dish by making the bomb... - Absolutely!
and showed us some innovation here.
- I think, this can easily be served at restaurants. - Absolutely.
- Butter Chicken Bomb. One portion only. - Yes.
If I could, I would give you the white apron right away.
- Right. - Too good.
Thank you.
Chef Kunal, secondly, the berbere...
is used very subtly in the gravy, it's not overpowering.
I always say, she's a very intelligent cook.
- Hmm. - You know...
some cooks know where to hold back.
She knows. And, your restrained intelligence
is seen in this dish, Nikki. Very well done.
- Very nice. Very good effort. - Thank you.
- What a beginning! - Thank you.
As Farah always says...
- the following acts... - Yes!
We will now taste the potato cooked for two hours!
What did you make, Gaurav?
I have made Bedmi puri and potato fondant.
It is accompanied with a tomato onion chutney.
And, I've made a sweet chunda, which is
made with green apple and grapes.
I had made a vinaigrette spice with a spicy vinegar.
And, I have also made a sauce.
It is an onion and mushroom sauce.
I put it on top.
Mr. Gaurav, your dish...
has been plated in a very unique manner.
It is not easy to plate...
potato curry and puri.
But, on the onset...
where I see various shapes, which is very good...
the colour of the whole dish is a single palette.
It looks a little flat.
I used purple potato for colour, but...
That's the only colour showing.
Purple is missing on the plate. Purple potato has turned black.
Maybe some shavings, or, a fried chip of it...
could have enhanced that purple.
What is the name of this dish? I named it Two Hour Potatoes.
I would like to name this dish Focus.
Because, I was determined that it shouldn't look like potato and puri.
Because, ma'am didn't want regular potato and puri in two hours.
And so, I used a new method to cook the potatoes.
I could have used the simple method, if I wanted.
- But then, I wanted to challenge myself. - Well done.
So, to execute TIP, I focused on the taste
and tried to be innovative.
[suspenseful music playing]
[dramatic music playing]
Gaurav, I can understand that you used your two hours in two ways.
One, fondant potatoes take a long time to cook.
You tried to translate that.
Secondly, you made several elements, which was not possible otherwise.
Like, you made chunda, a pickle, a gravy.
You first baked your puri, then fried it.
So, you tried to use your time for several things.
- I think... - Yes?
- if you had 90 minutes... - Yes?
you could have made this dish better.
In some places, you did things that were not needed.
Okay.
Like, there was no need to fry the puri after baking it.
I wanted to make it crisp, Chef.
- But, perhaps only the baking could have done it. - Okay, Chef.
Look, according to me...
this is definitely not a bad dish.
You've made an excellent dish.
But, there are so many elements.
Pickle, chutney, puri, potatoes.
- They are a little too much. - Okay.
- They are not moving in a flow. - Okay.
That's all.
This was training for me.
As we are so close to the finale, I wanted
to gain experience by cooking as much as I can.
No problem if they didn't like my dish today. Only one dish can win.
I think, that will be Nikki's, as she got the spoon tap.
Come, our dear Usha Tai and Archana.
[upbeat music playing]
First, I want to ask...
she has made these demonic Chhole bhature...
Come on, ma'am!
what do they mean?
I have made Chhola Singhasan [throne].
- This is a throne? - Yes, with the bhatura sitting on it.
- Where's the bhatura? - The two...
spikes on the throne.
That's the back of the throne.
Okay. So, the bhatura is sitting right there.
How shall we eat this dish? Someone tell me.
Don't call it Chhole Bhature. It's a Singhasan.
- Singhasan? - You told us to make MasterChef-level food.
- Okay, what are the elements? - Okay, move on.
Sir, I have made a pickle. Carrot, radish
and green chilli pickle.
Then, I've served a crisp as the throne.
- Made of what? - Of flour.
So, this is not the bhatura.
- This is only a crisp for show. - A crisp.
- And, this is the bhatura? - Yes.
But, you were cooking Chhole Bhature?
So, that's what that is.
I turned the bhatura into trousers.
[laughter]
She says, she turned the bhatura into trousers!
Now, I get it!
You turned... the bhatura into trousers.
[laughter]
Tell me, are these your boyfriend's legs?
[laughter]
- The trousers are torn. - No!
The trousers are torn!
How many hours did you get?
- 90 minutes. - 90 minutes?
Sir, 90 minutes!
You sewed trousers in 90 minutes! Very good!
[applause]
[suspenseful music playing]
Oh wow! Uncooked chickpeas.
Sir, they're not uncooked!
They're not uncooked!
I completely softened them.
- Dry chickpeas. - I made them dry.
- Dry chickpeas, less salt. - Or, the throne wouldn't set.
Boiled potatoes.
[laughter]
- Poor thing! - This tastes like the mint was rotten.
[laughter]
Sir, I've never been so humiliated.
Archana, your spice was Advieh?
Yes sir, Advieh.
- Where did you use Advieh? - All of it in the chickpeas.
Why did you add all the spices in 'chhole'?
Sir, you asked us to make 'chhole' with that spice.
[laughing]
You thought today's challenge
- was to add those spices in 'chhole bhature'. - Yes.
Right? That was not the challenge. Changing a mere shape
cannot raise a dish to the MasterChef level.
We've been cooking for 30 years.
A change of shape is easily noticeable for us.
Changing your thinking is also necessary.
Okay? Keep that in mind in the future.
God bless you. Thank you for making us laugh.
Thank you for laughing along with us.
Yes, sir. I wanted spoon taps today. But it didn't happen.
Instead, they ridiculed me.
Coming to Usha Tai.
- Tell me, what have you cooked? - Chicken 'tikka'.
Which spice?
Shichimi togarashi.
- Yes! - Well done!
[contestants hooting]
Yesterday was mie goreng. Today, shichimi togarashi. Wow!
Let's see how this tastes.
[tense music playing]
It looks fresh. Nobody needs to spell out that
it's a beautiful starter with salad and sauce.
Chicken 'tikka' and sauce are both tasty.
It's a strong dish. You're competing with so many people.
However, you've presented beautiful food.
The fried green chillies you've placed here
have added colour and enhanced the presentation.
Otherwise, it would've looked monotonous.
- Usha Tai, this sauce is outstanding. - Yeah.
Thank you for not making a green sauce.
This sauce is way better than that.
- Outstanding! - I used the spice in it.
Which spice?
Shichimi togarashi.
Too good! You've outdone yourself.
[applauding]
- Usha Tai? - Hmm.
[triumphant music playing]
Oh!
This is for the sauce you made with shichimi togarashi.
I, too, am applauding the same.
- Very good. - Very nice.
You're a champion.
Usha Tai, shichimi togarashi,
is like Jeeravan in Japan.
It's a combination of many types of chillies.
That makes this a layered spice.
You understood the layering of togarashi's spices
and used it well in your sauce.
That is why this salute is for you.
I salute you, too.
Doesn't it feel good?
I made a sauce with a spice
I had never seen or heard of, and it turned out well.
I feel elated when what I cook turns out well.
Rajiv and Tejasswi, please come.
[joyful music playing]
Yes, Rajiv, what would you like to say about your dish?
I've made 'rajma' with Madras
curry powder.
I've made lemon rice
with tomato salsa inside.
Are you happy with your dish?
Honestly, not with the plating.
I was running late.
So, the plating could've been different
as it's looking like rice and 'rajma.'
I appreciate your honesty, Rajiv. This is rice and 'rajma'
with Madras curry powder. There's nothing else to it.
The 'rajma' is more than the rice.
But the 'rajma' was uncooked.
Luckily, we got there
- and asked him to cook. - He did after I told him.
Ma'am, I don't know what was wrong with me today.
It was uncooked. You came and saved my life.
Rajiv, I could tell you with the aroma in the cooker
that it was uncooked. I told you the same at the end, too.
Look. I'm placing it here.
After crushing it, if there it's not white inside,
- that will mean it's... - Uncooked.
It's entirely uncooked.
It's dry inside.
How is the sauce? Is it good?
It's undercooked.
Is the sauce undercooked, too?
The rice also seemed undercooked to me back then.
Hey, ma'am!
No. The rice is genuinely tasty.
- Is it tasty? - I'll give it to him.
The rice is nice.
- No matter what, the plate is lovely. - Thank you so much.
This plate is lovely, not your plating.
[laughing]
In short, this dish
is not your best.
We neither feel the need
to comment more as the 'rajma' is undercooked.
If the 'rajma' is undercooked,
I am out of the race today.
I don't think I will take off my apron today.
Tejasswi got 'nihari'.
What did you make out of it?
I've made
'There's 'ver' in 'Nalli nihari'. More time would've made me happy.'
You got 'nihari' and made the same.
I've made mutton for the first time
- in my life today. - Congratulations!
Looking at how eager you were during the auction,
I thought you cooked mutton daily and wanted 'nihari'.
- You were excited. - I like to eat 'nihari'. - Yes.
But I was sure it would be delicious.
'Nihari' looks how it should.
- Exact 'nihari'! - We have to give you that.
'Nihari' looks like this in Delhi.
If you're coming to the presentation,
- there is no presentation. It was merely put into a bowl. - I agree.
- I agree. - Let's hope it tastes good.
Tejasswi, this 'naan' was cooked after the time was over.
So, we won't taste it.
- That's fine. - But we appreciate you getting it along.
[tense music playing]
Tejasswi, your food
shows that you lacked enough time.
If you
had two hours, you would have thought it through
and devised a good dish.
I taste a few 'nihari' flavours, but rose water is overpowering.
Whatever this is...
- What is this? - Apricot sauce.
It's too good.
Forget all the work. Make this sauce and sell it.
- Yes. - Thank you.
It's a great attempt at making 'nihari'.
I know you've added Kashmiri 'ver' masala.
That's why it's not tasting like the usual 'nihari'.
It has a Kashmiri 'nihari' vibe.
But if you had controlled rose water towards the end,
- it could've been better. - Okay.
'Nihari' is not easy to cook.
It's commendable that you could bring this dish here.
- Overall, it's a good dish. - Thank you.
A little more balance and it would've been your best dish today.
I am furious
with Rajiv right now.
Owing to his tricks,
I lost 25 minutes.
Otherwise, I would've made a much better 'nihari'.
Rajiv doesn't even realise it.
So, it was not a good day.
[applauding]
Celebrity cooks, my cooking journey
began in Delhi.
That's why Delhi and its food matter a lot to me.
It is close to my heart.
I am glad I brought
a Delhi-special challenge for you.
All of you have cooked passionately today.
Now, it's time to know the winner of today's round.
- I think it's obvious. - Yes.
Everyone knows it.
- She got a spoon tap and a hand kiss. Rajiv, it's not you.
Nikki, congratulations!
Nikki, you are the second winner of the redemption week.
That means your apron will also turn white.
Please join Faisal.
- Woah! - Yes.
Congratulations!
- Congratulations! - Well done.
Congratulations!
Finally, I've got my white apron. I'm standing with Faisal.
I am delighted.
I decided to get the white apron today.