While the MasterChef UK rendang debate rages on (let’s call it #rendangate), one person has stepped into the ring to offer a diplomatic answer as to whether or not the skin to a chicken rendang dish should be crispy.
Judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace offered their benighted thoughts on a chicken rendang made by Malaysian contestant Zaleha Kadir Olpin.
Whilst exuding authority, yet actually knowing nothing, one judge informed her that the skin on her chicken rendang, that accompanied the nasi lemak, was “not crisp enough” in the quarter-final stages of the competition.
British High Commissioner Victoria Treadell helped build bridges of understanding by pointing out to the two MasterChef UK judges that rendang should NEVER be crispy.
Writing that it can be chicken, lamb or beef, it should never be crispy, and shouldn’t be confused with the fried chicken sometimes served on the side with nasi lemak.
She added that it also shouldn’t be confused with the Indonesian variant by the same name, a slight dig at one of John Torode’s tweets following Malaysia’s furor at the commentary Zaleha Kadir Olpin’s dish received while at the judge’s table.
Ipoh-born Treadell also went as far as tagging both judges’ Twitter accounts in her response. Oooh girl, BOLD. We like it.
Unable to defend the fact that he and his counterpoint had limited understanding of Malaysia’s national dish, he deflected criticism by insinuating that the dish was of Indonesian origin.
Nice try, amateur. Nasi lemak could have been brought to us by the good people of MARS for all it’s worth – you two still have no idea what you’re talking about.
