Our Rendangate chef is back in town

Doing what she does best: Zaleha preparing Malaysian fare in Bristol, Britain.

PETALING JAYA: More than three months after the “crispy rendang” kerfuffle, former MasterChef UK contestant Zaleha Kadir Olpin still gets recognised as the “rendang lady”.

“My friend told me I’m well known in Malaysia. I find it funny.

“I attended the Worldchefs Congress & Expo in Kuala Lumpur on Friday and people recognised me!” Zaleha said with a hearty laugh over the phone.

The 49-year-old Malaysian, a resident of Bristol in southwest England, is currently back in the country for a four-week summer holiday break with her husband, a retiree, and their two children.

In early April, she shot to fame when her traditional rendang dish was panned by one of the judges on MasterChef UK for not being “crispy” enough.

The incident dubbed “Rendangate” even led to then-prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and then-opposition leader Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad “uniting” in Zaleha’s defence on social media.

“Maybe you are confusing rendang chicken with KFC,” tweeted Dr Mahathir while Najib posted: “Mana ada orang makan rendang ayam ‘crispy’? (Where do people eat chicken rendang that is ‘crispy’?)”.

Recalling the episode, Zaleha said it was “unfortunate” that the comment had provoked such an uproar as judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace were both “very nice”.

“Torode actually has a huge amount of knowledge on Asian food, and he even visited Malaysia about two years ago,” she said, adding that he also gave her cooking tips on Asian cuisine.

However, the biggest influence in her journey through Malaysian cooking is none other than her mother.

“I didn’t cook a lot when I was in Malaysia because it was so easy to get good food here.

“But when I moved to Australia in 2003, I had to cook more often because I needed my Malaysian fix,” she revealed.

The mother of two added that she would chalk up a huge bill making calls to her mother to seek culinary advice.

Growing up, she and her siblings were always exposed to the rich aromas and delicious flavours of assorted foods as her father managed a restaurant and her mother loved to cook, she said.

“Being Malaysian, my parents wanted to make sure we knew how to cook. My mother believed that no matter how well educated you are, you need to learn how to cook,” she said.

Since exiting the competition, Zaleha has put “Rendangate” firmly behind her and is cooking up a storm in Britain and Malaysia.

Besides catering, she has also started a supper club back in Bristol, where she and two friends provide guests with four-course Malaysian meals at a rented cafe after closing hours.

Called Malaysian Kitchen UK, the club can sell up to 50 tickets in its monthly session and Zaleha is looking to expand the venture to other places such as London, Bournemouth and Birmingham.

Next on the menu for Zaleha is a date with the British High Commissioner to Malaysia Vicki Treadell this Wednesday.

“I will be cooking non-crispy rendang with her in my hometown Kuantan,” she laughed.