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| Photo from MasterChef Asia FB Page |
- This episode, the MasterChef Asia contestants had another team challenge. The contestants were faced with the difficult task of running their own Hawker Stalls in Lau Pa Sat, Singapore.
- The contestants were divided into three teams of four (at random), each with a Hawker Stall that is assigned a particular cuisine. The team with the least number of votes will be facing elimination.
- The teams were given 2 hours to prepare their dishes before their stalls will be open to the public. They were also given 10 minutes to plan for their dishes.
- The contestants will be cooking either Indian cuisine, Malaysian cuisine, and Chinese cuisine.
- Marcus won the last challenge and he chose Indian cuisine, I don't think he took into consideration the preference of the regular customers of Lau Pa Sat. I think they would be more inclined to eat Malaysian or Chinese food rather than Indian food.
- Each contestant had to choose an apron from a large pot. Here are the teams for tonight's challenge:
- The Red Team (Chinese Cuisine) was composed of:
- Vonny - Team Captain
- Ha
- Jasbir
- Alice
- The Blue Team (Indian Cuisine) was composed of:
- Marcus - Team Captain
- Lica
- Leong
- Sandrian
- The Green Team (Malaysian Cuisine) was composed of:
- Blanche - Team Captain
- Rico
- Priya
- Lennard
- Each team had their own strengths and weaknesses. Based on the people on the team, I am expecting the Green Team to struggle and the Red Team to do quite well because they have Alice, Jasbir, and Ha on the team. The Blue team had 3 of my favorite contenders but the choice of cuisine might be their downfall.
- The Green Team used the spice paste for both the Laksa and the Chicken and Beef Satay. That's a glaring error on their part and it's one reason why they weren't able make enough Laksa.
- The Red Team wanted to make some pancakes but too bad they didn't have a nonstick pan around. Vonny tried making pancakes in the Wok and failed - it's another Jake-like incident that may cost them.
- It's very funny watching Sandrian boss around the Blue Team - even Marcus. Haha.
- Rico didn't do well skewering the Chicken and Beef Satay and he was even called out because of he had uneven portions per stick. Rico struggling again and the judges are right to worry about him.
- Alice used the sirloin for her Five Spice Braised Beef dish. She used the wrong cut and that resulted in a very dry dish. At the end, they decided not to serve it. What a waste of time and effort, I'm sure the flavor was there.
- Blanche had the brilliant idea of serving small portions of Laksa and Satay. A smart decision because they only made a small amount so that they can still serve a lot of customers. They did run out of Laksa around 15 minutes into service though.
- The Red Team a;so ran out of Chicken Rice 15 minutes into service. That will probably cost them the challenge. They eventually ran out of Silky Tofu and Tofu Balls as well.
- The Blue Team made really tasty and authentic Indian food. They even have a raving India-born customer as proof of that.
- The judges really loved all the Blue Team's dishes. They say the food the team cooked really brought them back to India. Great job!
- The judges didn't like the Beef Satay from the Green Team because it the portions were very uneven. They really loved the Banana Fritters though. They weren't able to try the Chicken Satay and Laksa because the team ran out of it.
- The judges had the Hainanese Chicken Rice from the Red Team and they didn't like it because it didn't have enough flavor. They had the Silky Tofy with Ginger Sauce and they really loved the sauce.
- The Green Team, surprisingly, had the most number of votes with 171. Great job even though they ran out of Laksa. I thought they would lose after all the mistakes they made.
- The Red Team lost this challenge with 119 votes. They nearly dodged a bullet if only they served the Five Spice Braised Beef. A glaring error on their part. If they did, the Blue Team would have lost this challenge as they only had 131 votes - a mere 12 vote difference.
- At the end of the day, it was Alice from China who got eliminated after cooking Chinese cuisine. The irony. I think the judged made the right call on tonight's challenge, but I really don't like seeing people go after team challenges. They should go through a pressure test instead.
Here's a list of what each MasterChef Asia team cooked today.
- Red Team
- Hainanese Chicken Rice
- Deep Fried Tofu Balls
- Silky Tofu with Ginger Sauce
- Five Spice Braised Beef - wasn't served
- Blue Team
- Roti Parata Bread (Chapati) and Cauliflower
- Chicken Curry
- Pilau Rice
- Mixed Fruit Yoghurt
- Green Team
- Beef Satay
- Chicken Satay
- Laksa
- Banana Fritters
I would love to hear your thoughts on the episode, so please do leave a comment. Who do you think has what it takes to win MasterChef Asia?
Further reading you might like:
- A Primer on MasterChef Asia
- MasterChef Asia Season 1 Episode 2: Recap and Thoughts on Episode 2
- MasterChef Asia Season 1 Episode 3: Recap and Thoughts on Episode 3
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Cheers,
Chef Jay
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