Dinner on Masterchef Australia Finale
Congratulations Julie!
Over 3.7 million viewers tuned in to watch the cook off battle between Julie Goodwin and Poh Ling Yeow on last night’s Masterchef Australia finale. I am all the way for Poh (still am!) but unfortunately she is defeated and Julie from Cenral Coast crowned the title of first Masterchef Australia. In all good spirit to support my fellow Malaysian, Poh, on the show; I decided to have my little own Masterchef in the kitchen and had a Malaysian degustation dinner.
It was all bit of a rush, as I also went to the Aroma Festival at The Rocks early in the morning, came home after 3pm so didn’t left much time for me to plan a 7-course degustation menu, I was really feeling the pressure as time pushes on. I am glad that I kind of pulled it off – gosh! I even finished most of the plating. Matt Preston would have been proud. I’ve decided to make Malaysian fusion dishes, using traditional recipe and ingredients, but with modern cooking twist. I think it works, what do you think?
Act 1
The dinner is split into 2 acts – as I have to take a break from cooking and join my fellow foodbloggers on the Masterchef chat while the show is on. It is so amazing to see so many people in the Masterchef chatroom last night with fiery comments while the show was on! Not to mention all the lighthearted comments about Sarah’s outfit. Thanks guys for such a great night!
First off, we have a consommé to start, silken tofu with tobiko in beef sweet broth. The soup is an appetite opener, with its simple and clean taste of sweet broth. The tobiko (flying fish roe) works like a treat on the soft tofu with the occasional pops of saltiness in the mouth. Even the Pom and Big D like it, that’s how you teach white boys to eat tofu. 
Second course is a tasting plate trio consists of tuna in XO sauce with capers Vol-au-Vont, which I made the vol-au-vont myself using puff pastry. It is simpler than than I’d imagined. Then there is also roast five-spiced pork with mustard aioli. The pork ribs are marinated overnight with fermented tofu and five spice powder then roasted in the oven until the meat is tender with an intense saltiness undertone. The most important part is of course the crackling on top. I once had the mustard aioli at Taxi Room in Melbourne and decided to use it with the roast pork. It is surprisingly good with that subtle punch in the nose heat kick on each crunch.
And the last appetizer is pork rillette, water chestnut and shiitake mushroom springroll cigar. The pork rillette is made from the extra roast pork I’ve prepared, shredded then pounded, mixed with chopped water chestnut and mushroom, wrapped in spring roll skin then deep fry. As I want to balance the saltiness of the roast pork with something sweet, so I added a dash of Kicap Manis (sweet thick soy sauce) which also works like an agent to bind all the ingredient together to make rolling it up in spring roll skin a lot easier.
The entree is a prawn dumpling ravioli in sweet broth. I found the most important thing about cooking is understand how to reuse the ingredient and reinvent a whole new dish so it doesn’t go to waste. The prawn is minced and combined with chopped water chestnut, garlic and mushroom then wrapped in the pasta skin. Again, served in the sweet broth I prepared earlier for the consomme. I should have spend more time rolling my pasta skin and it is a little too thick on the edges (oops!), and also I probably will leave the garlic out next time as it gets a bit overwhelming towards the end.
Act 2
Dinner resumes after watching Masterchef finale, broken hearted that Poh didn’t win. But the show must go on, I gather myself together (~*wipe tears*) and head back to kitchen to finish up the dinner. The pre-main is one of my all time favorite dish, slow braised vinegared pork ribs (recipe here). This time I cooked in a manageable portion for three which also means the cooking time has been cut down a lot. The pork is slow braised in vinegar, kicap manis and the most important ingredient – Star Anise to give it that distinctive flavour. I served it with witlof and topped with springy hard boiled egg – my modern twist of a very traditional Chinese dish.
The main is curry chicken I’ve prepared the night before. I bought a whole chicken, chopped into pieces then basically just cooked it in Mr Tean’s curry paste with some potato cubes. (Bet you sick of me talking about Mr Tean…) Just follow the instructions on the back of the packet, the dish is ready in the blink of an eye. The meat is so tender and simply fall off the bone. I served it with soft Roti Pratha with crispy skin, perfect match to soak up all the hot curry sauce. Again, the frozen Katoomba Roti Pratha is so so easy to make. Just heat it up on a frying pan and watch it puff! (Thanks to Chocolatesuze for the recommendation!)
The dinner is finished to a fiery end before we move onto the dessert.
I’ve prepared a small pre-dessert drink as a palate cleanser. A watermelon slush with tapioca in evaporated milk and a mangosteen segment – the watermelon is squashed then blended with ice cubes in a blender to make a slush, topped with some chewy tapioca (sago) and a drizzle of evaporated milk. Absolutely love chewing on the tapioca while sipping the sweet melon icy slush. The mangosteen segment is eaten afterwards to really give the palate a good sweet and soury clean. Mangosteen is not cheap here in Australia at $1.99 each even on specials, but it definitely reminds me of Malaysia, it is one of those type of tropical fruit that I grew up on.
As for dessert, unfortunately I will have to keep it a secret as it is also part of the Daring Baker challenge with one of the rules that it can’t be revealed until the 27th of each month. So you will have to come back that day to drool over it. Sorry. now you can check it out here – a Milano Cookie Tuile.
It was a good meal for a good night of Masterchef Australia. What am I going to do now at 7pm every night without Masterchef, without chatting online…? If you think you can do better than Julie or Poh, why not sign up for the next season of Masterchef Australia?!
Go on, CHOP! CHOP!
A Table For Two (ATFT) is Billy Law's food blog that features best eats in Sydney and around the world with drool-worthy food photography to salivate your appetite. I also throw in a smidgen of my food and travel photography for good measure. Billy Law also happened to be a contestant on MasterChef Australia 2011. 
Looks delicious Billy! And as always, your photos do your every dish justice. What lucky friends you have. Gee – are you thinking of entering as a contestant for the next Masterchef?
And thanks for the Me Tean’s curry reminder. I definitely have to find and try out that stuff!
.-= Forager´s last blog ..Hunanese cuisine at Chairman Mao Chinese Restaurant =-.
Is it too late to ask for a recount and nominate you as [drum roll] [long extended unnecessary pauses] [more unnecessary pauses] AUSTRALIA’S FIRST EVAH MASTERCHEF?
.-= aptronym´s last blog .. =-.
This meal was amazing. We started around 6.30pm and I don’t think we finished until gone 11pm. Each course was perfect with the roast five-spiced pork with mustard aioli a particular favourite. The spring rolls were the best I’ve ever tasted. Your secret regarding desert is safe with me. Thank you!
.-= Peter´s last blog ..What do my web statistics mean? =-.
Amazing man, I like the mustard aioli idea. No kidding, but you should audition for Season 2!
.-= Howard´s last blog ..CookShow&Tell, Wagyu Lunches =-.
The silken tofu with tobiko in beef sweet broth looks amazing! And the palate cleanser looks so refreshing. You should enter masterchef!
.-= penny´s last blog ..Slow cooked curry lamb shanks =-.
zomg so much food! i bow down to the master *bows* and heh spreading the roti love!
just want to know how much do you love katoomba rotis,iam one hard man to convince… i had so many and think they are fake…so please let me know where i could get it thanks
billy… i have to say, i was a little worried about you at the start. when i heard what you were trying to achieve – with a masterchat in the middle of it – i had my doubts.
but billy, you came through. the simplicity of the silken tofu, the 3 different textures on the tasting plate, and i love how you brought a little piece of billy on a plate with your curry chicken. the little palate cleanser, i loved the sweetness of cold watermelon slush and the way you could roll those little pearls of tapioca on the tongue. well done billy. WELL DONE! *bangs table*
.-= Helen (grabyourfork)´s last blog ..High tea at The Loft, King Street Wharf, Sydney =-.
WOW! yummmm
billy, where abouts do you buy “Mr Tean’s curry paste” from? or do you bulk import from msia??
great blog and pics
I know who will be the winner of 2nd series of Masterchef!! You are such an all rounder. It’s truly truly amazing!
.-= Ellie@AlmostBourdain´s last blog ..Parisian Potatoes (Pommes Parisienne) =-.
‘Impeccable!’
“The tofu was soft, silky, gutsy”
“Bang on!”
.-= Karen´s last blog ..The Loft’s Christmas High Tea (and one famous dessert) =-.
CHOP CHOP hehe. it’s time for you to apply for Masterchef. i’m sure you’d be fantastic! i’m glad Julie won as I was going for her.
.-= Simon Food Favourites´s last blog ..Five O’s Bar Restaurant, Coogee (15 July 2009) =-.
A lovely feast Billy…especially that watermelon slush (that’s my favourite!). As for the result of the winner…I’m not surprised given Ch 10′s previous experience with “reality” shows!
.-= Peter G´s last blog ..Caramelised Fennel Relish with Ouzo =-.
Oh my, these looks absolutely gorgeous!!! I’ll sign you up for the next masterchef Australia – take us to your ‘journey’ biyatch!
.-= Yas´s last blog ..Late night self-indulgence. =-.
Wow, your degustation looks even better than the food that was plated up in that finale! Seriously you’d kick Julie’s butt! I’m so impressed you pulled this together after being being at the Aroma festival all day, and then masterchef in between.
.-= Steph´s last blog ..High Teas at The Loft, King St Wharf =-.
The meal looks fantastic! Mangosteen! *drool* The watermelon slush looks delish!
After reading about that curry paste so many times, I must try it now.
WOW! Aroma Festival, MasterChef and this meal? You must be some sort of culinary superhero – yes??
.-= Tina´s last blog ..Smells like festival spirit =-.
I WANT THAT PRAWN DUMPLING!!!!!!
…. that is all
Absolutely divine. I think it’s quite safe to say you’re a culinary genius!
.-= Syrie´s last blog ..Sauteed Silver Beet with Chickpeas & Fried Bread =-.
Hahah where is my portions?! I expected delivery man
hee hee but yeah I told you already, Masterchef Billy! Those pork ribs look soooo gooddd *droool*
Everything looks so good. Especially when comes with roti canai.
.-= Adriana´s last blog ..Soldiers, ready your weapons! =-.
OMG, is it what you make at home??? Look spectacular ! Agree agree that you should go for master chef next year
.-= Ja´s last blog ..Dating with P’Ta and Tan =-.
Oooo that’s so fun of you to hold a dinner party for the finale! I was enjoying airplane food during the finale – definitely nowhere near as pretty or tasty as that degustation lol.
.-= Miss Honey´s last blog ..Cru54, Surry Hills =-.
All I want is that hard-boiled egg. Is that too much to ask? And maybe some watermelon + tapioca. Please?
.-= Belle@OohLook´s last blog ..Sydney Rocks Aroma Festival – rock on! =-.
The meal looks so yummy! You should post the recipe too.
When could I taste them? LOL
.-= Chai´s last blog ..Ryan Phillippe: Muscle & Chopper =-.
Masterchef audition blog? Man, that is one hell of a meal! Pretty and I’m sure pretty tasty.
I can just see your Masterchef intro shot. You just finish taking a photo of some equisite food and then look up and smile to the camera.
Kawan parathas are better than Katoomba, the texture and quality is way better. i recommend trying it