PETALING JAYA, May 14 – In 2018, Malaysians were introduced to the unthinkable notion of crispy rendang by the judges on MasterChef UK.
This resulted in contestant Zaleha Kadir Olpin getting eliminated from the reality cooking competition.
The Bristol-based Malaysian cook failed to impress judge Gregg Wallace for serving nasi lemak without crispy skin chicken rendang despite serving the dish the way her mum did.
Wallace’s comments subsequently unleashed a barrage of criticism from Malaysians back home, including several public figures such as Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, then prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and even the British High Commissioner to Malaysia.
A year later, the amateur Kuantan-born cook is back on her feet and has launched her maiden cookbook with a cheeky title to boot — My Rendang Isn’t Crispy.
Zaleha made the announcement on Facebook on Sunday.
“I cannot tell you how excited I am feeling right now! From months of hard work to finally being able to hold it in my hands I just hope you will enjoy and appreciate it,” she wrote.
The collection of Zaleha’s favourite Malaysian dishes will be launched in Asia on July 1 and on September 16 in the UK.
“To my Asia followers check out my story highlight to order yours online from Marshall Cavendish Singapore. I will update more details soon,” Zaleha wrote.
