BY FELICIA LEE YAN HUI
Shortly after the first session of MasterChef Yang, we welcomed Chef Priscill (@taitaichef on Instagram) back to conduct our third session, MasterChef Yang Episode 3 (wonder why we’re missing Episode 2? Stay tuned to find out!). This time, our session featured 2 other local dishes, Nasi Lemak and Ondeh Ondeh.
Although Nasi Lemak seemed like a rather easy dish to make, Chef Priscill emphasised that the ingredients and spices that constitute the dish were extremely essential to bring out the rich flavour. She went on to talk about the history of the different spices that she was going to use as well as other alternative spices. Particularly, instead of using real cinnamon for Nasi Lemak, she chose to use cassia, also known as “fake cinnamon” as it is more price-friendly and does not differ much in taste. This was definitely an eye-opener for participants which will allow them to make this dish even when the main ingredients cannot be found, especially when recreating this dish overseas on their exchange or OFYP.
To start off the cooking, Chef Priscill first did a demonstration on how to prepare the fragrant rice of Nasi Lemak. As highlighted by Chef Priscill, it is crucial to make sure that the spices were sizzling on the frying pan, so that the flavour of the spice can be totally released and infused into the oil and the rice later on. Finally, the signature ingredient of Nasi Lemak, coconut cream, was added to the rice before allowing the rice to boil for a period of time.
While waiting for the rice to cook, Chef Priscill started preparing the dessert of the day – Ondeh Ondeh. Originating from Indonesia, Ondeh Ondeh is an extremely popular traditional dessert in Singapore, with its characteristic green glutinous rice ball infused with gula melaka (also known as palm sugar). Many people in Singapore would be familiar with Ondeh Ondeh, but did you know that the preparation of this dessert includes the boiling of glutinous rice balls?
Even though a single Ondeh Ondeh ball could be as small as a 50 cent coin, the effort behind each ball cannot be neglected. Other than ensuring that the mixture of glutinous rice flour and water is the optimal ratio, one must use their discretion to determine how much gula melaka to include in each Ondeh Ondeh. This is to ensure that the Ondeh Ondeh will not “explode” before boiling it into the water. After many times of trial and error, all the participants seemed to get the hang of the “magic ratio” under Chef Priscill’s guidance. Finally, participants were given freshly steamed coconut shavings to coat the Ondeh Ondeh, giving its classic look.
After all the participants were done with their dishes, Chef Priscill gave each participant ikan bilis, peanuts, a boiled egg and sambal chilli (which she was busy preparing before the session and smelled wonderful) to complement their Nasi Lemak. Besides, participants also managed to cut up their own cucumbers and tomatoes to help plate their dishes attractively.
To mark the end of the session, Chef Priscill distributed certificates of completion to all participants to congratulate them on successfully creating these dishes. Participants were extremely excited to savour their fruits of labour, especially since they were surrounded by the fragrant smell of Nasi Lemak and sweet-smelling Ondeh Ondeh throughout the 2-hour session.
All in all, this was once again an extremely engaging cooking session held by Chef Priscill. We hope that the participants will be able to recreate these dishes and share the joy of food with their family and friends. Besides, stay tuned for our next and last session of MasterChef Yang, which will feature two other very interesting local dishes.
Check out the recipes here.