The contestants are back in the MasterChef kitchen ready to take on tonight’s mystery box challenge. Admittedly, we’re all still a little shaken from last night’s pin-gate, but let’s all try to move on, shall we?

The contestants lift the mystery box lids to discover a bento box. Ha! Good luck putting a cucumber granita in there!

Melissa introduces today’s master, Michelin-starred chef Yomo from Ishizuka in Melbourne.

Chef Yomo gives the contestants a masterclass on how to make a bento box, slicing up fish into super-thin ricepaper-like sheets, and turning vegetable sticks into a little rainbow cushion of joy.

Imagine being as good at anything as this guy is at cutting sashimi. #MasterChefAU

— Tim Hutton (@TimHuttonAu) May 12, 2021

Naturally, we can expect to see a lot of hibachi use today (groan), but since it is a bento box challenge, we will allow it this once.

Contestants will now need to create their own bento box (or “Brento box” in Brent’s case) using ingredients from any cuisine in 90 minutes.

And that’s it, chef Yomo is out. Presumably, he doesn’t want to watch contestants butcher the bento box with additions like quail schnitzel and anchovy doughnuts, and fair enough.

I think they confused bento box for ‘meal prep container’ #MasterChefAU

— Lone Vlogger (@Nardeen_92) May 12, 2021

Connor is struggling with how to make his bento box Greek, but Depinder has no issues creating an Indian-style bento, inspired by the local tiffin culture. She stacks her box with chickpea curry, fried okra chips, and her grandmother’s pickle recipe.

Tom chooses a number of seemingly random dishes (confit squid, eggplant baguette, potato dauphinoise), and just hopes that the bento’s special powers will unite them, but it doesn’t work out that way. Jock calls it the 10/10 weirdest bento box that he has ever eaten “or that I suspect I will ever eat”. That’s seriously impressive stuff.

Elise goes Italian and all we can hear is the word “anchovy doughnut”, which sounds like the greatest savoury snack ever made – it’s just a shame she forgets to put the anchovy in the doughnut.

How about an Aussie bento box? Party pies, Sausage rolls, lamington and jam doughnuts? #MasterChefAU

— 𝔻𝕒𝕫 🐯🐅 (@dcpchiu) May 12, 2021

Instead of creating his own bento box, Tommy attempts a version of Yomo’s box, stacking it with second-rate versions of his wagyu rolls and tamagoyaki egg omelette. He can’t understand why he can’t get his sashimi to look like Yomo’s and that’s because… he’s not a master. 

Pete thinks outside the box with a creative combo of duck breast with onion noodles, cauliflower rice, rocket puree with unripe strawberries (what? why?), and a salad bouquet garni that looks like a perfect bunch of flowers.

The top four bento boxes of the day are Depinder’s Indian-inspired tiffin box, Pete’s creative combo, as well as Jess, who makes a delicious modern bento inspired by her family, and Scott, who pulls off the perfect shiitake chawanmushi.

Idea: airfryer challenge with the Mum’s from the Kmart FB group as the masters. #MasterChefAU

— Annabel Astbury 💯 (@AnnabelAstbury) May 12, 2021

Join us Thursday night when the top four contestants will cook off in a fire challenge for immunity.

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