MasterChef is finally here in this region under the name MasterChef Asia with 15 selected aspiring home cooks from across Asia coming to Singapore for the first time to compete for the coveted top honor!And I being a self-taught cooking enthusiast, who have been following many versions of MasterChef over the years, including those from China, Korea, Australia and USA, this certainly presents a great opportunity for the like-minded to gain global recognition as a chef!
The judging panel of MasterChef Asia : (second from left) Susur Lee, Audra Morrice and Bruno Menard
Fans (including me!) of MasterChef congregated in numbers last Saturday and turned the usual busy weekend human traffic at Nex shopping mall in Serangoon, the suburban housing estate of Singapore, to a standstill for a chance to catch a glimpse of Hong Kong-born culinary genius Susur Lee, culinary TV personalityAudra Morrice and 3-Michelin Starred chef Bruno Menard, whom together formed the judging panel for the first-ever pan-regional, English version of the competitive cooking reality show.For me it's certainly the Singapore-born, finalist at the MasterChef Australia Season 4, Andra Morrice, who I learned how to bake the delicious Dark Chocolate Raspberry Tart with Cherry Port Jelly two years ago!
Singapore Contestants for MasterChef Asia - Sandrian Tan, Lennard Yeong, and Woo Wai Leong
Made popular in USA by the Michelin starred celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay (co-creator of this show and Hell's Kitchen), based on an original UK franchise, Singapore will be sending three representative in Woo Wai Leong (Lawyer), Sandrian Tan (Housemaker), and Lennard Yeong (Engineer) to contest with 12 other home cooks from seven other countries for the first MasterChef Asia title.
The Trio was also present at the Meet & Greet session that day to give the fans the MasterChef Asia live experience when they battled it out in the iconic Mystery Box challenge.
The judges sharing their grading criteria for MasterChef Asia
Sandrian Tan emerged as the winner for the Mystery Box Challange during the Meet & Greet session of MasterChef Asia
Sandrian Tan's Coconut Ginger Prawns with Prawn Omelette served on Pineapple Salsa and Pickled Daikons; Photo credit : Lifetime Asia
At the end of the challenge, it was the Coconut Ginger Prawns with Prawn Omelette served on Pineapple Salsa and Pickled Daikons prepared by Sandrian Tan that impressed the judges. Fortunately for the two losing contestants, neither of them need to leave the show.
A caution to all Huneybees: as always for all the MasterChef show, do not watch any episode over dinning time, or worst with an empty stomach, as the foods in front of you thereafter might just look less appealing as compared to those shown on the show =)
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