MasterChef Season 3 Christine Ha Interview

I'm Christine from Houston Texas and I'm a graduate student before I losted my vision I was able to cook in the kitchen perfectly fine and then I lost my vision and I had to learn everything over again and I did it and now I'm back in the kitchen cooking even better than before my husband's here supporting me he's my biggest fan where's the fish sauce miss Austin I'm pretty nervous excited for her though I'm just happy she made it this far she's so passionate about food so I mean this would mean a lot just to get that apron and just to say that you know being sight-impaired she's gone this far so it's just one of us what am I think it's here us I love food I love eating it I love creating it I feel like regardless of what your background is your gender your religion food is something everybody has in common in this world and so I think food is what connects people together I'm definitely a competitive person I really want to get this apron I am here for a reason I'm supposed to be graduating school but I've set aside my thesis to get an apron and become the next MasterChef welcome thank you I'm first name is my name is Christine Christine in the history of MasterChef we've never had a blind contestants welcome thank you great I'm what you're cooking I'm cooking Vietnamese comfort food it's a catfish braised in a clay pot and I pickled vegetables to go with it and some rice okay Christine we've got five minutes to complete that dish thank you just in front no you were there just a little bit higher than there we are thank you Christine were you born blind no no chef when I was uh maybe about ten years ago I was diagnosed with a an autoimmune condition that affected my nerves my spinal cord in my optic nerves and so I lost my vision gradually over the past ten years in your mind to visualizing when you put on a plate you yes that's correct you know I felt the plate and things like that before and um a lot of it is on obviously my memory have you always taken to food or is this something that's accelerated on the back of the situation you had to do um I've always loved food my mother she was a really good cook but she passed away when I was 14 and she never left any recipes and ever since I've been trying to recreate her recipe I'd love to [ __ ] you're tasting everything I have to I can't see one of my teaching methods with young chefs in my kitchen today is that in order for them to understand how to cook it properly one thing they need to do is to taste it so we put a blindfold on them and they understand correct x2 the taste and the sense which is accelerated so much more quicker when your eyes are closed and you're concentrating purely on the senses correct I'm sorry can you tell me where I had put the green onion the green onions on the bowl it should be right in front of you it's right in front of me right in front of your hand oh yeah okay my right did not turn out to par so I'm not I'm not serving it to you okay thank you the catfish how do you cook it with some fish sauce with some caramel that I made by it just caramelizing sugar on the stove and using coconut soda as well and with shallots and garlic and the base of the broth is made up of what fish sauce I'm love the factor you kept the fish on the bone why a catfish it's just it's really tender and I didn't want to pick it apart and make it look unappetizing so I left it as a steak I think it looks more appealing and that's just the way of Vietnamese people eat you know you're gonna be judged like everybody else in this competition yes chef the dish does need the sort of stability it's a staple done beautifully but missing the rice yes chef I understand I'm sorry thank you thank you so what's the idea behind cooking it in the clay pot it's supposed to aid with the quicker caramelization and braising of the product you put inside it's got a beautiful aroma Thank You chef the skin is it's getting still on No oh it is off yes I feel like Cather skin can get a little bit too fatty yeah you know itself is very tender already and so I felt like it could do without the skin so it was skin oh I do I do see some on here kind of does have that that fattiness they can kind of take away from the flavor Wow that flavors amazing thank you so much have that sweetness you've got the the acidity with the pickling I really wish that there was some kind of starch to to kind of bring it all together you know well thank you so much Thank You chef all right hi sir Joe obviously I've heard you give me looks but luckily I can't see it you have a great advantage as you talk about your food not only are you able to express it in words but your face speaks volumes yes your eyes beam with happiness and pride and passion and you have a lot to be proud of it's thank you sir it's an amazing amazing accomplishment thank you sir okay Joe yes on that 100% yes ground yes I'm not everybody has a story and has things that they have to overcome judge solely on that dish I'm a guess Thank You chef your personal challenges sides for me that's one of the most delicious dishes I've tasted these dishes so far do you know what I'm gonna give you wait for the white apron congratulations thank you I'll come and get it graduations I mean really good job thank you have some of the most amazing people in the culinary world all taste my dish and say that it was fantastic and that they were impressed that I did my best with what limitations I have and I'm so touched that they all complimented me on my food and they believed in me so I feel like static you can overcome anything you want to overcome and get what you want to get and I'm gonna be the next MasterChef

Channel: MasterChef USA

Views: 3,899,017

Rating: 4.9583135 out of 5

Keywords: masterchef, cooking, chef, masterchef season 3

Id: win3_Y7LaSk

Length: 8min 56sec (536 seconds)

Published: Wed Nov 07 2012