Ali goes up in flames!
In MasterChef South Africa, you’re only as good as your last cook. Just a week after winning the first episode and a state-of-the-art Beko fridge, Ali Sonday (30), a Senior Attorney from the Western Cape, was sent home in a shock elimination.
In the show’s piping-hot second episode, sizzling with high drama, Ali’s frying pan also caught fire and, instead of the usual three, the judges called forward six home cooks whose dishes didn’t measure up to those of their fellow contestants. Ali, Calvin, Josh, Shoki, Mahlatse, and Phil all feared it would be their last cook in the MasterChef kitchen. But, ultimately, Ali’s partially burnt food cost him his place in the competition.
While the home cooks were tasked with creating dishes inspired by their childhood memories in the previous episode, this week’s focus shifted to the judges. The judging trio each unveiled the meal they would want to enjoy as their “last supper.” Then the home cooks had to reimagine these last meals within 75 minutes.
However, in true MasterChef South Africa fashion, a twist awaited: the three judges’ dishes were randomly allocated.
Chef Katlego Mlambo challenged the home cooks to put their own spin on his pap, lamb chops and chakalaka, which had to be washed down with beer.
Meanwhile, Zola Nene chose lamb curry with steamed bread, sometimes called “dombola” or “isonka samanzi”, coleslaw, and tomato relish, alongside her favourite drink, ginger beer.
Judge Justine Drake described her last meal as “a little bit posh”. It comprised roast chicken, artichokes, boiled potatoes, creamy mayonnaise, and decadent nutty dark chocolate, accompanied by Chenin Blanc.
From the outset, Ali dreaded the possibility of getting Chef Katlego’s dish, knowing he would be completely out of his comfort zone. Pap had never been a staple in his household, and even more daunting, Ali had never cooked pap before. So Ali decided to spice up Chef Katlego’s “last meal” with an Indian flavour. The lamb chop was done tandoori-style, and the pap received a curry treatment.
However, while Ali was working on this dish, Josh noticed alarming flames at Ali’s workstation. Ali’s pan was too hot, and the clarified butter he used instantly ignited upon hitting the surface. Both Ali and Josh lost valuable time.
Still, as the incident happened before he added the lamb, Ali was optimistic about his meal and patted himself on the back for how his first attempt at making pap had turned out.
Unfortunately, at the tasting table, the judges weren’t impressed with Ali’s “Tandoori lamb chop with tomato chutney and pap infused with curry leaves and coriander served with pickled carrots”.
Chef Katlego felt Ali overworked the tomato chutney, resulting in “a bit of a bitter, unpleasant taste” that rendered it “borderline inedible”. Judges Zola and Justine shared Katlego’s sentiment. Even worse, the tandoori-spiced yoghurt, the element supposed to hold the dish together, was scorched.
As Judge Justine summarised, there are two unforgivable sins in the MasterChef kitchen: raw food and burnt food. Unfortunately for Ali, his dish fell into the latter category.
On the contrary, the three judges were in awe of Benjie’s plate. Named the winner of the challenge, Benjie stunned them with a taste sensation, based on Zola’s dish –his “Lamb cutlet with apple coleslaw and a mustard and ginger beer flatbread.
Next week, the remaining 17 contestants might be driven to tears in a challenge built around onions.
MasterChef South Africa airs in its new home on e.tv on Sundays at 18:00, with simultaneous streaming on eVOD Live TV. Episodes are rebroadcast on Saturdays at 17:00, with additional rebroadcasts on eExtra on Saturdays at 20:30 and eReality on Sundays at 17:00.
The series is produced by the multiple-award-winning production company Homebrew Films for Primedia Studios.