Culinary creativity for gold

Cooking shrimp roulade and pan-seared cod is nothing new. So, to win the gold, Joceline Chew knew she had to be different.

She stuck with the tried and tested methods of cooking them, but when it came to the sauces, Joceline made full use of her creativity.

The UOW Malaysia KDU's Professional Chef Training Diploma final year student rested her fate on her sauces for these two dishes.

Coached by UOW Malaysia KDU's Chef Chuah Lay Yen and Chef Darren Tan, Joceline took in the characteristics of shrimp and cod and used herbs and spices to enhance their flavours.

"With the shrimp roulade, I relied on prawn bisque controlled with lemon and dill. Just a little dill. I wanted to take away the taste of the sea while keeping the sweetness of the prawn intact.

"With the pan-seared cod, I used a chimichurri sauce that had more parsley and cilantro," she said.

Joceline cannot forget what the chef-judge said to her.

"He said my sauce was so good at balancing the oiliness of cod fish," she recalled proudly.

Joceline's skill at manipulating herbs and spices earned her the gold medal in the fish/seafood main course (Western) category of the Food and Hotel Malaysia (FHM) Culinaire Malaysia 2022 category.

This is the first few physical culinary competitions in the endemic, and other students of UOW Malaysia KDU did not disappoint.

Andy Ling Soon Teck bagged the silver medal of the competition's fish/seafood main course (Western) category.

G. Harshinia bagged the Silver in the Apprentice Halibut Main Course (Western Cuisine).

Bibiana Choo Khai Shwen secured the Diploma of the Apprentice Halibut Main Course (Western Cuisine).

Yeoh Ying Yeap also took the Diploma of the Apprentice Halibut Main Course (Western Cuisine).

For the Malaysian Tiger Cup of the FHM Culinaire Malaysia 2022 competition, UOW Malaysia KDU's team comprising Chef Chuah as team manager, Andy, Bibiana and Joceline brought home the Bronze Cup.

FHM Culinaire Malaysia 2022 is one of the most important culinary events in Malaysia and is approved by the World Association of Chefs Societies, drawing participants from all over Malaysia.

"Everyday, people must eat. But what we want to create is making the meal into something memorable," said Cindy Loh, KDU's Head of the School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts.

When asked, Joceline said she chose the Diploma in Professional Chef Training because of her grandmother.

"I grew up with her and I spent my younger years cooking with her. Although I have other skills, I decided that I wanted to be good at cooking to be like my grandmother," said Joceline.

To know more about what can be learned at UOW Malaysia KDU's School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts, call 03-5565 0538 (Klang Valley) or 04-238 6368 (Northern Region).

This content is provided by UOW Malaysia KDU.

Interested in having your announcements on Malaysiakini? Contact the announcements team at [email protected] or whatsapp on +60 17-323 0707 for urgent matters.