My Kitchen Rules SA Comes Home

Three Through, Two Out

Abraham & Michelle, Azraa & Waven and Shaeem & Mas-ud will compete for the My Kitchen Rules SA season 4 title and the R1 Million prize in next week’s final after Larcé & Jabu and Jessica & Nicole were eliminated in a ‘double cook’ this week (4 December, 18:00 on M-Net Channel 101).

Idyllic Knysna was the setting for the two-part challenge – but the contestants didn’t have much time to appreciate the beautiful scenery with eliminations looming. The first challenge saw the contestants tasked with preparing a dish that honoured oysters and the second, preparing a vegan dish inspired by the lush forest around the seaside town. The duo who prepared the least impressive dish in each challenge would be eliminated immediately.

The oyster challenge immediately had Larcé & Jabu and Shaeem & Mas-ud worried, as they were unfamiliar with the taste and texture of the molluscs. All the contestants seem to have been doing some studying as gels, foams, mignonettes, caviars and soils found their way onto the menu as part of the three elements that had to support their oyster dishes. Some of them quickly found that their ‘science experiments’ were a bridge too far under the pressure of producing three variations in an hour and they were soon ditched for more practical accompaniments.

While the judges found positives and negatives for each dish, the least impressive dish of the challenge was Larcé & Jabu’s ‘Oyster with passionfruit vinaigrette and a second cooked oyster with garlic sauce and chilli salsa’. Judge David Higgs said that although the passionfruit vinaigrette was fresh and clean, the flavour of the oyster had gotten lost. J’Something said that the passionfruit flavour had completely overwhelmed the flavour of the oyster, while the second cooked oyster had lost much of its freshness. As Larce & Jabu departed, J’Something praised their ‘big, bold flavours and big, bold personalities’.

The remaining four pairs of contestants then made their way into the forest and, after J’Something encouraged them to just stop and breathe in the scents and listen to the birdsong, they were briefed to create a vegan dish that captured the sensory experience of sitting in the heart of the greenery. They had one hour to prepare a dish with four elements, one of which needed to be smoked and captured the essence of the forest.

With the science of the previous challenge abandoned, the contestants presented their dishes: Azraa & Waven a Smoked Aubergine & Spinach Curry Roti; Abraham & Michelle a ‘Sunday Roast in the Forest’ comprising aubergine steak  and onion gravy; Jessica & Nicole a spinach & ricotta ‘Forest Ravioli’ and Shaeem & Masud a Broccoli Forest Steak with butternut, carrot & baby marrow roulade.

While David enjoyed the ‘bite’ of Abraham & Michelle’s aubergine and J’Something was impressed with the innovative roulade and magnificent plating of Shaeem & Mas-ud’s dish, they felt that Azraa & Waven had hidden the vegetables in a roti they hoped to pass off as a ‘fallen log’ and that Jessica & Nicole had failed to ‘hero’ the vegetables in their dish.

The decision then was between Azraa & Waven and Jessica & Michelle – and was ultimately made on the lack of smoke in the latter duo’s dish, eliminating them for a second time. The teary duo said it had been a privilege to cook and learn as sisters and that they felt they’d redeemed themselves in the previous two challenges after being saved from elimination before.

Their elimination means Abraham & Michelle, Azraa & Waven and Shaeem & Mas-ud will compete for the R1 million prize in next week’s My Kitchen Rules SA final, where they’ll have to dazzle the judges with the ultimate three-course meal that shows off their skills, passion and heritage.

My Kitchen Rules SA is produced by PictureTree and proudly sponsored by Nederburg. The series is available on DStv Premium on M-Net (Channel 101) every Sunday at 6pm from 4 September 2022, as well as live streamed on the DStv App, and is also available on DStv Catch Up after broadcast. Visit the M-Net website for exclusive show content and join the conversation on Twitter (@MNet), Instagram (@mnettv), and Facebook (@MNet) using #MKRSA and #mnet101.