LONDON: The cookbook My Rendang Isn't Crispy and Other Favourite Malaysian Dishes by Malaysian chef Zaleha Kadir Olpin has won the World Gourmand Cookbook Award 2020 in the Celebrity Chef category.
Zaleha Kadir Olpin, now better known as "That Rendang Lady" after she was shown the door from BBC's MasterChef reality show in 2018, was informed of the win by her publisher, Marshall Cavendish, Singapore, after the list of winners was published in the organiser's website.
The accountant turned chef, who hails from Kuantan, Pahang, didn't waste time sulking after she was told on British TV by judges John Torode and Greg Wallace that her chicken rendang wasn't "crispy". Instead, she proceeded to carve out her life as a chef, release her own line of bottled sauces and gravy and authored her first book that was published last year.
"I cannot put into words how I feel. Never in a million years did I think I would publish a cookbook, let alone win a prestigious award such as the Gourmand Award," gushed Zaleha from her family home in Bristol, United Kingdom.
The 152-page book, which is already on its third print, is packed with her favourite family recipes such as laksam, a rolled rice noodle dish unique to the east coast of Malaysia; nasi lemak and, of course, the chicken rendang that had united countries in Southeast Asia and politicians from the political divide after the much-publicised controversy.
The Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, which is also described as "The Oscar of Food", recognises cookbooks and chefs around the world. It was founded in 1995 by Edouard Cointreau, a prominent figure in the international culinary arts publishing scene.
Zaleha, a mother of two who had been living the life of an expatriate wife before settling down in Bristol, was nominated by her publisher, Marshall Cavendish Singapore, in the Celebrity Chef Category, thus putting her up against chefs from South Africa, Canada, the United States, the UK and Ireland.
A winner in the same category is Nadiya Hussain, who rose to fame after winning the sixth series of BBC's The Great British Bake-Off in 2015, for her book Time to Eat, published by Mitchell Beazley last year.
Most of the recipes in Zaleha's book were handed down from her mother and grandmother.
The past two years saw Zaleha appear on shows and events demonstrating her culinary skills, where she still maintains traditional methods of cooking and where authenticity is still very much preserved.
In her book, Zaleha also shares lessons she learned growing up in a culinary family, with insights into the importance of food in Malaysian culture.
"I am so thankful to everyone involved in bringing this book to life. From the team at Marshall Cavendish to my photographer and friends who lent their props, my family for being my guinea pigs, and most importantly, Malaysia, for letting me represent her and showcasing her food to the world! I am a proud Malaysian through and through," said Zaleha, who is also the winner of the Malaysian Gourmand Cookbook Award.
Zaleha looked back at the episode in her life that catapulted her to fame and reflected: "If not for the crispy chicken rendang episode, I would be just another forgotten MasterChef participant."
Zaleha was supposed to attend the award ceremony to be held in China this year, but the Covid-19 pandemic put paid to all events around the world. She now shares her culinary skills in her Facebook account, under the name "That Rendang Lady".