I'm Bobby Flay.
Each week, one brave chef will try to take me down in my house.
This is my show.
Today, it is. Tomorrow, who knows?
-Ooh! -Trash talking.
This culinary battle is gonna shake down in two rounds.
Round one, to get to me,
two contenders have to go through each other
using an ingredient of my choice.
It's do or die, Bobby.
[Bobby] Two people that know me well will decide
who's got the skills to beat me.
Yeah!
[Bobby] Round two, I go head to head with the winning contender.
-Let's go! -[Bobby] It's their turn to surprise me
with their signature dish.
What?
-[woman screams] Ah! -Don't try this at home.
-[laughing] I know you did it, Bobby! -[audience laughing]
-[Bobby] Bottom line... -You're gonna run out of time!
...everyone's out to beat me.
[bell rings]
It's time for some good old-fashioned competition.
Please welcome a couple of ladies.
One is an actress and one is always acting up in my kitchen.
-[woman 2] Wow! -[chuckles]
It's Food Network's Sunny Anderson.
-[audience cheering] -Yeah!
And actress Jenna Elfman.
You're going down. Good night, Bobby.
That's how you do it. You gotta talk trash.
-Thank you so much for being here. -I'm so happy to be here.
-[Bobby] Are you? -I have such admiration for you.
-Wow. -It's very hard to try to take you down.
Yeah, that's right, Sunny. Don't interrupt her.
-I got a lot to teach you tonight. -It's hard!
-[Bobby laughing] -It's hard. I'm conflicted. I'm conflicted.
Jenna, I know you from the Dharma and Greg era.
And now you're on another great show.
And it's not comedic.
-Fear the Walking Dead. -It's Fear of the Walking Dead.
-Yes. -Yeah.
-With food, you have to reinvent yourself too. -[Bobby] A 100 percent.
-You opened up yourself for the next thing, which is cool. -Yeah.
-I'm opening up myself to beat Bobby Flay tonight. -[Bobby] Yes, you are.
And you keep reinventing yourself.
-You have a different wig on-- -[screaming] I know you didn't!
-[Bobby laughing] -[screaming] I know you didn't!
I know you didn't! I know you didn't, Bobby!
Bobby, you love me. You love me in my wigs. Okay, Bobby?
-You ready to go down, Bobby? -Yes, let's go.
This former basketball player has mastered Mexican cuisine.
-Please welcome Francisco Higadera. -[Bobby] All right.
-Okay. -[Sunny laughing]
Whoa! [laughs]
Hello!
Our next contender developed a love of Thai cuisine while serving in the US Army.
It's chef Chris Dodson.
[all cheering]
-Let's go! -[Sunny] Come on, Chris. Okay!
Oh, they're both tall.
-I'm so glad I wore my heels today. -[Sunny] Yeah. Okay.
Francisco, Chris, welcome. How you guys doing tonight?
-Great. -Very good.
Cool. These ladies are very excited that you guys are here tonight.
I'm gonna give you 20 minutes on the clock.
I'm gonna give you an ingredient of my choice.
And you must make that ingredient the star of your dish.
And that ingredient is...
Guinea hen.
[audience clapping]
-How do you guys feel about this ingredient? -I like it.
-I've never cooked it. -Tonight's your night.
-That's right. -[Sunny laughs]
All right, guys, don't forget to use your Zen for the Guinea hen.
-[bell rings] -[audience cheering]
Come on, y'all.
Guinea hen?
How is Guines hen different from chicken?
[Bobby] It's leaner, but I always say,
Guinea hen is what chicken should taste like.
It actually has flavor to it.
You know, I would just take the breast off.
To me, I would fry this.
[Sunny] Yeah. A 100 percent, fry it.
As a game bird, it can dry out.
I have never ever worked with Guinea hen before.
It's looking very chicken-y. So, I'm feeling very comfortable.
I'm making Guinea hen scallopini with gochujang succotash.
So, my strategy is to split the breast,
and then I'm gonna cut that skin off and then, I'm gonna fry it.
-So, he butterflied it. -For the speed, right?
[Sunny] It is. But we also run the risk of overcooking it,
-because it is so thin. -Yeah, that's true.
[Chris] Next, I start slicing my eggplant
because I wanna get that in there for my succotash.
I'm the son of an Army mom who worked a lot.
So, I took on the responsibility of cooking for me and by siblings.
And then, I followed in my mother's footsteps
and joined the Army.
And I had the opportunity to travel to Thailand.
I use a lot of these flavors now in the cooking that I do today.
And then, I saw a documentary about Bobby Flay
and it just inspired me so much.
And I decided it was time for me to get out of the service.
I got a job in Alinea,
a three Michelin star restaurant in Chicago.
And then, I became a chop champion.
Today I'm a private chef that cooks for clients all over Chicago.
I'm here today because Bobby inspired me to go into cooking
and to beat him would be a full circle moment for me.
[Francisco] 30 minutes is not a lot of time,
so I'm gonna do what I know and go with a taco.
I'm going to use the breasts.
And then I'm gonna roast some Roma tomatoes, habanero peppers,
and red onions.
Let me see what's going on, Francisco.
You already got the breasts out, baby.
-What are we making today with the Guinea hens? -I'm making Guinea hen tacos.
I'm gonna make a salsa, the name is Chiltomate.
-"Chiltomate?" -It's basically habanero and tomatoes.
Authentic Mexican cooking in Vancouver
I know they need that from you.
Yes.
I grew up in Xalapa, Mexico.
And my mother showed me how to do tapas.
Because of this, I grow to love cooking.
So, after culinary school, I went to Spain and France
working in Michelin star restaurants.
But I stopped cooking to go play professional basketball.
And my team won the national championship in Mexico.
Then I moved to Vancouver.
And now, I'm the chef owner of Ophelia.
I do traditional Mexican cuisine
and beating Bobby Flay would be fantastic
for my whole country, right?
And we can finally prove that Mexican cuisine is way more than
tacos and sour cream.
[Sunny] Mm! What is this? Little tiny eggplant-ys?
That's right. So, I'm gonna make like, a Asian style succotash.
When any chef goes like this,
-it lets you know that they're gonna personalize it. -That's right.
My Guinea hen skin are in a good place.
So I pull them out of the fryer so they don't overcook.
[Sunny] Ooh! That's beautiful, honey!
[Chris] Thank you.
-What is that? Oh, chicken-- -[Sunny] Flavor. He's got flavor over here, Bobby.
I know you don't recognize it.
[all laughing]
-Do you think you can take down Francisco? -Who?
[audience gasps]
That's not nice, Chris. Not nice.
[all laughing]
Next, I take the Shishito peppers and I toss them in the fryer.
-[Jenna] I love Shishito peppers. -[Bobby] Yeah.
-I order Shishito peppers, I eat the entire bowl. -[Sunny] Mm-hm.
[Francisco] I use a bit of salt and pepper.
I'm gonna hard sear in the pan.
I'm gonna bring everything out of the salamander.
I really want my salsa to be chunky,
so I'm using the molcajete for a better texture.
I see a molcajete over there, and I'm excited.
[Chris] I start slicing my garlic, ginger, yellow squash,
carrots and some serrano chillis and toss it in with the eggplant.
With some chicken stock and gochujang.
-I'm gonna go check in with them. -Okay, have fun!
First off, I'm going to just compare height.
-How are you? -[Chris] I'm doing well, thank you.
So, in the Army, did you do much cooking there?
I cooked for my friends but I was an artillery man.
-And your mom was in the service too? -[Chris] That's right.
-And did she inspire you with cooking as well? -She was a cook in the Army.
-A 100 percent. -Yeah. Good luck.
-Appreciate it. -Yeah.
[singsong] Francisco! What are you working on?
-Not much. Just, I finished my sauce. -Not much?
-Not much. Not much. -[Francisco] I finished my sauce.
And I have these beautiful blue corn tortillas.
I'm gonna put a little bit of avocado,
-just to balance it out. -Yeah.
I can't wait to try it.
-[Francisco] Thank you so much. -[Jenna] Okay!
Five minutes to go.
-[audience cheering] -[Sunny] Hey!
-It's two totally different flavors. -Yeah.
And it's gonna be very hard to choose.
So, I grab the tortillas, I'm gonna reheat them.
Then, I add the avocado.
My Guinean hen is golden brown and is ready to go.
Next, I add my salsa and onions at the top.
[Chris] My Guinea hen has nice sear on it.
Then, I sauce it.
Next, I put my crispy skin and my shishito peppers.
[all] Ten, nine, eight...
-...seven, six, five... -[Chris] Top it with mint, cilantro and my radishes.
-[all] ...four, three, two, one. -Ring the bell.
-[bell tings] -[audience cheering]
[exclaiming] Wow!
[Francisco] I like my flavors.
My Guinea hen is moist.
So, I'm hoping that is gonna give me a win.
[Chris] The sauce tastes great, the Guinea hen, it's cooked nicely.
I think I really have a chance to go up against Bobby.
[Sunny] This is what I live for.
Bobby is currently standing between two men,
and one of them is gonna beat him.
[Jenna laughs] Yeah, we're gonna make it happen.
Chef Chris, what did you make?
I made a play on a scallopini
with gochujang succotash.
The eggplant melts in my mouth.
The depth and the flavor of your sauce is just wow.
I will say that your hen is a little bit overcooked.
[Jenna] This was the most spectacular, exciting blend of sweet and spicy,
and the sauce was like a warm hug.
-I was blown away. -Thank you very much.
Francisco, what did you make?
So, that's a Guinea hen taco with chiltomate sauce.
It's falling apart.
This is so fun and bright.
I adore the Chiltomate.
But it broke apart on me,
so, it just really wasn't portable as you would want a taco to be.
This has all the good flavors that you would expect,
but it's not heavy, and I really appreciated that.
All right. We gotta figure out who can beat Bobby tonight.
The ladies need to chat.
[Chris] I'm a little nervous 'cause the judges really liked Francisco's taco.
But my sauce really knocked it out of the park.
The chef moving forward to beat Bobby is...
...chef Chris.
[audience cheering]
-Hey, good job. -Pleasure to meet you.
This experience is like, amazing. Very humbling for me.
This is one of the very few times, on first bite
I was blown away.
-It was that good. -Thank you.
-Y'all give it up for chef Chris. -[audience cheering]
[Bobby] All right, Chris, congratulations.
Round one, obviously, you impressed these guys.
-They loved it. -Like, a lot.
-Thank you. -All right. What are we cooking tonight?
-What's your signature dish? -My signature dish is...
-...Thai green curry. -[all exclaiming]
Yes!
As you just said "Thai green curry",
so it leaves it open to the imagination.
-Do you have an imagination, Bobby? -[laughs]
So, because we're on your team, Chris,
it means we can't be the judges.
So, we've got three judges ready to do a blind taste test.
45 minutes on the clock.
And the time starts... now!
[audience cheering]
-This is really exciting. -Oh, man.
Green curry can go so many different ways,
with so many different proteins.
It's the sauce that starts with lemongrass, ginger,
fish sauce, lime leaves, coconut milk.
-It's the spicier of the curries too, isn't it? -Yeah.
All the garlic.
I'm making a Thai green curry with herb oil, crispy prawns and sweet ginger rice
because it's just near and dear to my heart.
I'm gonna make my curry paste from scratch.
I add the garlic, jalapenos, lemongrass, mint, basil.
Hey, Chris, why Thai green curry?
So, I worked at a really good restaurant in Chicago.
And I used to be in charge of family meal.
The chef de cuisine taught me how to make this dish.
And I make this every chance I get.
He's being humble. He worked in one of the best restaurants in the country.
Alinea.
[Sunny] Anytime someone says they made something for family meal,
these are the co-workers that you're feeding.
So, it's creative, it's tasty.
[Chris] So, now add my dried spices.
My coriander, fenugreek and cumin.
And then I add my ginger, shallots, green bell peppers,
and shrimp stock.
[Bobby] I'm a huge fan of Thai green curry.
So, I'm making Thai green curry
with crispy softshell crab, prawns.
It's something I like to make at home a lot.
I'm gonna make coconut rice.
I'm gonna add some sautéed eggplant to it as well.
-Is that... Bobby? -Is that rice?
What kind of rice are you gonna be making with that?
It's not what you think. So, I have rice, I have coconut milk,
some water.
The thing I'm worried about...
-Okay, tell me. -...I don't know if you know the legend of the crispy rice.
-[Jenna] Yeah, I know, it's a bit of a... -It's his cheat code.
You're like a whistleblower.
[Bobby] I'm gonna make the curry now. I'm sweating some ginger, some garlic.
And then, I'm adding green curry paste.
Bobby did his curry sauce from the can?
Like... [blows raspberry] Like, doo-- [laughing]
-[Sunny] Oh, my goodness. -[Jenna] Chris made his on from scratch.
[Bobby] I just think that 45 minutes is not worth the process.
But I'm gonna bring the flavors.
I'm gonna use some shrimp stock and some coconut milk.
[Jenna] Coming up on 33 minutes.
[audience cheering]
Chris, very quietly,
but what do you think your little secret spin is on this?
I made the curry paste. It's the love that I put in there.
[Jenna] That love transfers.
[whispering] It smells so good.
-[normal] I really want you to win really bad. -[Chris] Thank you.
[Jenna] Bobby!
-[Bobby] Hi! -What's happening?
[Bobby] Got the softshell crabs.
Hey, guys. So, listen.
I need you to bring not your A-game.
-[audience laughing] -What's he making?
I'm not telling you.
-Deliciousness. -[laughing]
-It smelled way better than yours, I have to say. -I believe you.
[laughs] Okay, Jenna.
I love it when you're not nice to Bobby.
You confident, Bobby? Or you just throwing a whole lot of ocean parts at it?
[chuckling]
Chris, what kind of protein are you gonna use?
[mocking] "Chris, what kind of protein are you gonna use over there?"
-[laughs] -I'm gonna use shrimp as well.
Oh, Bobby. Bobby! Bobby, I would love to see you...
-You know what, Bobby? I'm gonna-- -Stop saying my name.
-Bob-- -[all laughing]
Coming up on 26 minutes.
[audience cheering]
The different flavors that Chris is putting in his Thai green curry
-seem a little more inventive. -Yeah.
[Jenna] And he's bringing that love and it's an X-factor.
To my aromatic spices I add my curry paste
and coconut milk.
-Okay, Jenna, I wanna go see what's going down... -[Jenna] Okay.
-with this Thai curry battle. -I can't wait to hear the update.
Okay, y'all make some noise for this Thai green curry.
[audience cheering]
[Sunny] Come on, Chris.
-Can I taste this, right here? -[Chris] Absolutely.
-Smells good. -Mm, that's good.
I'm loving the green bell pepper.
I would probably put a little bit more salt in here.
-But you can taste that... -I'm gonna blend in this goodness, so...
[Sunny] You're gonna blend it up and then flavor up?
All right. I trust you. Chef Chris, y'all.
[audience cheering]
Where's the pot of rice you were making, Bobby?
-[Bobby] Right here. -[Sunny] Is it hanging out over here?
What you gonna do with it, Bobby? What's that baking sheet for?
-He's still not talking to you. -Looks good.
[Sunny] Bobby, look me in the eye,
are you making crispy rice?
I don't even know how to make that.
-The first step to recovery... -[audience laughs]
...is admitting that we have a problem.
Are you going to be making crispy rice?
[Bobby] Depending on the time, I might crisp it up a little bit around the edges.
[chuckles]
[Sunny] All right. I think I'm done with you, Bobby.
Y'all make some noise for Chris.
[audience cheering]
I add the curry sauce to the blender,
so all those ingredients become part of the sauce.
And then, I'm gonna strain it
because I want a silkier sauce.
So, I'm actually gonna put the prawns and the blue crab into the curry.
And then, fry the softshell crabs.
And crab is just rice flour and some seltzer water,
and it's gonna crisp it up.
You don't have to make the protein be the big deal.
You don't. It needs to be Thai green curry with stuff,
-instead of stuff with a Thai green curry flavor. -[Jenna] Yeah.
I peel the skin off all the prawns.
Then it toss them with a little bit of the curry paste and flour.
Then I drop them into the fryer.
So, I'm running a little behind here.
For my sweet ginger rice,
I grate ginger,
get the sugar in, get the mirin and the water in,
bring it up to a boil, then I add my rice.
Next, I have to start blending up my curry base.
The blender's going. I run back over,
and pull the prawns out of the fryer.
They're golden brown.
I grab a chinois and start to pass the curry base
so it's nice and silky smooth.
All right. So, I blanch my mint and cilantro
because I'm gonna make a herb oil.
Then I'm gonna blend it with some salt, sugar and some oil.
[Bobby] I take the cooled coconut rice...
Bobby, what are you doing with that rice?
Got some eggplant, coconut, green onion.
I see a cast iron pan with oil in it, Bobby.
-I can't hear you. -[Sunny] Bobby?
-Bobby. -What?
-[laughs] -[Sunny] Don't you...
Can't stop the crispy rice. It's gonna happen.
Oh, my goodness.
Ladies and gentlemen
of the Beat Bobby Flay kitchen...
Light it up, please!
Bobby Flay has decided to pull out his cheat code,
aka, Crispy Rice.
-[chuckles] -Make it shine. Make it shine.
Now, every time when he gets scared,
and he brings out the crispy rice,
this will drop from the ceiling.
You guys are here for the first ever
shaming of Bobby Flay's crispy rice.
[audience cheering]
[Bobby] Bottom line is, crispy rice is better than fluffy rice.
Not every time, but almost every time.
-[audience laughing] -I'm sick of it!
Y'all make some noise for chef Chris.
[audience cheering]
Jenna, I'm worried.
Bobby, you'd think that you would retire it by now.
-Reinvention. -[Sunny] Yeah.
Come with something fresh and new, Bobby.
He thinks eggplants are gonna be the reinvention.
[laughing]
-[Bobby] Oh, no. -It's burning!
Yes! The crispy rice gods are upon us. It's burning.
[audience laughing]
It's burning!
[Bobby] So, the middle of it was starting to get a little bit dark,
but I think it's okay.
[softly] No.
My rice is not quite there yet.
So, I'm just gonna try to cook it to the last second.
-If it's not done, just don't put it on, honey. -Heard that.
Oh, my goodness. Two minutes!
[Chris] I put the curry down first.
This is an herb oil.
Next, I add my prawns.
[Bobby] To the softshell crab, little salt, little lime zest.
So, it's the crispy rice in the bottom of the bowl.
A little bit of the curry sauce around it.
I put in the prawn and then, I put half of the softshell crab.
[Chris] I go to check my rice but it's just a little bit under.
I'm not happy with the rice,
so we're gonna keep it off.
[all] Ten, nine, eight, seven,
-six, five four... -[Bobby] Thai Bird's chilies.
[all] ...three, two, one!
[audience cheering]
This is beautiful, Chris.
Bobby, that looks like a mess.
[audience laughing]
So, tonight's challenge was Thai green curry.
And now, we'd like to introduce you to the judges.
Chef and owner of Pig and Khao and Piggyback, chef Leah Cohen.
The chef/owner of Tino's Table, Tino Feliciano.
And the director of NYU Food Lab, Lourdes Castro.
[audience applauding]
Judges, please try the first Thai green curry in front of you.
The curry has really great depth of flavor.
I love how the soft shell crab is just sticking right up,
and then, there is crab meat folded in,
so it kind of reinforces that seafood flavor.
I think the biggest miss is the shrimp.
I just don't think it's necessary.
I think what I liked the most was the surprise that we call "big wao" in Puerto Rico.
which is the crispy rice, it was done perfectly.
Nice amount of heat,
but it does get a little heavy.
I love the sweetness of the shrimp and how it paired with the spicy sauce.
I do agree with you that the crunchy rice is the best piece.
You know, if I were to say something, the sauce was a bit too salty for me.
[Jenna] Okay, judges.
Go ahead and try the second Thai green curry.
I thought it was really smart that the chef drizzled that herb oil
'cause it's a green curry and you want that herbaceousness.
For me, I think it doesn't have as much heat as I would've liked.
The curry was great. Those shrimp, the little crunch it has,
it is really great when you bite into it.
One thing I would've loved to see was some rice,
just to balance out the textures.
So, I think it's a beautiful dish.
I loved the fresh herbs, the shrimp were perfectly cooked.
Had it had maybe some rice or something to soak up the sauce with it
would've been really nice.
All right, judges. Thank you so much. It's time to vote.
[Chris] So, the judges really liked my prawns.
But that ginger rice would've taken this curry to another level.
The winner is...
...chef Bobby Flay.
[audience cheering]
[Chris] I feel a little bit bummed.
I should've got that rice cooking just a little bit earlier.
Chef Bobby, your curry really had such great depth of flavor,
-it was spicy. Job well done. -Thanks for being here, chef.
It was a pleasure meeting you.
You're a gentleman. Thank you.
Thank you, guys.
You know you murdered it.
Light it up.
Bobby, could you please turn and bow down
-to your crispy rice? -Cheat card.
[Sunny] As soon as we saw that rice come out,
we knew what was going down, Bobby.
That damn crispy rice somehow prevails through everything.
I don't believe you. You're smiling.
Is it because Bobby gave you a plate?
-I mean, it was good. -[chuckles]
I made green curry in a hurry,
but I didn't forget my crispy rice.
[audience cheering]