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!
Gutted to be eliminated on #masterchefuk but I stand by my traditional way of cooking Nasi Lemak . Will not change it for the world. The memories of my amazing time at Masterchef kitchen will forever stays with me. Thank you so much for all your support and good wishes. As my friend said, what doesn't kill me makes me stronger! Thank you again xxx #masterchefuk #iamout #cooking #carryon #love #TFLers #tweegram #photooftheday #20likes #amazing #smile #follow4follow #like4like #look #instalike #igers #picoftheday #food #instadaily #instafollow #followme #girl #iphoneonly #instagood #webstagram #colorful #style #swag
A post shared by Zaleha Kadir Olpin (@z.olpin) on Mar 26, 2018 at 12:48pm PDT
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.
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We Malaysians love our food more than life itself. Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration but that’s how much we love our food!
Which is why you can bet that we’d definitely defend our food if ever someone openly condemns it. I mean, apart from tasting great, they represent our heritage and culture too. Case in point? When this lady from MasterChef UK was told how her chicken rendang should be by some of the judges – Malaysians certainly got a bit annoyed and backed her up!
MasterChef UK contestant Zaleha Kadir Olpin was eliminated from MasterChef UK after her chicken rendang, which she served with nasi lemak, was deemed not crispy, reported NST. Bruh, it’s chicken rendang, not ayam goreng rempah!
Zaleha, who was born in Kuantan, was reportedly “gutted” by the lack of understanding demonstrated by the starred chefs, John Torode and Gregg Wallace, over her chicken rendang dish as they said that “the skin wasn’t crispy” and “the meat didn’t fall off the bone”. She was visibly disappointed, as evident in the video below (you can skip to 21:58).
Source: Youtube
Finally, the judges decided to eliminate Zaleha because her chicken rendang didn’t have crispy skin and the gravy was spread across the skin. Uhm, FYI the gravy is supposed to be on the skin.
Nevertheless, she didn’t let the disappointment get the best of her, as she said in an Instagram post that she was proud to have served her nasi lemak dish and will not change it for the world. You go, girl!
So, with criticism as such coming from the judges, Malaysian netizens did not shy away from sharing their two cents on the issue.
While some social media users were consoling her, others insisted that the judges should do some research first before judging the food. That’s true!
One netizen hilariously roasted MasterChef UK by saying that they should probably go to KFC if they wanted chicken with crispy skin. LOL!
Plus, you know things are serious when even Chef Wan isn’t amused by the comments passed by the judges.
“What rubbish is he talking about? This is not duck à la orange or confit de canard; the way French cook their duck!”
“A chicken ‘rendang’ is basically a stew rendered with all our fresh Asian spices and herbs in coconut milk. And wanting the chicken skin crispy?” he said.
He then continued with no pauses nor filter, “This recipe is not grilled or pan-fried. It is like telling a French Chef, why your coq co vin, chicken cooked in red wine, not having crispy skin.”
“Obviously he does not know what he is talking about. We cook it the Malaysian ‘rendang’ way!”
However, Chef Wan did say that John’s opinion was right but that he still wasn’t accurate.
“Yes, John did voice his opinion right as the chicken needed to be rendered a bit more for it to be much softer but not till (they) fall apart!”
“That is over cooking the chicken rendang! Go understand how to cook a traditional rendang and tell him I challenge him and see if he gets his skin crispy,” said Chef Wan.
Wonder if they’d accept Chef Wan’s challenge. 😛
On the other hand, Chef Sharizah of Dapur London said, “What he was expecting was probably a pimped up version of chicken rendang. Perhaps chicken skin removed, fat completely rendered down, and then deep fry and put on top for garnishing just to give texture, I suppose.”
“For us ‘traditional cooks’, it is always substance over form. Always taste before anything else. Of course it has to be appealing to the eyes first, as that would whet the appetite.”
“But we wouldn’t want to ‘taint’ the sanctity of the traditional art of making rendang. I would definitely make it the way Zaleha did. Soggy skin and all. Or maybe remove the skin,” added Sharizah.
After a week of this heated debate, Zaleha is back in the kitchen as she is now busy with her Malaysian Kitchen supper club, which was reportedly sold out just days after the announcement.
Phew! So much debate for a chicken rendang dish. What do you think of the judges’ comments about her chicken rendang lacking crispy skin? Tell us in the comments!
Also read: 29-Year-Old Accountant from Johor Wins MasterChef Australia 2017
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