The Big Family Cooking Showdown (2017–2018): Season 2, Episode 14 - Episode #2.14 - full transcript

[Angellica] It's the final
of The Family Cooking Showdown.

[Jasmyn] Yay! It's the final!

-[Qidi] Back to our lucky station!
-[Jasmyn] Oh, yeah!

-[Anup] It's the final!
-[Mitesh] Time to go!

At the start,

sixteen families went head-to-head.

We're looking to be fed and comforted.

We're expecting your very best creations.

So, let's see what you're made of.

Who is gonna be the best cook?

-Let's go.
-[bell rings]



Let's do it.

Stop! Stop!

That's not cooked. It's raw. It's raw.

I'm probably absolutely murdering it.

[glass shattering]

That's yours.

They were all hoping
their brand of home cooking

could triumph.

Bring... it... on.

He who improvises wins.

That is absolutely fine.

I'm very confident because I'm Asian!

If I hear that word "chilled" again,
someone's gonna get hurt.

-Go on.
-ready?



Yeah.

They were judged by us.

Tommy Banks...

I can't believe you've never made
this dish before.

This is one of the best versions
I've ever had.

And me, Angellica Bell.

It's good, isn't it?

Heat by heat...

[Tommy] Three, two, one.

Stop cooking.

...we were thrilled by their cooking.

The dessert is an absolute triumph.

I feel like I'm going on
some sort of fun journey.

It's sweet and sour, isn't it?

And a bit spicy as well.

Is that a bit like your personality?

But one by one,
the families were sent home.

-You've been great sports.
-No problem.

-It's been a great journey.
-We've had a great time.

Thank you for being so amazing.

Now we're left with the two best.

The Whitakers.

The Mistrys.

[clapping]

But who will triumph
in the final showdown?

We're ready.

Our final two families
have battled against each other

five times so far.

-[Andrew] You ready?
-Hello.

[Jasmyn] We've been together
since the beginning.

-I know.
-It's the end now, isn't it?

-[Jasmyn] So, good luck.
-Same to you guys as well.

But today is the very last time.

In Chinese we say,
"Friendship first, competition second."

Aww.

"Third, eat."

Third, eat. Yeah, of course.
You can't miss that. Right? Yeah.

Exactly.

Our first finalists are the Whitakers.

Mum Qidi, Dad Andrew,

and teenage daughter Jasmyn.

Since we first met them...

A Chinese knife is a... karate chop!

...they've wowed us with their
East-meets-West flavors.

I don't like boring food.

I think those fish cakes are beautiful.

Easy work for us! Yeah!

To take the skin
and make little scratchings,

you're talking my language now.

Really enjoyed that.

Thank you!

She's the best mother ever!

They're perfectionists.

[Tommy] Fanning the rice,
that's what we want.

Blood, sweat, and tears.

And it's worth it,
'cause that rice is perfection.

No, no, no, no, no.
Just a sprinkle like that on the top.

The pressure of the competition...

This is Chinese way,
this is not your English egg.

It's not an English egg.

[both growling]

...has sometimes caused friction
in this close-knit family.

We've decided that we've got to be
more organized

and no arguments.

-No arguments?
-Let's see how the rest of the day goes.

You sure?

But when it came down
to the final three...

I'm controlling in the kitchen,

but today, Jasmyn's my boss.

...it was Jasmyn's outstanding baking...

-Was this one dry?
-Well, you'll just have to wait and see.

...that gave them
a fast track to the final.

[Tommy]
I think that is a wonderful dessert.

And perfect.

Jasmyn! You are the star!

Our second finalists are the Mistrys.

Mitesh, his wife Prachi,

and nephew Anup.

It smells great over here.

[Angellica] It smells delicious.

They were determined
to spice up the competition

from their very first dish,

a mouth-watering prawn biryani.

Onions frying and you've made a stock.

You're cooking down the base

-Yes!
-Yeah.

[Tommy] I could eat that
three times a day.

It was very good.

Yeah!

Good job, guys.

What we're doing now is adding
a bit of extra spice in here.

-[Prachi] I have the coriander.
-[Mites] Chopped coriander, lime juice.

To start, they didn't put a foot wrong
with their Indian flavors.

[Tommy] It's absolutely delicious.

It's a ten out of ten dish.

Thank you.

[Mitesh] Three, four, five, six,

seven, eight, nine, and ten.

They treated every round as a banquet.

[Tommy] This is a feast.

It's a real triumph,

and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

-Thank you.
-Thank you.

But an overambitious pudding...

There's so many sensations
going on in there

and so many flavors.

...nearly brought their journey
to an end.

I mean, it does look like frogspawn.

And then you hit me
with this vermicelli pasta.

But I don't know if I'm ready
for all these flavors,

and to have that as well?

I find it thoroughly bizarre.

But their consistency
across the competition...

[Tommy] I like the crust on the lamb.

...saw them win the semi-final

by the skin of their teeth.

The flavors on the lamb are delicious.

And now it's time for both families
to face their final challenge.

[Angellica] Well, hello.

-[contestants] Hi.
-Good morning. Hello.

-Hey.
-Good to see you.

You, too.

Now, for the final,
we have set you an epic challenge.

We're giving you the most amount of time
to cook with, which is three hours,

but expecting you to produce
the most amount of food.

[Tommy] We want to see your family's take

on a big family get-together.

Enough food for a gathering of eight.

[Angellica]
We need you to serve a trio of nibbles,

plus two separate main courses,

and two separate desserts.

Now, Tommy and I
will be judging your nibbles

whilst you're still cooking,
so make sure you serve them up first.

We need you to come up with your best

and most impressive creations.

So you have three hours. Let's get going.

Right, let's get moving.

Oven.

The Whitakers and the Mistrys
have just three hours

to create their feast...

...before one family is crowned
the Cooking Showdown champions.

They've been able to practice
all their dishes at home,

and we'll judge their three nibbles
after an hour.

We have one hour, Anup.

-Really?
-Yeah.

Just reminding.

[Andrew] Our dishes today are,
we've got Chinese dumplings,

we've got Japanese tuna,

and we've got a Thai-influenced dish

which is prawns with vermicelli.

The Whitakers are showcasing their skills
with a Far Eastern twist on their nibbles,

the first part of their family feast.

Seared tuna with a sesame seed crust.

Deep fried Thai prawns
served with chili dip.

And steamed Chinese
lucky packet dumplings

filled with pork and topped
with finely chopped vegetables.

[Jasmyn]
I think my mum's a bit stressed today.

More stressed than she normally would be,
just because she's hurt her finger

and see seems a bit nervous,
a bit scared.

So, I'm trying to keep her in order,
trying to keep her calm,

so hopefully that'll be all right.

[Qidi] I'm very, very nervous.

Just because my finger been cut,
there's many things I can't do.

That finger doesn't help me.

There's only one hour
before we judge the nibbles.

Very, very, very, very...

nervous.

Normally I do this in a second.

And it takes nimble fingers
to fold and fill these intricate packets.

You want that dough to be nice and light,
and those packets really neat.

They need to be well-constructed, too.

Otherwise they'll split
and lose all their filling.

[Qidi] My finger just doesn't help.

[Jasmyn] From my dad's side,
it's like a Western culture,

and then from my mum's side
it's like a...

...Southeast Asia,
kind of Chinese culture,

and then put them together, I'm... mixed.

So they call 'em "third culture kids."

[Qidi] Lots of different kind of food,

different culture, lots of fusion.

That's how I start to get
interest for cooking.

We cook together as a family,
mostly led by Mum.

So Mum will decide what we're cooking
and then we all chip in to help.

-Put the meat in there.
-[Andrew] Okay, Mum.

Mum's the boss.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Andrew] Mmm, harmonious kitchen?
I wouldn't-- Not always.

[Qidi] What else we need?

And it ends up kind of like...

-Shouting.
-"Andrew, don't touch that!

Just let me do it!"

[Qidi] No, you're not having any.
Roll the ball.

-[Andrew] I've been fired, have I? Okay.
-You've been fired.

I fail all the time

'cause my finger couldn't make
them things closed.

-The Whitakers. Final time.
-Hi!

[Qidi] I know.

[Tommy] So tell me about
your Chinese proverb, then.

[Qidi]
"Friendship first, competition second."

-That's really nice. But do you mean that?
-Not today.

-[all laughing]
-Sorry!

I can always count on you
to tell me the truth, Qidi.

But the thing is, we say that,

doesn't matter who win,
we still gonna be friends at the end.

But you'd like to win.

Of course, everybody likes to win.

I was born as very competitive, so...

[Andrew] We're ready.

So, Jasmyn, when you were growing up,
is this the sort of food you had

-at your family get-togethers?
-Yes.

Chinese people have very big families.
Everyone's your uncle, your auntie.

[Tommy] Even if they're not related?

-Uncle Tommy?
-Uncle Tommy.

[Jasmyn] Yeah, Uncle Tommy
and Auntie Angellica.

You can call me cousin.
It makes me sound a bit old.

-[Tommy] A bit old, yeah.
-[laughing]

-[Angellica] Good luck.
-[Andrew] Thank you.

With less than 60 minutes
to produce three sets of nibbles,

and an injured finger,

Qidi's got no option but to delegate.

[Qidi] Can you wrap the shrimp?

-Think you can do it?
-[Andrew] Who?

-You.
-Yep.

Jasmyn, get the shrimps.

Jasmyn, get the shrimps to your dad.

-Potatoes to boil, please.
-[Mitesh] Yeah, I'm doing it.

[Prachi] Yeah.

Meanwhile, the Mistrys are sticking
to what they know best.

[Prachi]
The last time when we did Indian food,

we had a feedback that we had
mellowed down the spice

and made it too Anglicized,

so this time we decided to just make it
the way we like it at home.

And I think we all will be on time, yeah.

Nothing to worry about,
no panic situation.

In just an hour,

we'll be judging their nibbles.

Garlic prawn skewers with prawn sauce.

Vada pav bites,

a take on a Mumbai street food classic.

And potli samosas.

Not the usual triangles,
but shaped like money bags.

So, me and Mitesh,
we've practiced the nibbles twice at home.

And I think with--
collectively, we've practiced it once.

[Prachi] My mum loves to cook,

and everyone in the family gets together
during festivals

and they cook together,

and that's how I learned how to cook.

In terms of my cooking experience,
I started quite young.

Watching my gran and my mum cook,
I think, "I want to try that."

[Mitesh]
It all began for me at university.

I phone Mum, I said, "Right, Mum,
tell me how to make some rice."

So I started off with plain rice,

and it's gone from there
to become one of my passions.

[Prachi] In India, there's a saying.
Atithi Devo Bhava.

So, we treat our guests like gods.

So whenever someone comes to our house,

you know, you just have a feast.

The love that you put into
cooking your dish, that same love

will get reflected in the flavor
that comes out of the dish.

I really enjoy looking at people smiling
when they have my food.

[laughing, clattering in distance]

[Tommy] The Mistrys. Final time.

[Angellica] Yay!

[Tommy]
I was talking to your competition.

They have this old Chinese proverb.

"Friends first, competition second."

I think friends first
and competition second,

because we've known them since day one,

and they're almost like
an extended family for us now.

-[Tommy] Aw.
-So, yeah.

Tell us about
the food you're cooking today.

Anup is making
his dad's recipe for prawns.

Tell us about that, Anup.

Whenever we have, like,
any family get-togethers

or any parties, like,
my dad always makes this prawn recipe.

So this is flavors
that you've grown up with, then?

My dad's traveled a lot for his job,

so this recipe's a bit of a mix, yeah.

So you've really gone back
to your roots.

Today has been about bringing it home.

To bring flavors from North India,
South India,

things we make at home,
and showing that to you guys.

We always look forward to your food.

-[Tommy] Last supper.
-Gonna eat as much as possible!

Yeah.

Okay, this is nice and rested.

Come on!

The Mistrys' menu for the final
stays true to their authentic style,

but as always,
they make life hard for themselves.

Have they given themselves too much to do?

They're really gonna have to
work hard on their timing

if they're gonna pull this off.

I have my fingers crossed.

I am hoping that we get everything done

because it's quite a lot of things to do
in one hour.

[Qidi] Jasmyn, get a cooking pan.

Put lots of oil on it.

Tight. Very, very tight.

In the Whitakers' kitchen,

Qidi's injury means she's had
to give Andrew a fiddly task.

-Tight, very tight.
-I am doing--

Tight.

Very, very tight.

I love it when people wrap prawns
in noodles.

It can be really tasty,
but if the noodles are too thick,

it can go a bit soggy in the middle

and they just don't look very good.

-Very tight.
-I know, you told me.

Andrew, leave it. I do it.
It's not tight enough.

Leave it, leave it, leave it.

Move, move, move.

[groans] Why I have to be everything?
Me, me, me?

I've only got two hands.

Okay, I want my pot of oil.

[Andrew] Ready. Hot.

I've always said I'm in it to win it,
so my eyes are firmly set on the prize.

At the moment I'm doing all right.

Just mixing together the last ingredients
for the vada pav.

Mitesh plans to elevate vada pav,

fried potato balls,

into a refined dish worthy of the final.

What I'm doing is,

I'm gonna make special cups
in which the vada pav sit

and put a nice sweet chutney
in the bottom

which the judges are gonna quite like,
I think, so...

The chutney will have
an authentic sweet flavor

from a special ingredient.

So this is a natural sugar called jaggery,

and it's very unrefined.

So that's why it's this color,

and it's got a completely different, like,
almost like molasses flavor.

-A little bit more liquid can go in here.
-Yeah.

-And a bit more jaggery if you have it.
-Yeah, there's...

some blocks here.

The Mistrys are making vada pav,

deep fried potato pate in a bread cup.

I mean, bread and potato,

it doesn't sound the most interesting,
does it?

I'm 79 percent at the moment.

Once these are fried, I'll be 80.

And once those are presented,
I'll be 81.

While the Mistrys still have lots to do,

the Whitakers are pulling ahead.

And once again, Qidi's back in charge.

Get me a plate. Hurry up.

-[Qidi] God.
-Here, here, here, sorry.

I don't know what you want.

[Qidi] The mood is different today.

I'm a bit grumpy. I know I'm a bit grumpy.

But...

hopefully, at the last
we are gonna be working all right.

Time's ticking away
before we judge the nibbles,

and Prachi's only just starting
the samosas.

Too much dough at the top
and they'll be thick and chewy.

Not enough
and they'll fall apart in the fryer.

[Tommy]
Okay, we've got 15 minutes left, guys.

[Prachi] Come on. Faster, guys.

-We need to fry now.
-Yeah.

People think deep frying food is easy,
but actually it's a risk.

If you don't get the oil
the right temperature,

or you haven't constructed
the parcels in the right way,

it could end up being oily.

Come on.

Yes!

Okay, they're frying.

Come on! No samosa opened up.

Perfect.

Okay, Anup, with the time?

Yeah, I'm good.

I'm gonna start my prawns now.

For the second time in the competition,

Anup's making us a prawn dish.

His first round biryani was a triumph,

so there's a lot riding on
his dad's recipe for prawn skewers.

If anybody knows how to cook the tuna,
it's us.

The Whitakers have the finish line
in their sights

as their third starter hits the pan.

[Andrew] The key is
you've got to have great product,

which I think we've got.

They're serving it lightly seared,

preserving its color and texture.

So these are getting fried,
which is my main concern.

Once they're fried, I can chill,

and then start plating up after that.

These are frying perfectly,

as I wanted, so...

I'm frying for the first time.
This is not my normal job, but...

I think I've done a half decent job here,
so it's good.

[Prachi] That's fine.

Turn your tuna.

[Andrew] Perfect.

-Do you want chutney on the spoon or not?
-No.

[Qidi]
Sorry, I can't leave my samosas alone.

Stay on your samosas.
Answer my question when I ask.

Or you cut. You know how to cut.

-You want some vermicelli?
-Uh...

I can do it for you.

-[Jasmyn] Is that steamed?
-Yes.

-Turn it off.
-Turn it off.

[Andrew] Right.

[Prachi] Do the vermicelli
only if you need it--

[Anup] No, I'm gonna do it.

One minute left.

Andrew, I need a little bit of oil,
a little bit, quick, quick, quick, quick.

[Prachi] Come on, faster.

[Andrew] Use your knife.

No, I know how to do it.

Okay, I'm getting the samosas out now.

[Prachi] They look really nice.

Sauce!

[Jasmyn Tell me what you want,
I'll get it for you.

I'm Chinese, I cannot speak up!

[Jasmyn sighs]

-Leave it.
-Get rid of all these.

[Prachi] They are the crispiest samosas.

Okay, it's time to taste your nibbles.

We asked our families to serve us
three different types of nibbles.

One family member will hear our comments,

while the others will continue
with their main courses.

[Qidi] Ha! Here we go!

The Whitakers have made
sesame seared tuna,

deep fried prawns wrapped in vermicelli,

and despite Qidi's hurt finger,

lucky packet dumplings
filled with spiced pork,

crab, peppers, and sweet corn.

I've got to say that they look
absolutely beautiful.

There's so much color.

There's some drama here
with your dragon tails.

Well done for getting it done in time.

Well, what a way to start
a big family get-together.

It just looks really appetizing.

Your lucky packets, I love them.

There's so much skill in making dumplings,

and you've made them before,
but these are perfect.

Really nice, succulent,

and I like the ratio you've got
with the meat to the dumpling.

I like to taste dumplings.
Sometimes people can be sparse with it,

but it's just a nice balance.

Well, this was just another excuse
to show us how good you are

at making dumplings, wasn't it?

I love the little skill,
the way you use the chopsticks

to open up the little parts
of the parcel

so we can see different colors
of the vegetables.

It's quite an exciting, playful
little snack, isn't it?

So the tuna. That's a real triumph.

You can see the sear on the outside,

and then this beautiful pink color
in the middle,

and the sesame seeds are nicely toasted.

So the tuna's really good.

And then we have these dramatic
dragon tails,

which, you know, it's vermicelli

wrapped round the prawns,

and it's nice, it's tasty,

but maybe a little bit less vermicelli

just so you can taste more of the prawns.

[Andrew] These are quite big for nibbles.

You could've really refined that

by wrapping the noodles
quite neatly around it.

The Mistrys' nibbles are vada pav,

deep fried potato balls,

with a date chutney,

potli samosas filled with chicken
and pea keema,

and spicy garlic prawns

with a vermicelli and a prawn sauce.

This is a very impressive array of food
considering you had just an hour.

And this looks like a real nod
to your Indian heritage,

so it's going to be interesting
to taste our way around it.

It's really refined home cooking,
which I love.

I can imagine that, you know,
you have friends coming over,

your family members,
and this is what you'd present.

So it's still home cooking,
but you've just given it some finesse,

which I like.

Let's start with your samosas.

The chicken has lovely spice to it,
but it's nice and moist inside the pastry.

And I know pastry's
very hard to work with.

I was worried the way you've tied them up
to make the money bag shape,

it might be a bit thick.

But you've done it very delicately.

There's not many folds there,
so it eats really well

and it's the perfect size.

Then we have these bites
that you've produced,

which is almost like a take
on street food.

And I love how you've done
these little bread--

sort of like bread crisps.

So, Anup's dad's prawns.

We have history with prawns
in this competition.

The very first thing you cooked
was a prawn biryani

and it was absolutely delicious.

And Anup's not let you down.
You should be very happy with him.

He's pulled it out of the bag
for your team.

The prawns have been cooked beautifully
in the pan,

there's a bit of spice in them,
you've got nice crisp on the outside,

but they're so sweet
and succulent inside.

The vermicelli noodles
add this wonderful crunch

to what's already
a beautifully flavored dish.

I think you guys
have really excelled yourself.

I think both families have brought
their A-game,

so I think this is gonna be
a really difficult call.

It'll be interesting to see
what you produce next.

I can't wait for this afternoon.

-Guess who's back.
-Hey.

-[Andrew] Hey, how did it go?
-How was it?

It was good!

Dumpling taste perfect.

Our prawn taste good.

It's only a little bit of vermicelli
too much.

And about your prawns...

-It was a hit!
-Nice.

Yeah!

How was it compared to the Mistrys'?

Actually, they are perfect.

The competition's on!

Let's do it.

-[Jasmyn] Let's do this.
-[Qidi] Do this.

-Go.
-Whitakers, go!

Now the families have
less than two hours remaining

to complete two main courses

and two desserts

to decide the winner
of Family Cooking Showdown.

-So let's get the whole spices together.
-Cheers.

-How many spring onions do you want?
-All.

-Chop it?
-Yeah.

Can I just take one onion
so that it's faster?

Because that is time dependent.

-[Mitesh] Don't rush anything.
-[Prachi] Okay.

-Take your time and do it properly.
-Okay.

So we are not mellowing down any spices,

we are giving a part of us
to Tommy and Angellica today,

and I hope they love it.

The Mistrys are cooking a duo
of Indian curries

that they hope will win them the title.

A laal maas lamb
served with khooba roti,

fried okra, saffron rice,

and a cooling sherbet drink.

And for their second main,

they are making Hyderabadi dum chawal,

a special chicken biryani

cooked with a pastry lid

and served with raita.

[Prachi]
It'll be full of flavor and nice and rich.

For the spices to come alive,

you need to cook them
before the tomatoes go in,

which release their flavor.

Okay, keep an eye on cumin.

Yeah, I think that's fine
because it's off

-and it can just retain that heat.
-Okay.

You need to be a master of spices,
like myself.

Then the curries turn out good.

Is this soft enough?

-Yeah.
-Yeah?

The Mistrys' lamb dish
is known as "fury lamb"

because of its fiery heat.

This is the real spice in it.

Mitesh, be careful.

Half, just half first.

-That's it.
-And then later.

Taste it.

But the chilies could overpower
the other flavors.

[Prachi] Can I have some chopped mint
and coriander, please?

-Hello, guys.
-Hey.

-Hello.
-So...

This is your last chance to impress us.

What are you doing to push
all the stops out?

So, I think you gave us feedback before

that we need to make sure
we give you our authentic spices.

Okay.

So we're giving you flavors
from North India, South India,

and bringing it all together
with some of our home-cooked dishes

that we want to serve you today.
Smell this.

-Oh, my God. Do I want to smell it?
-It's hot.

-It's gonna--
-It's hot.

So, you wanted spice,
we're giving you spice.

[coughing]

-So you taking any risks, then?
-Yeah.

Tell me about them.

So we are using a very ancient technique
called "dum."

So you cover the whole pot with a dough,

and then that means that all the flavors
are infused inside.

The dough is not edible, though.

So instead of putting a lid on the pot,
you're making a lid out of dough.

-Yes.
-Wow. And is that a risky thing to do?

How do you know everything's cooked?
Does the chicken go in raw?

The chicken will be partially cooked
and the rice will be partially cooked,

and then it will be put in the oven.

So you won't have tasted this.
So that is the real risk.

We're gonna crack open that dome

-and eat what's inside for the first time?
-Yes.

Okay.

I like it. That's what we need in a final.

-Yeah.
-That's what we need.

You've put the pressure on yourselves.

[Tommy] The Mistrys are really
putting down the gauntlet.

They like to push themselves
and take risks.

And what's really good about them

is that they're bringing
their authentic flavors here.

And that's what they want.
They want us to have this journey,

have this surprise, and be like,
"Wow, this is what we can do."

[Mitesh] Okay, check this rice for me.

More salt.

And this time, rice,
we're 80 percent cooking, right?

Yeah.

The Whitakers are sticking with
an East-meets-West fusion menu.

[Qidi] You need to learn to use
my big knife, Jasmyn.

It's easier.

We are pushing ourself to...

the limit.

To... Well, it's the final, right?

This is our last chance.
We're gonna do it.

Do it.

Qidi's cooking a Thai green curry

with sea bass and Beijing pancakes,

while Andrew's in charge
of the chili beef fillet

with herby roast potatoes,

vine tomatoes,

and minted pea crème fraîche.

[Qidi] This bit?

Or you want this bit?

No, that bit's okay.

A bit further this way.

-This bit?
-Yeah. Carry on, darling.

[Qidi] Like this?

Hello?

Yeah, that's okay.

[Andrew]
This beef's Trough of Bowland.

They rear Aberdeen Angus beef

and I know that they look after the cows
very well.

And that's why you get
this beautiful texture inside.

Beautiful piece of meat.

All we need to do
is make sure we cook it well.

Not too well done in the middle,
a little bit red, that's the idea,

little bit pink.

More.

Where's my recipe?

Dried garlic, dried chili.

-[Tommy] Here we go.
-[Qidi] Hi.

So, you guys, what are you doing
to up your game for the final?

We want to do it very...

'Cause we're a mixed family, right?

We're mixed culture,
were mixed race here, even,

-so we want to do mixed food.
-Okay.

So, Andrew's doing something there,
very British.

So we got some nice roast beef,

which is now marinating,

we got some British potatoes,

British tomatoes.

-So it's a very British dish.
-Right, okay.

And what could go wrong with your beef?

We could overcook it.

So we want it to be a little bit pink
on the inside, nicely marinated.

Then what's the mixed, then?

And I'm doing a Thai green curry.

Doing with a sea bass.

-Okay.
-And then,

eating with Chinese spring onion pancake.

So it's really a mixture.

Just like our family.

The Mistrys' chicken biryani
is at a critical point.

-Anup.
-Yeah?

Can you make a dough for the dum?

[Mitesh] I think this rice is done.

Yeah?

Done.

The chicken and rice
are partially precooked,

then layered in the pot
and sealed with a pastry lid,

before it's put in the oven.

But they won't know
if it's properly cooked

until we break open the pastry.

If I wanted to make my life hard,
I'd make what the Mistrys are making.

Have you seen what they're doing?
It's a massive risk.

I don't know about you.
If I was putting a dish up,

I'd wanna know what it tasted like
before the judges.

[Mitesh] It's nice and spicy.

Like the Mistrys' dum,

the Whitakers' beef has to be cooked
to perfection.

[Andrew] We're keeping
all the flavors inside.

After we sear the meat,
we're gonna put it straight in the oven,

bring it out the oven, then let it rest.

I like the idea that the Whitakers
have got this wonderful piece of beef.

I think that could be
the star of their show.

It should be. I think with beef fillet,

you wanna cook it on a high temperature.

and they've marinated it and it's got
a lot of sweetness in the marinade.

That could catch and burn on the outside.

With their biryani in the oven,

the Mistrys are making a special roti

to serve with their fiery fury lamb.

[Prachi] So when you say "roti,"

you think of, like, soft and fluffy roti,

but this one's different,
it's actually a rotla,

and it's pinched,

so it's one of the most
good-looking rotis from India.

Because the khooba roti
is biscuity and really thick,

and so, you know having a thick bread
with a spicy curry really helps

because you get more of the bread
and less of the curry.

-Don't rush, you keep rushing.
-Okay.

And that's not the only way
they're turning down the heat.

-[Mitesh] I need to chop mint.
-[Anupp There, this the board.

-Okay, I'll do it.
-I'll get the ice.

We're making the lemon
and jaggery sherbet.

Because it is so spicy,

we want to make sure that, you know,
you have something to cool your system.

And we're doing raita,
which is grapes and walnuts.

Also we are doing a saffron rice,

which is cooked in milk
rather than cooking in water,

so that will make sure
that it balances the spiciness.

But there is one last spicy dish.

Anup is making okra fries.

So they're called bhindi kaburi.

What you do is,
you cut the okra in quarters,

take all the seeds out, put it in, like,
quite a nice, spicy flour,

and then deep fry it,
and they turn out kind of like chips.

They taste pretty good.

While their mains are cooking,

Jasmyn is in charge of desserts
for the Whitakers,

and Mum Qidi is helping out.

-Jas.
-Yeah?

-Jelly been made.
-[Jasmyn] Okay, put it in the fridge.

They'll be serving a dark and white
chocolate melt in the middle fondant,

accompanied with a ginger and fruit fizz,

and a lemon cheesecake
with a berry jelly middle

drizzled in a basil syrup.

I am the dessert queen of the family,
I'd like to think.

Um...

My carrot cake did get us through
to the finals, so...

Hopefully this cheesecake and our
chocolate fondant will help us win.

I think the Whitakers
have gone all out with desserts.

They've got two desserts

-with interesting things in the middle.
-Yeah.

I think Jasmyn's carrot cake in her
last round really gave her confidence.

It's like she wants
those desserts to wow us.

With a chocolate fondant,
it's a make-or-break thing.

If you bring that in a final,
you cook it perfectly,

it could win you the competition.

The Mistrys have also made a start
on their desserts.

Check on your sauce, the blueberry sauce.

[Prachi] You need to mash it.

Do you want to mash
these properly, yeah? Prachi?

-Yes.
-Yeah.

Everybody, you are halfway through.

Okay.

Pressure is on,

and the desserts could decide
who wins the competition.

Desserts definitely are sort of
my weakest point,

because at home I don't eat sweet at all.

The Mistrys' first dessert is modak,

a rice flour dumpling
served with a blueberry sauce.

So, modak is sort of a sweet dumpling,

and inside there is coconut and jaggery

mixed with a little cardamom powder,

and you steam it.

Because Indian sweets are really sweet,

we are cutting that sweetness
with the blueberry sauce,

so hopefully the judges will love it.

It's one of the most trickiest
desserts to make

because the dough that I work with

is rice flour,

and rice flour has no gluten,

so it's really difficult
to roll and shape.

When I told my mum that I might try modak,

my mum said,
"Just don't do it. Just don't do it."

Because it's, like,
the most difficult thing to do,

but as I'm a risk-taker,

I thought, "Okay, I want to give my best,"
so I tried this.

I worry about the chocolate fondant.

But Jasmyn said
I don't need to worry about it.

-Are you talking about me?
-[Andrew] Nothing.

[Qidi] Behind you. Sorry.

Anyway, so... We'll see.

[Jasmyn] My chocolate fondants
are going in the oven.

'Kay?

Here we go.

With the fondant under way,

there's no let-up for Jasmyn.

-[Andrew] Jasmyn, how you doing?
-Good.

Okay.

Next she has to put the jellies
in the cheesecake

and get them back into the fridge.

[Qidi] Jas?

How's your cheesecake?

And the pressure of the final
is starting to build.

Mum, does this look good enough?

-Have a look, Jasmyn. Look.
-What? What about it?

-They're not even. Can't you see?
-Yes.

Right, I'll redo the whole thing, then.

-No, you don't have time.
-Exactly.

[Jasmyn]
Well, no need to get all grumpy with me.

If the cheesecake bases aren't flat,

the jelly won't set in the middle.

-Want me to do it.
-No.

So you must make sure the sides
are not hollowed.

-Yes? Freezer.
-Yes.

-Jasmyn.
-Yeah?

-You need to be hurry up.
-Yeah, okay, I know.

It's a bit stressful when my parents
kind of get involved.

Because I think I know what I'm doing.

If you leave it to me,
let me do it at my own speed,

do it at my own pace,
do it my own way,

then...

it will be perfect.

Left for raita.

The Mistrys have only just started
their second dessert.

Now I'm grinding the pistachios
for the Indian rice pudding.

So this is gonna be sprinkled on top.

They're making kheer,

an Indian rice pudding,

served with shahi tukra,

deep fried bread soldiers.

It's a classic Indian dessert,
it's really rich and creamy,

but we are doing it with a twist.

We are using risotto rice
instead of the normal rice.

When you think of a final
of a cooking show,

you don't necessarily put
"rice pudding" and "final" together.

This is not school dinners rice pudding.

You know, this is gonna be
packed full of flavor,

or at least it should be.

[Andrew] Okay, we've got 15 minutes left.

Just as our families need to focus
on their desserts,

their main courses
need their attention, too.

[Andrew] Look at this beef.

Look at this beef.

-Too raw. In. Quick.
-A few more minutes?

-Quick, yes.
-Quick.

A few more minutes.

And they're pulled in all directions.

-[Prachi] Mitesh.
-Huh?

-The biryani needs to come out.
-Yep.

The rice.

-We don't have oven gloves.
-Yeah, we have.

Be careful. Don't hurt yourself.

-It's the last day.
-Yeah.

-Jasmyn, look at your cheesecake.
-I can't.

-Cheesecake.
-Andrew, can you watch my curry?

-Cheesecake can come out.
-Is it done or not?

-It can come out.
-They're not done!

Jasmyn's cheesecakes haven't set.

So Qidi's taking control

-How is Mistrys doing?
-No idea.

I'm not bothered about anyone else,
I'm just bothered about my desserts.

But the basil sauce is still hot.

[Jasmyn] It's melting.
That's why I said leave it in the freezer.

[Andrew] Leave 'em in.
Put them back in. You got 10 more minutes.

[Jasmyn] Look, it's already gone.

[Andrew] Fridge or freezer?

-[Jasmyn] Freezer.
-[Qidi] Freezer!

[Qidi] I fix them. Quick.
Get them back in.

Give me some tea towels.

-[Qidi] Quick!
-[Andrew] Quick.

All right!

[Jasmyn] Oh, my God.

[Qidi] It's okay, leave it. I'll fix it.

[Jasmyn] I said leave them in for longer,
and no one would listen to me!

-Qidi, can you do one curry?
-I'm coming.

'Cause you got more time on that.

-Yeah.
-You can come back to that.

[Qidi] Have you seen it?

-Have you seen the state of it?
-[Andrew] Leave it.

Just leave it in.

Why can no one listen to me?!

I said leave it in for longer.

This is what happens
when no one listens to me!

-Finish the main courses, please.
-[Qidi] Coming, coming.

While she waits to see
if the cheesecakes will set in time,

Qidi needs to focus on her sea bass
to add to the Thai green curry.

-You're just gonna pan fry it, right?
-[Qidi] Pan fry.

Pepper and salt, right? And lemon juice.

Five minutes left.

Five minutes that could be the difference
between winning and losing this final.

-Did you blend it?
-Yeah.

-Mitesh, lamb out!
-Yeah, I'm getting it out now.

Yes.

-Okay, we'll help you.
-Okay.

Mitesh, come on.

[Andrew] The beef is out of the oven,
and we're gonna let it rest.

I think we're okay. Desserts is the issue.

Very, very stressed.

If count one to ten for stress level,
I'm in 100.

Mum, look, it's dipped in the middle
and I don't know why.

-Here we go.
-Get out.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Okay.

One corner of the thing.
The inside of it. Okay, go.

Go.

-[Jasmyn] Is it done?
-Perfect!

They are perfect.
What are you talking about?

Come on, Jasmyn. All done.

Come, out.

-I am so proud of myself!
-Come on.

[Prachi] Okay, I'm gonna take it out now.

-I need something to lift.
-To lift it.

That's fine. My hands are fine.
That's fine.

What do you think?

-[Jasmyn] This beef is cooked too much.
-[Qidi] Yeah.

Way too much.

How is your cheesecakes?

Take it out. Let's plate. Start.

No, that's not even edible!

-I can't open it!
-You need to wait ten seconds.

Okay, slow.

Slow. Right, see what you can rescue.

Okay?

Oh, my days.

[Jasmyn]
Need the dry ice out as well.

-Take one more spoon, Anup!
-Wait. Don't--

Sorry.

[Mitesh] All right, 1, 2, 3. Go for it.

[Jasmyn] I don't care what it tastes like,
it's what it looks like.

[Mitesh] I think it's fine,
what you got there.

Thirty seconds.

Five...

four... three...

two...

one... stop.

-Is that it, yeah?
-Yes.

Well done.

It's been their toughest challenge yet,

and our families have given everything
in their quest

to become the winners
in the Showdown kitchen.

-I think there's lots of positives.
-I feel bad.

-[Jasmyn] No, don't feel bad, it's fine.
-I do feel bad.

Because Jasmyn's
been practicing every day.

Don't cry! Don't cry!

Jasmyn, I'm sorry.

-It's okay.
-It'll be fine. I'm sure.

The important thing is
we still got a good chance to win.

-Yeah.
-Yeah.

Seriously, that is the most stressful
main course we've had to do.

It was quite stressful.

But I think we're good to go.

-Yeah.
-Let's see how they find it. But--

Fingers crossed.

-My, oh, my, was that a rush.
-Yeah.

Tommy and I now have the difficult task

of judging our families' dishes

for the very last time.

Today has been everything we expect
of a final.

Totally epic.

You've all put yourself under
a huge amount of pressure,

that means we have
some beautifully presented food.

Tommy and I just want to say
that we totally understand that cooking,

as a family,

isn't easy.

Over the series and also today,

we've had drama, tension, tears,
and lots of laughter.

But when you strip it all back,

the most important thing
is that you have special family units,

and you both are
exceptional cooks as well.

I'm just an emotional person.

Okay.

She's doing it now.

Yeah, but she's crying.
It's so infectious.

Like, I can't hold it.

-It's your fault.
-It's your fault, guys.

Right, the Mistrys. Come on up.

For their family get-together feast,

the Mistrys cooked Tommy and I
a traditional Indian

one pot chicken biryani

with layered basmati rice,

topped with a pastry lid,

with a grape and walnut raita.

And a hot and spicy lamb curry
with flatbreads.

To accompany the main courses
are fried okra,

saffron rice, and a cooling sherbet drink.

As always with you guys,

you create a banquet, don't you?

There's so many things to go at,
but I think it looks very homely,

and this looks fit
for a big family gathering.

I love the fact that you decided to use
your Indian heritage

as the real inspiration
behind these dishes.

Throughout the competition,

presentation has always been
one of your strengths,

and this is the final
and you've brought it once again.

So well done.

It's certainly always a risk

putting up a dish
where you haven't tasted it at the end,

so I think we should start by
cutting straight into the rice dish.

Your dum dough chicken and rice dish

is just...

an amazing surprise,

just to open that dough
and then to eat the contents,

which is so well-seasoned,
and the chicken falls off the bone.

It's a delight. It's brilliant.

I just think it's a stroke of genius.
It's great.

When you're in a final, you've got
to do something which is really wow,

and I think this is that.

The lamb...

I was worried might be overpowered
by the spices.

You told me this was gonna
blow my head off,

Well, it doesn't blow my head off at all.
I think it's perfectly balanced.

The spices have been used sympathetically
and cooked out well.

The dish has layers of flavor,

it's been expertly made.

It's a fantastic curry,

one of the best I've eaten.

Thank you.

[Tommy] The okra, I'm not so keen on.

It's slightly bitter.

I think it's been fried
for a bit too long,

so it's got that almost
sort of burnt cork taste,

which is a real shame.

But the raita has a lovely cooling effect
on the whole dish

and I think it brings everything together.

And the sherbet drinks at the end
just really cleanse the palate,

balancing out the heat and those flavors.

Everything here is so authentic
and true to you,

and when I see this and taste this food,
I sort of-- I get you.

So I'm just really impressed,

and what's nice is that you
really worked well as a unit,

and you wanted to prove something
and you have.

Thank you.

For their final main course,

the Whitakers have served
a chili beef fillet

with herby roasted potatoes,

vine tomatoes,

and minted pea crème fraîche.

They also made a sea bass
Thai green curry,

accompanied by spring onion pancakes.

So I love the fact that you've used

different people's influences.

You've got a Thai dish,

we've got the lovely Beijing pancakes
you've made as well,

but then a very British dish as well,

using beef that's from very local
to where you live,

which I think is a really nice touch.

Are you happy with how the beef's cooked?

Uh, it could've been
a little bit more redder.

[Tommy] Let's start with the beef.

I think the marinading
was a really good idea.

It's a beautiful way to do a beef fillet
and the flavor works really well.

Personally, I like mine
kind of medium rare.

So I think that's quite badly overcooked.

The chili and mustard sauce
works really well with it, though.

The peas have a wonderful flavor,
and the new potatoes are nice and sweet

It does feel like quite a nice
British roast dish.

I think the best dish, though,
is the Thai green curry

with the sea bass.

I think the flavors
are brilliant and lovely,

and I like that you haven't
put rice with it,

that you've used Beijing pancakes.

I like the flavor in it,
I like that texture,

and to go with the Thai green curry
works really well.

[Tommy] The Beijing pancake...

it's quite stodgy, but when you
dip it into all the sauce,

it works really well.

I love your Asian influences
and your cultural influences.

Everything about your family,
you're all bringing it here on this plate.

Good effort.

Thank you.

For dessert,

the Mistrys cooked modak,

a classic Indian sweet dumpling
with a coconut filling,

accompanied by a blueberry sauce.

Their second dessert is a spiced
rice pudding,

served with shahi tukra,

bread fried in sugar syrup.

[Angellica] We have your two desserts.

-Modak.
-[Prachi] Yes.

[Angellica] And kheer.

So this modak, I've never had it before.

But I heard your mother said,
"Don't make this,"

because it's too hard.

And are you happy with the results?

I am very happy with the results.

Let's find out if we're happy with it.

The modak. I don't usually like
these sort of steamed...

low-gluten doughs as a dessert.

I find them quite savory
and I want something rich.

But I think you got the ratios just right.

The modak dough isn't too thick at all

and actually has got really nice flavor
and texture,

it's nice and soft.

It's very moreish.

The way you've manipulated the coconut
inside is almost like marzipan.

It's rich, but it's nutty,

it's got a sweetness,
but a little saltiness,

a little bit of savoriness,
It's a wonderful little dessert.

And the blueberry compote just adds
that sourness that you need

to make a dessert really delicious.

I'm very impressed.

[Angellica] Then we have your take
on an Indian rice pudding.

It's really well seasoned.

You know, we've got
the pistachios in there,

the pops of pomegranate in your mouth

that mix in with the rice.

And the rice is cooked really well,

because there's always a danger
with rice pudding

is that you overcook the rice.

The little toast I find
a bit savory for it.

The rice is quite
a savory dessert as it is.

I think that could've been sweeter.

Maybe if you'd have got
some cinnamon sugar on there

and really cooked it up,
that might've helped it along.

But delicious desserts.

What I think these desserts say
is that you guys have skill.

You know how to cook,

you know how to present things,

and both of those taste really nice
and they're really authentic.

-Really good.
-Thank you.

Finally, the Whitakers' dessert.

Dark and white chocolate
melt in the middle fondant

served with a ginger and fruit fizz.

And a lemon cheesecake
with a raspberry jelly center.

I've cried on television
about ruining desserts.

[Angellica and Tommy laughing]

But it doesn't matter.
It's here and you've presented two dishes.

Your chocolate fondant looks great,

you've used gold on it
and made it a real event.

So well done.

I know you're disappointed,
but pick yourself up.

Okay? We haven't tasted it yet. All right?

What I'm gonna do is tell you the truth.

Okay?

Although the cheesecake...

does not look great...

it tastes unbelievable.

It's really, really good, Jasmyn,

and I think I'm gonna have to say that
you are...

probably the best dessert maker
we've had in the series.

[laughing]

The cheesecake is smooth,
has a lovely hint of lemon in there,

the basil syrup really complements it,

and I love that little surprise
of the berry jelly in the middle.

When your cheesecake collapsed,

if you'd have grabbed a glass
and just spooned it all up in there,

dressed the top up nicely,

I think you'd have got away with it.

Because it's absolutely wonderful flavor.

I could eat all of this
and not leave you any.

Thank you.

The key to making
a good chocolate fondant, actually,

people think it's cake...

It's not just about cake,
it's almost like a mousse mixture

that you then bake.

You've got to whisk up the egg yolks
with the sugar

and make it ultimately light,

and then when you bake it,
it holds the structure

yet stays runny and oozes out the middle.

So it is a really difficult thing to make.

And this one's been made brilliantly.

So I think that's a real triumph
of a dessert.

-Well done.
-Thank you.

-Thank you.
-Thank you.

Mum!

We asked you to create some dishes
to blow our socks off

for a big family gathering.

Well, you've stuck to your side
of the bargain,

now it's time for us to do our part.

We're gonna go have a little chat.

And of course only one of you
can be the winner today.

I thought those nibbles were fantastic.

-You know, they did really well.
-Yeah, I agree with that.

And then we asked for two main courses.

Now, both families produced
excellent elements in all of their dishes.

Yeah, they did.

It's okay, whatever happens.

-We'll feel happy if they win.
-Yeah.

-And the desserts were tasty.
-Yeah, really tasty.

But then we have Jasmyn,
who took control of the desserts

for the Whitakers.

Now, let's put aside the presentation
of the cheesecake.

At the end of the day,

she produced two amazingly tasty dishes

and they were fantastic.

Yeah, delicious.

[sighs]

So that gives us a lot to think about,
but we also need to consider

how both families performed
throughout the whole competition.

You're right.

Families, we wanted extraordinary food
in the finals

and you've certainly delivered that.

It's been so inspiring to see

how much you've all grown
over the contest,

and as the stakes got higher,
your food just got better and better.

The Whitakers.

You brought together East and West.

Not just in your family,
but also in your food

to brilliant effect.

The Mistrys.

Your bold, original take
on Indian home cooking

has been consistently impressive.

For both of us, it's been a pleasure

to taste and to judge your food.

You've cooked together in every round

and it's always been neck and neck.

So, after much thought and discussion,

Tommy and I have decided that the winners

of Family Cooking Showdown 2018 are...

The Mistrys.

[Qidi] We know from day one.

-Well done!
-We know.

Congratulations.

The Mistrys were brilliant throughout
the whole competition.

They were original, dynamic, and creative.

Brilliant nibbles,

brilliant mains,

and brilliant desserts.

They were the deserving winners.

[laughing, cheering]

We won Family Cooking Showdown!

-Thank you.
-[Tommy] Excellent.

-[Angellica] My little green goddess!
-We knew you were good.

[Tommy] Cheers to the dessert queen.

-Thank you!
-Congratulations.

My favorite part of the series has been,
I think, the competition.

And having to face up to the Whitakers
throughout this whole journey,

I think it's pushed us
and pushed the bar up time and time again,

and seeing what they produce, we produce,
learnt a lot through this process.

Actually, lose to the Mistrys is...

We think from day one they're gonna--

-So it's an honor to lose to the Mistrys.
-They are really good.

-We knew they were good from day one.
-We didn't think we'd come this far.

We thought we'd be out by round one, so...

The Family Cooking Showdown
proved the Chinese proverb again that...

"One rope don't have the strength,

several ropes are very strong."

So teamwork is the best.

I've been waiting to do my victory dance.