Masterchef judge accused of 'whitesplaining' after eliminating Malaysian contestant

Malaysian prime minister took to Twitter to express his bewilderment

Judges of the famous food show “Masterchef” ignited an international debate after criticising a Malaysian born contestant's chicken dish for not being crispy.

People from Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia took to social media to express their displeasure and even the Malaysian prime minister expressed annoyance and shock at the judging panel.



Contestant Zaleha Kadir Olpin presented a coconut rice dish with chicken rending known as nasi lamak.

“The chicken skin isn't crispy, it can't be eaten, but all the sauce is on the skin I can't eat," judge Gregg Wallace complained.

The meat is lightly cooked in a coconut based curry sauce and should be moist and tender, not crispy. The Indonesian dish is popular across Southeast Asia.

"What disappointed me was that the chicken skin wasn't cooked, and the flavour of the rendang sauce was on the skin," another judge said before eliminating Olpin.

Southeast Asians took to social media to defend Olpin’s cooking and called out the judges for not understanding their native cuisine.



Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman, on Facebook, accused the judges of "whitesplaining" to Zaleha, and said he hoped to meet her in the coming days.

This article originally appeared on CNN