KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 30 — Two Malaysians have done the country proud by making it into the top three in the inaugural season of Masterchef Asia.

Malaysian contestants Marcus Low and Jasbir Kaur made it to the finals after a challenge where the final four contestants recreated a signature dish at one Singapore’s most famous fine dining restaurants, Les Amis, then served it to VIPs.

Woo Wai Leng from Singapore is the other finalist, while marketing manager Priya Barve in India was eliminated in the challenge.

Marcus Low, a 24-year-old banker from Kuala Lumpur, said he finds inspiration in established chefs, modern and molecular cuisine, and prides himself on his unique ingredient pairings.

He hopes that MasterChef Asia will be his introduction to the culinary world, from which he can go on to establish a name for himself and hopes to bring Malaysian cuisine to the forefront.

Jasbir Kaur, a 54-year-old housewife from Kuching, said her love for cooking began when she moved to Sarawak after getting married.

The mother of three cooks for her family almost every day and hopes to impart the skills of traditional Punjabi cooking to the younger generations.

She also hopes to get professional accreditation to her cooking skills and prove that home cooks can be highly skilled in the kitchen as well. 

Malaysian contestants Jasbir Kaur (far right) and Marcus Low (2nd right) cooking together in the same team during one of the earlier episodes of the season. — Picture by Masterchef Asia
Malaysian contestants Jasbir Kaur (far right) and Marcus Low (2nd right) cooking together in the same team during one of the earlier episodes of the season. — Picture by Masterchef Asia

Masterchef Asia, shown on Astro’s Lifetime channel, brings together 15 aspiring cooks from across Asia and is judged by Hong Kong-born culinary genius Susur Lee, three-Michelin-starred chef Bruno Ménard and Singapore-born Audra Morrice, a MasterChef Australia finalist.

The top three contestants will next cook a family favourite dish after in the next episode of the show, which will air on Thursday, December 3, and the top two will face off in the grand finale of the show, which will air on Thursday, December 10 on the Lifetime channel on Astro.

The winner gets to publish his or her own cookbook as well as the following prizes: US$50,000 (RM213,000) cash, US$10,000 worth of leisure experiences in Singapore, US$15,000 of Panasonic home appliances, a paid internship at one of Carlton Hotel Singapore’s restaurants and a one-week stay at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort.

For more information, visit http://msn.com/masterchefasia.