MasterChef Season 16, Asia-Pacific Audition Brought 8 Home Cooks In Kitchen, And 5 Got White Aprons

Season 16 of one of the much-loved cooking shows on Fox, MasterChef, has begun. Last week, five contestants from Europe had their hands on the white aprons, which means they got to move forward in the show. This week, the audition was in the Asia-Pacific region, and a total of 8 home cooks entered the kitchen, and only 5 got the white aprons. The contestants were given 45 minutes to prepare a signature dish, each, which would be rooted in their heritage.

For the unversed, season 16 is having a World Cup-inspired theme, which means the best home cooks who will be running in the next race to be America’s next ‘Master Chef‘ will be from the USA, but will represent four global territories, including the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia-Pacific. So, who are the five contestants who are going forward? Let’s have a look! This week’s challenge was that the dishes should have a story attached to them, along with a top-notch restaurant-like execution. 5 contestants left the judges in awe, who had their hands on aprons.

Spoilers Alert!

Aishu from India had her white apron

Aishu from India was the first of round 2 of MasterChef season 16 auditions. Aishu was born in India, and her parents brought her to the US to fulfil her American dream. She is a mother of three and also a professional dancer. While the challenge was to keep the dishes rooted, Aishu didn’t lean into making traditional Indian sweets, given the high amount of sugar, and rather, she made orange, cardamom and olive oil cake with vanilla mascarpone cream, blood orange coulis, and pistachio crumble. Well, with her homestyle, delicious sweet Aishu got the white apron to move forward in the show.

Foo from Vietnam is moving forward with a white apron

While being in the show, Foo from Vietnam revealed that his name’s meaning is luck. Well, for Foo, his mom is the real master chef. To impress the judge, he made Vietnamese egg rolls filled with crab, shrimp, and pork, served with a dashi dipping sauce and herb cabbage salad, and instantly left them in awe with his skills. Foo’s dish was not only traditional but also had a story tied to it. Foo’s family immigrated to the US, and his mom, who is now suffering from dementia, had gotten help. As they had no money to repay, she would often cook the Vietnamese egg rolls. 

Shompa from Bangladesh showed her Bengali roots, and the judges were in awe

Shompa, who is currently in Brooklyn, arrived on the show, and revealed that she is from a small fishing village in Bangladesh. She also revealed that she wanted to show her Bengali culture and thus, she would prepare a fish dish. She went on to make halibut bhuna with fragrant rice and dal, and it was an easy choice for the judges to say ‘yes’ to as she did perfectly fine. Given that halibut is a complex protein and contains no fat, there remains a chance for it to be overcooked, but Shompa proved her skills, and the result? The white apron.

Jaime from Malaysia and Daniel from China were the contestants to have their hands on white aprons

Jamie, whose father is an inspiration for her, prepared wagyu beef satay with peanut sauce and coconut rice, and earned an easy yes from the three judges. On the other hand, Daniel showed his creative touch with tofu and ricotta ravioli with mapo sauce and rice tuile. He was eight when he started cooking, having started a culinary club in college. With all the experience, it’s understandable why Gordon said ‘yes’ while calling the dish ‘Bl**dy Good’.

PC: Fox

What do you think about the first audition of MasterChef season 16?

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