After rendang critique, MasterChef UK judge John Torode stirs fury among Malaysians on Twitter
The MasterChef UK judge touched a nerve with his feedback. — Picture via Twitter/JohnTorode1PETALING JAYA, April 2 — John Torode turned the heat up on an argument over Malaysian food that led to tempers boiling on social media.
The celebrity chef initially stirred the pot when Zaleha Kadir Olpin, a Malaysian contestant on MasterChef UK, was dubiously criticised and eliminated from the show for her nasi lemak with chicken rendang dish.
Torode, who judges alongside Gregg Wallace, was unimpressed with Zaleha’s entry, saying the chicken should be “really soft and falling apart”.
Wallace irked most however when he commented “the skin wasn’t crispy,” adding that the sauce on the chicken made it difficult to eat.
The pair received backlash from Malaysians who argued Torode and Wallace did not appreciate the traditional preparation of the dish.
Zaleha was “gutted” to have been dismissed in the quarterfinals.
She later declared her pride for the nasi lemak and chicken rendang by promising to stand by her method for cooking the “nation’s favourite.”
Even Malaysian celebrity chef Datuk Redzuawan Ismail, better known as Chef Wan, jumped to the Zaleha’s defence, saying it was impossible to make what is essentially a stew with spices and coconut milk while maintaining a crispy chicken skin.
He told New Straits Times making the meat any softer is “overcooking the chicken rendang. Go understand how to cook a traditional rendang and I challenge him and see if he gets his skin crispy.”
Just as the issue started to simmer, Torode fired up social media users once more in an attempt to address the debate.
He first contested social media user @ShannonChowz who argued rendang was a “classic Malaysian dish” that shouldn’t be presented differently to appease the judges’ preference.
Torode hit back by questioning rendang’s origin, a topic that naturally stokes flames in the region.
Thank you so much for your input .. we could of course argue as to it’s origin and wether chicken is classic or an adaptation . https://t.co/o36zIX69p9 — John Torode (@JohnTorode1) 2 April 2018
He then went one better, by replying another user and suggested that the dish was Indonesian before signing off with “Namaste”, an expression native to India.
Maybe Rendang is Indonesian !! Love this !! Brilliant how excited you are all getting .. Namaste 🙏🏻 https://t.co/CThRmhaEAc — John Torode (@JohnTorode1) 2 April 2018
Twitter users from Malaysia and Indonesia leaped out of the pot, mob blazing.
Stop embarrassing yourself mate. Human to err. Ask any Malaysian or Indonesian what chicken rending really is. Have something authentic. You might not be wrong, but only because you don’t know the real thing. So don’t go ‘namaste-ing’ away. — klubbkidd™ (@klubbkiddkl) 2 April 2018
Whoa
Usually, we don't say Namaste as a greeting, only Indians will do that, and even Indonesia IS NOT India
How about get your facts damn right first? — Inekoto Setsu (@InekotoSetsu) 2 April 2018
We ain't getting excited or what so ever
We actually triggered that u disrespect our dishes and our cultures. Shame for u that u claim ur self a chef, please do some home work before u judge the nice lady's nasi lemak — Wayne Lee (@WayneLee92963) 2 April 2018
But like the creamy sauce of a good rendang, the plot thickened.
It turns out Torode has a well-informed impression of Malaysian flavours having presented a 10-part series; John Torode’s Malaysian Adventure for the UK’s Good Food channel which aired in 2015.
On yer bike, Torode! — Picture via YouTube/UKTVThat might have put him in good stead for tasting Zaleha’s dish as Torode traversed the land in an exploration of Malaysia’s best tastes.
Here’s a pinch of salt — Torode, unsurprisingly, encountered rendang on his travels, albeit duck as opposed to chicken.
Still, the dish was discussed, the “thick mixture” of the creamy texture included. Torode loved it of course.
Torode has concocted a fine mess indeed!
PETALING JAYA: The chicken rendang in the nasi lemak is "not crispy enough" - that has got Malaysians riled up over the comments by judges during a MasterChef UK episode.Contestant Zaleha Kadir Olpin's traditional rendition of nasi lemak with chicken rendang could attract queues outside her kitchen doors, but the very same dish got her eliminated from the quarter-finals of the competition.Zaleha, 48, was making the dish during the knockout round of the BB1 programme, a dish she said was her childhood favourite."I used to save my pocket money to buy nasi lemak on Friday and there was a special stall outside our school that used to sell the best nasi lemak for 20 sen, it is very special," Zaleha told MasterChef UK judge John Torode while she was preparing the dish.During the show, Torode gave the audience a run-down of the classic nasi lemak dish, saying that the rice has to be served with not too much coconut milk, the sambal has to be ferociously hot, and the chicken has to be "really, really soft and falling apart".Zaleha presented the judges with a luxurious plate of nasi lemak with chicken rendang, prawn sambal, omelette, anchovies, peanuts and cucumber.After tasting, judge Gregg Wallace criticised the chicken skin for not being crispy enough."I like the rendang flavour, there's a coconut sweetness, however, the chicken skin isn't crispy. It can't be eaten and all the sauce is on the skin, I can't eat," Wallace said.Torode chimed in, saying that the chicken rendang is a mistake."It hasn't had enough time to cook down and become lovely and soft and falling apart. Instead the chicken is just tough and not really flavoursome," he said.Zaleha looked visibly disappointed at the comments and later was heard saying she was "gutted" as she removed her apron after elimination.Chicken rendang is a dry curry dish where chicken is stewed in coconut milk and spices until the chicken is tender.On social media, Malaysians who have watched the episode are questioning whether the two judges are qualified to be criticising Asian foods.Social media users, who watched a YouTube video of the MasterChef UK episode, said the judges have "no idea" how chicken rendang is prepared."They are not worthy to be judges if they are not knowledgeable about Asian cuisine," Are Fiq said."All the judges need cooking lesson from Chef Wan", Lapi Zaini said, referring to Malaysian celebrity chef Datuk Redzuawan Ismail."If you don't know anything about rendang, then I think that you should rendang (dunk) your own head first," Azuan Annas wrote in a comment directed at the judges.On Zaleha's Instagram, Jam13_wong said it is the judges who should be eliminated.Zaleha's supporters thanked her for representing Malaysian cuisine on an international platform and said it was a shame the judges were not familiar with it.On Instagram, Zaleha said she stand by her traditional way of cooking the dish and would not have changed it for the world."As my friend said, what doesn't kill me makes me stronger!" she said.
Image caption MasterChef judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace, now subjects of Malaysian foodie fury
When a chicken dish eliminated a Malaysian-born woman from reality TV show MasterChef UK last week because it was just not crispy enough, a nation saw red.
Judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace said Zaleha Kadir Olpin's chicken rendang needed "crispy" skin.
It was served as an accompaniment to nasi lemak, a beloved Malaysian dish.
Malaysians have been flocking to social media in fury to point out the judges simply got chicken rendang all wrong.
"I like the rendang flavour, there's a coconut sweetness. However, the chicken skin isn't crispy. It can't be eaten and all the sauce is on the skin so I can't eat it," Mr Wallace remarked.
"Utter ridiculousness," wrote Sujita Soorian in response to a Facebook post about the story. "Crispy chicken rendang? Did the judges think that this was fish and chips? Calling themselves 'celebrity chefs' when they only know about food from their own culture. Such limited knowledge of cuisine from around the world. Shame on them really."
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Malaysian journalist and food writer Jahabar Sadiq concurs, saying that calling for the dish to be "crispy" rather than "soft and tender" was offensive.
"They clearly weren't familiar with food from other parts of the world because if they were, they would have had the knowledge to know what real nasi lemak is," he told BBC News from Kuala Lumpur.
"Crispy chicken? No. The meat has to be soft and that's a result of hours of cooking...Many people associate chicken with being fried but there is no craft, no skill. But this is chicken rendang, not KFC so it all boils down to how the chef controls the spices and the flames. The amount of coconut milk is also key."
Image copyright AFP Image caption Nasi lemak: a dish of Malaysian national pride
The rendang was served alongside nasi lemak, often seen as Malaysia's unofficial national dish (also found in Singapore).
The dish consists of coconut milk-infused rice accompanied by various ingredients such as a fried egg, cucumber slices, tiny fried anchovies, peanuts, and a hefty dollop of a spicy chilli paste known as sambal - and served in a banana leaf.
More extravagant versions of the dish come served with chicken or beef rendang, a rich South East Asian curry that's made with by stewing meat in coconut milk and spices until it becomes tender.
Image caption One version of chicken rendang. Note that it isn't crispy
Bristol-based Ms Zaleha had already made her mark by wowing the judging panel with her brand of South East Asian cuisine.
She shared fond memories of the dish, saying that it was the first thing her mother had cooked for her husband when Ms Zaleha brought him home to meet her parents. And it was also a "childhood favourite".
"There was a special stall outside my school that sold the best nasi lemak so I used to save up pocket money on Fridays," she explained to the judges. "The dish is very special to me."
Image caption Ms Zaleha, seen her with her fellow MasterChef contestants, has gone on to start a successful Malaysian food supper club
But Mr Torode called her chicken rendang "a mistake" and said it hadn't had time to cook down and become soft. It marked her exit from the show.
"I have worked a lot, really worked hard today and I thought they would like it," she said.
In the days that have followed, the slight felt by Malaysians on social media about the lack of awareness of a dish close to the national heart, has not abated.
"When Malaysian food gets insulted, an entire nation stands up," one Facebook user wrote.
On Instagram, Ms Zaleha said she was "gutted" about her MasterChef UK departure. But her emotional exit has drawn great sympathy from many viewers who point out that she is far more likely to be an authority on an authentic chicken rendang and nasi lemak than others.
"Colonised us for more than 100 years for spices but in the end, still having no idea how food works," wrote one angry Facebook user, showing that old wounds cut deep.
Image copyright AFP Image caption Yup, nasi lemak condoms. Only in Malaysia
And what of the judges? They seem pleased at the debate stirred by their comments and celebrated the foodie culture it has revealed and ignited. John Torode was even moved to tweet.
Though labelling rendang an Indonesian dish and signing off with "namaste", a respectful greeting used on the Indian subcontinent, may yet stoke more flames.
