Episode 13 of MasterChef South Africa aired last week and of course I have to share my views. Having been part of the fourth season of MasterChef, I can’t help but compare while watching the show. Read my episode summary below.

Fun fact - my lighting company LLSA supplied all the lights in the pantry and around the studio, and we are mentioned as a sponsor in the credits. 

Spoiler Alert

If you are behind, I recommend you stop reading now!
Click here read up more about the MasterChef season 5 contestants, or read the summaries from the previous MasterChef episodes if you’re trying to catch up.

Want to Watch MasterChef South Africa?

MasterChef South Africa Season premiered on Saturday July 13 at 7:30 pm on S3, and new episodes are aired every Saturday.
If you miss it an episode, it will be rebroadcast every Sunday on S2 at 6:30 pm and on Wednesdays on S3 at 6:00 pm.

Looking back - What happened on the previous MasterChef episodes?

Click here to jump straight to episode 13 and skip the summaries of the previous episodes.

In the first episode, contestants had to make a chicken dish with a sauce or a broth, but for it to be at MasterChef-worthy standard. They were given 90 minutes and their dish needed to include a mirepoix (a mixture of diced vegetables cooked on a low heat in oil or butter) and it needed to include a Bouquet Garni, which is a bundle of herbs. In traditional French cuisine this includes parsley, bay leaves and thyme but other herbs can be added too. 

What was most shocking about this first episode, is that the contestants went down from 20 to 15 in one go. The contestants who were eliminated in the first episode were Lucas, Lesego, Robyn, Andrew and Ella. 

In the second episode, contestants had to use the single humble ingredient of an apple, and think of the apple of their eye in their life when cooking. The contestants were allowed to make something sweet or savoury.  No contestants were eliminated and Naledi won the mystery box challenge.

In the third episode, Naledi was up in the gantry as a reward for winning the mystery box challenge in the previous episode. The remaining contestants were challenged by guest judge Chef Nokx Majozi in a pressure test to recreate her signature Pepper Steak Pie. Tina, Bridget and Amo had made the best pepper steak pies, and Tina won the elimination challenge. Nash, Lona and Melanie found themselves in the bottom three and Melanie was eliminated. 

In the fourth episode, the contestants were asked to pay tribute to and draw inspiration from the judges’ star signs when creating their dishes in this challenge. They couldn’t choose which judge’s star sign they were going to base their dish on, but it was an elimination based on chance as they had to choose a card in order to determine which protein they would be cooking. Chanel, Shreya and Zak found themselves in the bottom three. Zakariyya Ibrahim (Zak) went home as his curry failed to deliver. According to Judge Katlego, the lack of seasoning was his downfall and both the rice and carrots were overcooked, and the dish was not balanced.

In the fifth episode, guest judge Jackie Burger challenged the contestants to use fashion models and their incredible outfits to make their own creative interpretation of the outfits. Nabela, Ketsia and Tebogo were in the top 3 and Amogelang Maluleke (Amo), Tzu Ting Long (Tina) and Penny in the bottom, with Tina from Home Bao going home in the end.

In the sixth episode, MasterChef contestants competed in their first team challenge. The episode took place at Durbanville Hills wine estate. Contestants were welcomed to the award-winning Tangram restaurant by cellar master Pieter-Niel Rossouw and Head Chef Tamzyn Ehlers. Tebogo was Team Captain for the Blue Team (made up of Naledi, Chanel, Amo, Shreya and Nabila) and Nash headed up the Red Team which also included Penny, Ketsia, Nash, Bridget, Lona and Refe. Contestants needed to create a ‘Buffet of New Beginnings’ which was basically an interactive buffet table re-inventing old-style buffet combinations and pairing creations with wine from the Durbanville Hills Collectors Reserve range. Ultimately, the blue team took home the victory.

The seventh episode saw Penny, Ketsia, Nash, Bridget, Lona, Refe and Nash battling it out against each other in a elimination challenge. They were given an hour to showcase their creativity by whipping up a gourmet meal from the judges’ typical month-end leftovers and were only allowed to use 20 classic frugal South African staples. Ultimately Ketsia’s flatbread and tuna salad dish did not meet the mark and she was eliminated from the competition.

In the eight episode contestants were asked to embrace the air fryer revolution and use it as their main cooking method to reinvent a classic potato dish to a modern bistro-worthy delight. Nash, Chanel and Lona cooked the top 3 dishes and Bridget, Tebogo and Naledi found themselves in the bottom three. Chanel won the challenge with her potato dauphinoise with chorizo caramelised crisp and a little bit of lemon and she was given the opportunity to win an Immunity Pin. She did need to beat Herman Lensing at his game - Herman has published several cookbooks and three with air fryer recipes specifically so he is South Africa’s leading expert on cooking with air fryers. This is when mysterious guest rode in on a Pick ‘n Pay asap! scooter… me!

I took two paper bags out my Pick ‘n Pay asap! scooter, one with a “Land” and one with a “Sky” sticker on them. With that, the judges left to the back and I was left to be the referee for the challenge. Chanel chose “Sky” and needed to cook with duck, whilst Herman Lensing was given lamb.

With the ninth episode we reached the halfway mark of the competition. The top 10 walked in in white aprons and were challenged with making a plant-based dish using the humble cabbage as the hero ingredient. Amo, Nabila and Shreya found themselves in the bottom three, but were safe from elimination due to it being a non-elimination challenge. Refe, Chanel and Lona were in the Top 3 and Lona won 50,000 rand to the best dish.

In the tenth episode, Shreya announced that she would be leaving the MasterChef kitchen without participating in the next challenge. She had been struggling with anxiety throughout the competition, and after receiving “some unfortunate news” from her family, she left, calling it “an act of self-love and an act of self-care.”

After Shreya walked out, the the MasterChef contestants welcomed celebrity chef Alessandro Khojane, “Sotho Italian” (owner of Gemelli in Bryanston). Contestants are given two hours to create an Italian-South African dish. Naledi won the challenge with her chicken roulade.

In the eleventh episode, Naledi spent the challenge on the gantry after winning the challenge in the previous episode. As the contestants soon found out, it was a A Mystery Box Team Challenge. They were divided up in teams of two, with Chanel alone in the yellow team after Shreya had pulled out of the competition in the last episode. To even things out, the judges brought back Refe, who was only just eliminated one episode prior. Each team is provided a different meat parcel and they are each tasked to making 1.5 kgs of wors, cooking it on the hibachi, and serving their with modern side dish of a heritage starch and a tasty sauce or gravy. Last but not least, they are required to make a true South African delicacy: skilpadjies. All of this, needed to be done within the 2.5 hour time frame. The wors needs to be made the old fashioned way: using a manual meat grinder found in their mystery boxes. In the end, the Green Team made up of Nabila and Lona took home the victory. This means that they will be safe from the next challenge, spending it on the gantry, and can’t be eliminated from the competition during the next episode.

In the twelfth episode, Penny, Chanel, Refe, Amo, Bridget, Nash and Naledi had to pass a blind taste challenge. After being blindfolded, they were each given a variety of ingredients which had been cut into identically sized cubes. Penny, Chanel, Bridget, Amo and Refe make a mistake whereas all of Naledi’s guesses are correct. As a result, Naledi gets to join Nabila and Lona on the gantry and also can’t be eliminated from the competition during the next challenge. They have to create two tiny dishes: an amuse bouche, usually served at the beginning of the meal as a gift from the chef to awaken the pallet, and a bonbon (or a friandise, or mignardise), usually served at the end of a meal. Their sweet dish had to contain chocolate and they needed to make six of each.

Amo’s savoury tart with caramelised onion purée and quail breast was criticised for the crumbly and overcooked pastry, and he was eliminated from the competition.

In episode 13, Chanel could watch from the gantry having cooked the best dish in the previous episode. The remaining seven contestants (Nabila, Lona, Penny, Refe, Bridget, Nash and Naledi) enter the MasterChef kitchen. They are greeted by a beautiful scene created in the MasterChef studio:

A mushroom-inspired enchanted forest

As the MasterChef contestants walk into the studio, they see what looks like an enchanted forest with mushrooms, ferns and moss. Judge Zola explains to the contestants that this episode, they must go in search of umami (which means: “delicious savoury taste” in Japanese) and she introduces the guest judge of the episode:

MasterChef Guest Judge: Moses Moloi

The guest judge for this elimination challenge is introduced by Zola as “the mushroom whisperer” and “one of the best chefs in the world.” It is none other than Chef Moses Moloi (@chef_moses_moloi). It is obvious thatLona, Naledi and Nash are aware of this chef’s accolades as they are visibly in awe.

Who is Moses Moloi?

Moses Moloi was born and raised in Botshabelo. After refining his culinary skills at Olive Chef School, and being mentored by Peter Tempelhoff and David Higgs. He worked at FYN and Zioux as the head chef, and currently is the Chef Patron at Gigi Restaurant, which is situated in the Waterfall Corner Shopping centre on the corner of Waterfall Drive and Woodmead drive in Johannesburg. At Gigi Restaurant, Chef Moses Moloi serves his guests a fusion of South African contemporary & global inspirations.

He quickly became a renowned figure in South Africa's culinary scene, earning global acclaim and a nomination for The Best Chef Award in 2021. In November 2023, he was named the 85th best chef worldwide and number 1 in Africa at The Best Chef Awards in Mexico, and best chef of the year at the South African Chef Awards in 2024.

The Challenge: a Pressure Test

Chef Moses Moloi unveils his dish “Enchanted Forest Elegance” to the contestants. This breathtaking creation consists of mushroom ragu and featuring a blend of king oyster, shiitake, and butter mushrooms. The dish is a true ode to mushrooms.

The contestants are tasked to replicate this intricate dish as a true test of culinary mastery and they are given two and a half hours to do so. There are quite a few techniques in the dish and it will be tricky for the contestants to make every element of it within the time - making it a true pressure test.

The contestants are given the dish to taste, as well as the recipe. Whilst there is a closed pantry and contestants don’t have access to everything in the Pick ‘n Pay pantry as they normally do, all ingredients (over twelve compontents) are measured out for them.

Chef Moses Moloi gives contestants the advice to prioritise smartly and look at which elements take the longest to cook: “read that recipe”. He warns them that mushrooms are extremely delicate and should be treated with care.

Replicating Chef Moses Moloi’s Dish

What happens next, is action-packed. Bridget cuts her finger and needs to be seen by a medic.

Lona has trouble with his Taurus Kitchen Machine, until Refe tells him that he needs to switch it on on the side. He is seen running around frantically

Whilst Nash loves mushrooms, we already saw in the previous episode (the taste test), Refe is not a fan, at least not of raw mushrooms (“good luck to me”).

Almost everyone seems to be running out of time towards the end. Chanel, from the gantry also got involved when Nash was not getting his dish on the plate when the other contestants were: “You are the only one not plating.”

The MasterChef Judges’ Commentary

Whilst the clock is ticking away, the judges can see the panic in the contestants’ faces as they’re trying to get all the components done and onto the plate on time. Zola: “they are working at a pace I’ve never seen them work at.” and they realise that the contestants “might need to make a decision to forfeit some of their garnishes and focus on the main elements.”

Justine: “We had the injury [when Bridget cut her finger] which was not a great start, we had intense panic in some areas, and I suspect probably a bit of heart break”.

Zola: “There was a lot of heartbreak.”

Chef Moses Moloi: “Maybe it was a little bit difficult, but it was a pressure test.”

Zola correctly points out that the main issue for the contestants was time management (or lack thereof). “They didn’t quite see what was most important to focus on and bringing it all together at the end was I think what gave them the most trouble.”

The MasterChef Contestants’ Dishes

Nabila is up first to take her dish to the judges. She is not confident at all: “Whether or not my plating is acceptable, I am just so glad it’s over.”

“The biggest challenge for me today was definitely trying to be as accurate as possible. Following a recipe, especially one with so many components. The complexity of the dish was something that I really had a lot of joy in completing. 

Moses: “There was a good couple elements I liked. The tempura was still crispy. The purée I enjoyed.” 

Zola: “That flavour in that mushroom puree is just sensational.“

Katlego I enjoyed the ragu and Justine also thought he did well.

Up next, Naledi brings her version of Chef Moses’ “Enchanted Forest Elegance” to the judges. Similar to Nabila, she is also not confident with her dish: “I’m on my way to the tasting lounge, and chances are it’s me.” Katlego asks her how she found the cook, and Naledi answers: “Honestly, it was very challenging. I have never seen anything like this. I got stuck in my head because I didn’t want to get lost. I did have everything that was needed on the plate. I tried to replicate the plate as close as I could and I hope it tastes close to Chef Moses’ plate.”

After the judges have tasted her dish, they talk about why she did not get it right. Katlego: “When you think of Umami you think of something that pops in your mouth. Something that feels morish and I feel this dish fell short.”

Justine rightfully says that “Sometimes mushrooms get a bad rep because they can be a bit slimy.” Unfortunately for Naledi, her dish “had that slimy mushroom thing going on. Which gives you a terrible mouth feel.” On the bright side, Justine said that “it looked quite pretty and she did get everything on. So at this stage of the challenge, well done to her!” Moses also complimented her in saying that “she used her time quite well in the whole preparation of the dish.”

Penny walks into the judges’ room next, slightly more confident than Nabila and Naledi, saying “I’m not going home, but hey the gods can be crazy and you never know what’s going to happen.” When she puts her plates down in front of the judges, she turns to Chef Moses: “There were a lot of processes to make your plate. And your plate was stunning and I don’t think I paid homage correctly to yours, but I gave it a damn good try.”

Zola makes a good point in saying that with a dish like this, with so many components “it’s the tiny details that make it extra special”. Unfortunately that’s where Penny fell short. Katlego agrees saying “her ragu was roughly chopped.”

Refe is next and Katlego must have misjudges her exterior, as he thinks she was “cool, cam and collected”. Refe explains that she’s quite an emotional person “so I feel a lot”. She elaborates saying that “vegetables have changed my life,” both in terms of weight loss and how she looks at food. And so after the cook, it felt good but also very emotionally draining. Refe: “I am proud of myself and of the dish I put up.”

After Refe has walked out, Zola says that she “was right to get emotional about making this dish because you can taste that she put a lot of energy into it.” Zola compliments the oil as it “looked beautiful and green,” and overall “the presentation was really stunning”. The purée also had good flavour and she clearly seasoned everything. Whilst Chef Moses agrees that “you get the umami,” he thought the ragu was  too overpowering when tasted on its own, “but once you put everything together, it’s balanced.”

Up next is Lona: “Today I did my best. Did I put up a good fight? I don’t know.” After serving his dish up to the judges, he addresses Chef Moses in hi mother tongue “Yoh Chef, please forgive me.” He then does a great impersonation of himself reading through all the pages of the recipes and makes the judges laugh. He admits that he did not know where to begin, and just took a decision to just follow the list. 

After Lona has left, Zola says it is good that he was able to find the humour in the situation, “because sometimes all you can do is laugh.” Unfortunately for Lona, the components in his dish did not receive many compliments: The tempura was “very oily, completely raw,” the pickle “very astringent.” And Zola said she “got a doorstopper size piece of mushroom that had soaked up all the vinegar and it almost ended me.” Justine didn’t have that problem, saying “mine was lovely.”

Chef Moses said he tasted “something burnt,” and suspects the quinoa was burnt. He saw the purée and the king oyster a the true heroes on the plate.

Katlego seemed amazed with what Lona managed to get on the plate “I’m just glad Lona gave us a plate because at times it was touch and go” and Justine agrees: “considering the chaos we saw ensuing and his utter panic, I think it’s pretty good.”

Last up is Nash, who sadly only managed to add a few elements onto the plate: “I did manage to put one or two elements on the plate, but the dish it is not.” 

Zola recounts how Chanel was shouting from the top: “you are the only one not plating” and how Nash at the two minute time call, he gave her the thumbs up and continued making the crumb. She asks Nash: “Why that choice and why not starting to plate?”

Nash explains that “two minutes sounds like a lot of time and you’re kind of doing the math ‘if I can just finish or get closer to this element I should then be able to complete the other elements in the last sixty seconds’.” But he admits that “this was poor time management.”

After Nash walks out, Katlego calls it a “sad frustrating disappointment.” Zola: “It’s heart breaking. Putting so much energy into creating so many components. And to fall short in putting them on the plate is possibly one of the most frustrating things. Devastating for me. But on the bright side, because there is always a silver lining, the purée is yum.”

Justine says she’s “too heartbroken to talk.”

Chef Moses said that out of the three elements that he did manage to put on the plate (the quinoa, shiitake mushrooms and purée, they were all “done really well” and so he wishes “he had put more of the rest of the elements then it would’ve been a really complete and beautiful dish.”

The Dish of the Day and the Bottom Three

Chef Moses expresses his appreciation for the contestants efforts in replicating his dish: “first and foremost it was beautiful to see you guys working with that speed.”

Katlego does the honours of calling forward the first contestant: Nabila. He says: “It seemed like you had things under control. Your pickle was just a bit strong, needed a bit more seasoning. Your purée was delicious.” And for those reasons, Nabila’s dish was the best of the day.  

Up next, Katlego calls forward Nash, Lona and Naledi as they are in the bottom three. Naledi’s dish is criticised for not balancing out the different elements of the dish. “The ragu was underseasoned and flat, the tempura mushrooms were raw and it wasn’t a cohesive dish.”

Zola says to Lona that “it was obvious” that he did not have a good day in the kitchen. “You were running up and down and things weren’t going according to pan and unfortunately it showed on your plate.” 

Justine speaks to Nash: “You know as well as the rest of us that a prerequisite in the MasterChef kitchen is getting the food on to the plate and while you had all those many elements ready to rock; they didn’t make  the plate. It’s hard to judge that.”

Nash’ Elimination

And because only the elements that make it onto the plate can be judged according to the MasterChef rules, Nash is eliminated from the competition as he did not manage to get all components onto the plate.

Justine: “You grew it your culinary journey in giant steps every day. But it wasn’t those giant steps that brought me the most joy. It was your incredible humility and your amazing kindness. And it’s something I’m going to miss every day. Because today has been your last day in the kitchen. It was an honour ,sir, to meet you.”

As gut-wrenching as it was to watch Nash being eliminated, he seemed to be at peace with it himself, saying that “there is something surreal or calming about knowing that you gave something your all.”

It’s really sad to see him go, considering the way in which this happened. But this is how it works in the MasterChef kitchen: you are always judge on your last dish. And if it is not good enough, you go home.

After being eliminated from MasterChef, Nash was interviewed on ‘Weekend Breakfast with Gugu Mhlungu.’ You can listen to the radio interview below:

Click here if you want to hear Gugs’ interview with me (or read the transcript).

MasterChef South Africa episode 14

Looking ahead, the preview of the fourteenth episode of MasterChef South Africa gave us a hint of what the next episode will be about… contestnats have to cook a bougie brunch.

Who will win MasterChef South Africa season 5? Time will tell…

MasterChef Season 5 Episode Summaries

Click here read up more about the MasterChef season 5 contestants, or read the summary from the previous MasterChef episodes if you’re trying to catch up:

• Episode 1 - Twenty MasterChef contestants cook a chicken dish, but only 15 remain

• Episode 2 - The MasterChef contestants cook for the the Apple of their Eye in a mystery box challenge

• Episode 3 - Chef Nokx Majozi Signature Pepper Steak Pie

• Episode 4 - Paying tribute to the Judges’ Star Signs

• Episode 5 - Translating Fashion into Food with guest judge Jackie Burger

• Episode 6 - Buffet of New Beginnings at Durbanville Hills wine estate

• Episode 7 - Leftovers and South African staples

• Episode 8 - Potatoes, Air Fryers, an Immunity Pin and two Special Guests

• Episode 9 - Cabbage, cabbage, cabbage!

• Episode 10 - A fusion of South African and Italian

• Episode 11 - Heritage Trinity: Wors, Skilpaadjies on the Hibachi and a Starch

• Episode 12 - Life’s Tiny Pleasures - a Taste Challenge and Micro Fine Dining

• Episode 13 - A Pressure Test cooking Chef Moses Moloi’s “Enchanted Forest Elegance” (this page)

• Episode 14 - A Bougie Brunch

More MasterChef Episode Summaries:

Want to Watch MasterChef South Africa?

MasterChef South Africa Season premiered on Saturday July 13 at 7:30 pm on S3, and new episodes are aired every Saturday.
If you miss it an episode, it will be rebroadcast every Sunday on S2 at 6:30 pm and on Wednesdays on S3 at 6:00 pm.

Or click here read up more about the MasterChef season 5 contestants.

About Shawn Godfrey

Shawn Godfrey is an entrepreneur based in Cape Town, South Africa. After the Covid-19 lockdown saw his business in financial distress, cooking was the creative outlet that helped to keep him sane. To keep track of his recipes, and encourage friends and families to join him, he starts his instagram account The Roasted Dad.

Fast-forward to late 2021 - on a whim Shawn (encouraged by his wife Lianne) enters MasterChef South Africa. It is a crazy time of life: running a 200 people business and struggling to keep it profitable, two small children with a third on the way, and about to move into a new house. But when Shawn gets selected to be one of the 20 contestants participating in the fourth season of MasterChef South Africa, he decides to go all in. Leaving his 7-month-pregnant wife to look after their then three and one-year-old children, he battles it out and comes back home five weeks later with the trophy and a million rand prize money in his pocket.

It all started with an Instagram account, but The Roasted Dad is so much more now. Shawn has stayed his entrepreneurial self and whilst he hosts Private Dinner Parties and Cook-with-Me Demos, does Restaurant Take-Overs, he still runs the lighting company and several other businesses.

On his blog, Shawn shares Restaurant Reviews and Accommodation Reviews, and gives an insight into the wild and wonderful life he leads together with his wife Lianne, and their three children Aiden (6), Olivia (4) and Harvey (2).

Sign up to the newsletter below to be kept up to date with events, new recipes and reviews, or contact Shawn to chat about recipe creation, restaurant takeovers and public speaking events.