Tonight I think most of us would have been shocked at how Chris stuffed up his cookbook meal challenge and got booted out of Masterchef. Nonetheless I am determined I will go to his beer bar when it opens (like the judges and probably half of Melbourne) to have a taste of his "nose to tail" menu. Mmm, I can almost taste that roast pig head now...
Anyhow, I was also stunned by the bravado Poh displayed. Thus far I had been annoyed at her giggly haphazard approach to the competition. Yes I admit I have enjoyed her left-of-field approach to cooking especially in dessert preparation. However, her falling back onto what Malaysians would deem as hawker food at critical times in the competition irritated me. The dishes she served at the elders dinner were particularly conservative, which was ridiculous since Cheong Liew (now THAT is an overachieving Chinese Malaysian at cooking, hoorah!) was at the table.
Then tonight's cookbook meal challenge happened. The century egg, the ginger custard, the homemade rice dumpling with sesame and sugar covering, the squid ink cubic noodles, the pickled mustard. It was daring, it was upping the ante, it was about creating flavours complex and new enough that the judges had trouble understanding them but had to concede the quality of the dishes. It was exactly what Malaysian viewers (and others from South East Asia) needed to see from her at this stage of the competition.
We did not need to see someone purporting to want to present the Chinese Malaysian cuisine in this country going the safe route. Not when they are in Masterchef as (almost) the token Asian(s). We needed to have someone understand how poorly represented Malaysian food is in the fine dining arena and want to do something about it. We needed someone who knew her heritage, grasp the incredible array of ingredients she had at her disposal, understand the full range of flavours emotions and expectations that come with getting this cuisine right, and want to create something truly special.
We needed someone whose food would make US go "wow, I'd pay to eat that!"
Before tonight, the only Masterchef contestant whose food I had a real interest in was Chris. After tonight, add Poh to that list. I look forward to supporting her in her ventures, whether it is checking out her cookbook (I want to know how those noodles are made) or eating at the restaurant she is the chef for.
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