The 19 semi-finalists (one didn't turn up) were asked to bring their dishes out to the judging room and place it on a long white table according to the workstation number we drew earlier. We were then called out one by one to the front of the room to present our dishes to the judges.
I think everyone was curious to see what the other contestants have prepared.. cameras were flashing like crazy, it was definitely prawn-tastic!
The room was buzzing with excitement
Overall, in my opinion all the contestants did very well - everyone was able to put out an attractive looking dish without any disasters in the kitchen. Well done to all! However, I didn't manage to try any of the other contestants dishes. If I'm not mistaken, our dishes were marked on both taste (50%) and presentation (50%).
I'll start by introducing the prawn dish I have whipped up in 45 minutes.
King Prawns with Garlic Butter, Coriander and Curry Leaves on a bed of sauteed vegetables and pineapple.
Recipe for this to follow soon
The (18) other contestants dishes
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, The Cooking House staff were busily cleaning up the place, in preparation for the Skills Test.
The judges getting ready to eat and judge!
Giving out points
Each contestant would present their dish to the judges and the judges may ask a few questions about how the dish was prepared and the ingredients used. Then, they will taste the dish and make a few remarks. The other contestants waited patiently for their names to be called out.
Finally, it was my turn to be called out. Stay calm, steady hands.... bring the dish to the front without tripping over. OK, smile to the judges. I introduced my dish to them and one of the judges commented that it looked very nice and he could tell that I have put a lot of thought into my dish (yay!). Another judge commented that it smelt good (double yay!).
Explaining how I made my dish
The judges had their serious faces on while trying out the food... I wondered if they liked it or not?
I think I see a smile.. two smiles.. three smiles... the judges commented the prawn was well seasoned and well cooked... the texture of the prawns was good and that they LIKED it. In their words "It's very good". Yes, they liked it. I was ecstatic!
On the way back to the back, Hubby grabbed a prawn from the plate and gave me a thumbs up too after trying it. Other guests / contestants quickly grabbed a piece and soon there were none left. Lol I didn't even get to try my own cooking... but hopefully everyone enjoyed it.
Some other contestants presenting their dish
After all the contestants finished presenting their dishes, we had a 10 minute break before the next test... The Skills Test! More on that soon.
Hope you've enjoyed following my Blogger MasterChef journey so far.
Click here to view more photos of the contestants presenting their dishes.
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The actual cooking show, MasterChef Malaysia premieres on 22nd October 2011 at 9.00pm on Astro Ria (Channel 104). It will air every Saturday - Wednesday and the Master Class will be on every Friday 9.00pm.
- Official Site URL – http://www.astro.com.my/MasterChef/
- Facebook Page Link- http://www.facebook.com/MasterChefMalaysia
- Twitter Link– www.twitter.com/MasterChefMY
Congratulations! Your dish looks pretty spectacular among so many others! I particularly like the curry leaves as I think they impart great flavours to the prawns. Good luck! It must be very exciting as I know from MasterChef Australia, it is a program that stops almost everybody on their tracks!
ReplyDeleteWow, some of those presentations look spectacularly creative, considering how impromptu this was! :D
ReplyDeleteChopinandmysaucepan: It is quite intense in the MasterChef kitchen despite how easy it all looks. Thanks very much for yr kind words, I'm hoping I can do well in this week's finals.
ReplyDeleteSean: Yes, I think we all did quite well under the circumstances. :)
ReplyDeleteI would also have your prawns. I love prawns laced with the aroma of curry leaf
ReplyDeleteYour prawn dish look attractive! Wow...I can see how tension it was in front of the Judge Table
ReplyDeleteWell done my dear! :) Such a great looking dish! When are you making another dish so that we can BOTH try it :P Good luck in the finals!!
ReplyDeletewow well done hehe :)
ReplyDeleteMichelle: Yea, the prawns given to us was very fresh so did not need to do much to it. Was glad to see curry leaves in the herb pile since it's one of my favorite ways to cook prawns.
ReplyDeleteMelissa: Thanks!! I think cooking in an unfamiliar kitchen made us all tensed up a little!
ReplyDeleteiamthewitch: Hehe with the short time we had to create and cook it, I am quite happy with the results. Can cook for you one of the weekends, if u like :)
ReplyDeleteKian Fai: Thank U! :) Come support me this Sat la.
ReplyDelete