MasterChef UK Judges Gregg Wallace and John Torode Roasted Over 'Crispy' Chicken Rendang
A wrong judgement definitely caused a furore and her exit from the show indeed stirred a controversy too far and wide.
A chicken dish called Chicken Rendang caused major trouble in the cooking show MasterChef UK. The dish prepared by Bristol-based Zaleha Kadir Olpin was eliminated last week because it was not crispy enough as pointed out by Judges Gregg Wallace and John Torode. It was a Malaysian dish which is traditionally never crispy, so people were fuming over social media about the judges' lack of knowledge.
"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. The remark was questioned overtly by everyone including even the British High Commissioner to Malaysia Vicki Treadell pointing out that how it should never be crispy and not to be confused with the fried chicken sometimes served with nasi lemak.
More fuel was added to the fire when fellow judge John Torode wrote a taunting tweet about the dish being Indonesian!
Check out John Torode's tweet:
People then accused Torode of creating a rift between the two nations. Thus the Chicken Rendang controversy turned into a unification of four countries- Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and even Singapore against Torode!
Check out Zaleha Kadir Olpin's post about her traditional Chicken Rendang
In fact, the issue blew so much that A Malaysian Facebook page was created called “Justice for Chicken Rendang” featuring a petition demanding an apology from Wallace and Torode. The Malaysian Prime Minister too couldn't hold back and joined in the debate. Mr. Najib Razak, said, “Who eats ‘crispy’ chicken rendang?” The rendang served with nasi lemak is often tagged as the national dish of Malaysia. A wrong judgement definitely caused a furore and her exit from the show indeed stirred a controversy too far and wide.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 03, 2018 11:46 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).