Culinaire Malaysia 2013 in Conjunction with FHM 2013: The Grand Finale at The Royale Chulan Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia’s Largest International Food & Hospitality Trade Event

If you have a chance, please make sure to check out the Culinaire Malaysia that takes place every two years! It is the food and hotel event of the year where Malaysia plays host to our local talents and F&B businesses together with international chefs and F&B trade. This year, there are over 8 halls in KLCC with many international business participating.

As a contributor in the nourish! magazine, the official magazine for FHM 2013, I managed to catch some actions on the last day of the four-day event. Check out nourish! magazine here. The grand finale of the 11^th Culinaire Malaysia climaxes with the announcement of the winners at The Royale Chulan Kuala Lumpur.

First held in 1993 in Kuala Lumpur, this internationally acclaimed event is currently endorsed by World Association of Cooks Societies (WACS) and the Ministry of Tourism & Culture. Held alongside Food & Hotel Malaysia (FHM 2013) at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Culinaire Malaysia drew a gathering of more than 1200 chefs, bartenders, F&B personnel from hotels and restaurants, students of culinary academies and apprentices from the nation as well as 57 local and international teams all the way from Germany, Russia, China, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Indonesia who will be vying for 21 individual/team awards. Culinaire Malaysia’s 86 renowned judges from the international culinary and beverage world have made their verdict tonight.

“Culinaire Malaysia is all about reaching your dreams. It is about your passion.  Over these four days, we have witnessed 1,288 participants and 57 local and international teams battling to raise the bar with their mouth-watering concoctions and culinary masterpieces. It’s not about competing against each other to win, it’s about getting recognized. The objective of the event has always been to benchmark high level of competency standards in developing world class skills,” said Mr. Samuel Cheah, Organizing Chairman of Culinaire Malaysia in his speech.

“Culinaire Malaysia has always been a platform for many of our budding chefs, apprentices and F&B personnel to advance their career paths. With each show, the level is raised higher and I am encouraged each time when I see the impact that Culinaire Malaysia has on its participants. Their achievements in Culinaire Malaysia have led them to obtain higher positions in their profession or even have their own restaurant, consulting or training company,” he adds with encouragement.

The Organizing Chairman, Mr. Samuel Cheah, who is also the Secretary-General of the Malaysian Association of Hotels commented, “This is our 11^th edition that featured 34 categories; cold display, patisserie, pastry cup challenge, artistic, butchery skill, hot cooking, team challenge, pub challenge, F&B gold opulence service and many more. Tonight we are all excited to hear of the winner.”

“In conjunction with Culinaire Malaysia 2013, Malaysia was also proud to host the Asean Hotel & Restaurant Association (AHRA) Conference 2013 which concluded successfully on 19^th September with the theme, “The New Age Hospitality - Solutions for the next generation of hoteliers”adds Datuk Mohd Ilyas. The conference featured high profile speakers from the IT industry such as Ms. Tay Shen Li, Head of Internal Communications and Internet Strategies from CIMB Group; Mr. Varinderjit Singh, Vice President of Enterprise Business from Samsung Electronics Malaysia; Mr. Clifford Manifold, Regional Sales Director of Precor Incorporated; Mr. Gregory A. Duffell, President of Creative Advances Technology and Mr. Pearly Lim, 4G/LTE Program Manager from DiGi Telecommunications.

“On behalf of the Malaysian Association of Hotels, I am proud to congratulate Mr. Samuel Cheah and his Organizing Committee for their tireless efforts and sleepless nights all for the sake of this mega event. Our appreciation also goes to Chefs Association of Malaysia and the Malaysian F&B Executives Association for joining hands with us in this endeavour to bring Malaysian cuisine to the world stage,” said Datuk Mohd Ilyas Zainol Abidin, President of Malaysian Association of Hotels.

“Our congratulations to the Malaysian Association of Hotels, for once again organising the spectacular Culinaire Malaysia. As the venue sponsor, the Centre is honoured to host this event that encourages friendly competition amongst local chefs, inspiring then to further hone their skills to the benefit of the Malaysian hospitality industry,” added Datuk Peter Brokenshire, General Manager of Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

The nourish! team and nourish! Publisher, Mr. Ryan Khang with President, Chefs Association of Malaysian (CAM), Chef Chern Chee Hong and General Manager of the Malaysian Exhibition Services Sdn Bhd, Mr. Alun Jones

Many acclaimed chefs from local and international food and hospitality attended the dinner and the prize giving ceremony that night!

The Winners of Culinaire Malaysia 2013

1.     Most Outstanding Chef: Sazli Nazim Ismail – Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur

2.     Most Outstanding Artist: Ahmad Redha – Hotel Royal Kuala Lumpur

3.     Most Outstanding Pastry Chef: Goh Dah Liang – The Westin Kuala Lumpur

4.     Most Outstanding F&B Personnel: Nursamiehah Ismail – Convex Malaysia Sdn Bhd

5.     Most Outstanding Bartender: Ellen Ho Yu Lin – Taylor’s University

6.     Most Outstanding Apprentice: Leong Wei Ming – Berjaya Higher Education Sdn Bhd

7.     Most Outstanding Barista: No Winner

8.     Most Outstanding Catering Services: Berjaya University College of Hospitality

9.     Most Outstanding Team in Culinary: Convex Malaysia Sdn Bhd

10.  Most Outstanding Chocolate Showpiece and Dessert Challenge: No Winner

11.  Most Outstanding Sugar Showpiece and Chocolate Challenge: No Winner

12.  Iron Butcher Chef of the Year: Champion – Norzi Kamis – The Datai Langkawi

13.  Table Setting – Gold Excellence: Chong Hui Lin – Berjaya University College of Hospitality

14.  Fruit Flambé – Gold Excellence: No Winner

15.  Cocktail – Gold Excellence: No Winner

16.  Mocktail – Gold Excellence: Pan Jian Cun – Ching Kuo Institute of Management and Health, Taiwan

17.  Dream Team Challenge: No Winner

18.  Red Majesty’s Chef’s Cup Team Challenge: Society of Chinese Cuisine Chefs Singapore

19.  Nyonya’s Heritage Team Challenge: Champion – Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur

20.  Remy & Linguini Team Challenge: Champion – Junior – Convex Malaysia Sdn Bhd

21.  Junior Chef’s Gourmet Battle Team Challenge Trophy: Project “T” – Taylor’s University

Our dinner of the night was a modern interpretation of modern Malay cuisine with a Western fusion touch. The four-course dinner with a palate cleanser was an interesting conversation piece, at least on my table.

Preserved Prawn Meat with Ginger, Brown Sugar Rice with Herbs & Sambal

A punchy salad with herbs and sambal sits on top of savory firm custard of prawn meat. Flavors are fresh and spicy with many textures on the dish.

Wet Spices Venison Soup with Crispy Puff Pastry

I love this modern take on a rustic and robust venison soup flavored with lots of peppery spices! Bits of tender venison and root vegetables are hearty and warming. The additional touch of golden puff pastry is the perfect partner to dip into the spicy broth. Buttery, flaky and savory, the combination is just delicious.

Soursop with Pomegranate Sorbet

Palate cleanser with soursop, fresh as it should be.

Stuffed Fish with Coconut Chili Paste & Rolled Chicken with Flower Crab Meat

The stuffed seaweed roll filling resembles otak otak, fish paste with spices while the chicken roulade was filled with crab meat. I prefer the stuffed fish with coconut chili paste for its aromatic flavors. The chicken roulade was a wee bit tough and dry as it was lean but the filling was decent. Flavors are good overall and my only gripe was the chicken.

Sapodilla Strudel with Teh Tarik Ice Cream

A lovely ending as the intense Teh Tarik ice cream is so beautiful in flavors. Maybe I am bias since I love a good cup of teh tarik but it’s just so good. An unique pairing with our local ciku encased in phyllo pastry and served with fruit skewer, chocolate and crunchy crumbs. I wanted more ice cream…

It was quite an experience at the Culinaire Malaysia 2013 and I am looking forward to the next one in 2015. I will make sure to check it out earlier next round as there was just so much to see at the event!

More details available at FHM website: www.foodandhotel.com and nourish! website: www.nourish-mag.com and Facebook: www.facebook.com/nourish.mag.my

nourish! Presents Slow Food in the Fast Track & A Lunch @ Proud Janny, The Weld Kuala Lumpur

Eating My Way to a Healthier Living!

Life speeds by as one grows older. Time flies and every moment, I find myself rushing here and there, trying to juggle and meet datelines and work responsibility. There are just crazy days, lots of them actually, that I find myself completely exhausted after work hours and settle for takeout or any food that is fast and available. Gone were the days when my mum would take almost a whole day to prepare dinner on the table for us and we were able to sit down together and enjoy a good wholesome meal with the family. Having moved to the city for a quite a while, I admit to losing the reality of what we should really eat and put into our body. It’s not like I don’t know how to cook, it’s just a matter of time and effort. When one reaches home after 8.30pm each day, the energy to prepare a proper meal just is not quite there at times.

Recently, I was invited to attend a three-day event on 18^th, 20^th and 21^st May of Slow Food in the Fast Track organized jointly by nourish! magazine and BTC group held at The Weld, Jalan Raja Chulan a few weeks back. The event was organized in a bid to educate the public with the aim to teach the fast-paced metropolitan society the vital importance of a good diet in promoting and maintaining health, as well as to re-affirm the notions of those who have already adopted to such lifestyles. The result of this is invariably the fostering of a healthy community, which is ideal in the corporate world, where busy days often leave no time for meals, let alone those good enough to sustain and nourish.

Arriving early, the hall was already dressed with participating booths filled with lots of quality and organic products. Participants included Shannon from Just as Delish, Opika, Green Chicken, Jatomi Fitness, Strictly Natural Goat Milk, Shaury Spices, Shirio, MAC Cookware, First Olive (Int) Sdn Bhd and Tupperware.

I was also here for the 2^nd edition of nourish! magazine launched at the event. It’s a food magazine like no other. nourish! is filled with lots of what’s happening in the food industry, how everyone should be aware of the country’s natural resources, ingredients and produce, knowledge sharing and recipes from passionate foodies. Do check out nourish! available now at all major bookstores for a copy!

Throughout the day, visitors from the press and the public were treated to an array of activities such as talks on cooking and eating well by industry players, open booths by various vendors in the organic scenes with their products for sale at a special price, a fitness lesson by Jatomi and a Salad ‘Spin off’ competition.

 

The event kicked off with a fitness lesson by Jatomi fitness.

Chef Ryan Khang of Proud Janny Restaurant and publisher of nourish! magazine shared a talk on organic and healthy living. Armed with a degree in food science, his passionate contribution to the culinary industry is seen through his many acclaimed works in public food events, research on food industry through nourish! magazine and his latest culinary venture of Proud Janny restaurant. He showcased the culinary skills of his team by serving up an organic degustation menu for press members, chalking up the superior flavor of the cuisine to the magic of organics and sustainably-grown food.

 

I had the honor of judging the Salad Spin Off where three teams from Nutriplus, Jatomi and American Express showed off healthy and delicious salad recipes.

Jatomi’s recipe of Salmon on Greek Salad was rich with omega 3 from the seared marinated soy base salmon with lots of crunch from the greens and toasted bread. Nutriplus team made a lovely Caesar Salad with freshly made Caesar dressing. Taking home the trophy that day was the American Express team with their Sautéed Chicken Breast Salad with Pomegranate. Lean and moist, the chicken breast was brined and cook to a tender bite. The dressing on the salad was vibrantly fresh, tangy and spicy. I like the crisp apple slices in the salad, making it really fruity, crisp and juicy with every bite.

Group photos of the teams and the judges for the Salad Spin Off competition.

En. Azman Zahari, CEO of Green Chicken also gave visitors a great insight to organic and healthy living. Green Chicken is a micro enterprise that deals in free range chickens in Kuala Selangor. Did you know that Green Chicken also provides delivery services when you buy their chicken? More details at www.greenchicken.com.my

We headed on over to lunch at Proud Janny restaurant where I met some new blogger friends, Abbygail from Abbygail’s Kitchen & Esther from The FussFree Chef! Proud Janny serves up an eclectic mix of wholesome Nyonya cuisine intermixed with Western fare, Breakfast fare, artisanal coffees, light sandwiches and cakes & pastries. The restaurant is proudly manned by Chef Ryan, Chef Janet and Chef Loke, featuring dishes all freshly prepared each day with quality and wholesome ingredients.

Nasi Ulam with Percik Chicken & Acar Salad

Showcasing a Nyonya testament, the nasi ulam is filled with loads of raw herbs for that distinctive flavor of a herb rice salad. Served with a chicken Maryland cooked al a Percik style, the tender confit chook was redolent of spices with a nutty finish. Fresh green vegetables and herbs is another addition in making this dish a healthier option. A dollop of spicy sambal added more oomph to the dish!

Sunkiss Rice with Tamarind Prawns, Chicken Lobak, Sambal Hebe & Sauté Vegetables

My first having rice flavored with citrus and I simply adored it. The fluffy tangy rice was filled with sweet orange flavor notes and tasted light and fresh. Tamarind prawns, another Nyonya signature, partners along with pieces of chicken rolls makes a good balance of protein to accompany the rice. Jazzing up the rice was a good dosage of dried shrimp sambal, spicy and pungent in full glory. I would have love some kind of gravy or curry with this dish for extra flavors.

Herbs Baked Free-Range Chicken Leg

Going back to roots, the chicken was earthy and delicious. Seasoned with herbs and served on mashed potatoes, roast root vegetables and a pool of brown gravy, this is a dish that reeks of comfort food at its best.

Salmon Kerabu Sandwich is Crystal Bread

A myriad of flavours, the mango kerabu sends shocks of delicious flavors to one’s senses. Sour, sweet, spicy and savory, the mango kerabu works beautifully with a spicy salmon filling sitting proudly on the restaurant’s homemade crystal bread. It’s a burst of citrus sourness with slight mango sweetness and spicy while the salmon filling was almost creamy, contrasting well with the light crispy crystal bread.

I was curious about crystal bread. Chef Loke who makes this fresh daily was proud to show us his crystal bread, a bread so light and crisp, it was truly delightful as a sandwich. Crystal bread is made from natural fermentation and needs time to sit and develop into its texture and flavors. It is intensely fluffy and filled with lot of air holes in the bread. Chef Loke recommended toasted the bread for full satisfaction.

Dessert

The best part of the meal is definitely dessert time! We savor luscious homemade cakes made in Proud Janny’s kitchen. Cakes and pastries are available daily and one never knows what the kitchen might surprise you with. Of the three slices, everyone fell hard for the White Chocolate Cake with Toffee Bavarian Cream and Brittany Salt Flakes. The cake is an utter sin on its own but worth every single calorie. The combination is just gorgeous with lots of deep rich caramel notes and heightens to the max with salt flakes. Crunchy bits of toffee bits added texture to the cake. I wanted more of this cake but they ran out… make sure to order this if you are at Proud Janny!

Salted Caramel & Chocolate Cake is also delicious with its rich dark chocolate and caramel combination. The cake is quite dense and every bite is a chocolate lover’s dream.  Another cake (if I m not mistaken) is a Chocolate and Coffee combination. Fluffy and moist from a good soaking, the cake is also really good due to the rich ganache.

Proud Janny also serves hearty Western and local breakfast, pastas and more. Check out there facebook at www.facebook.com/proudjanny for more details.

Shannon also has some of her healthy snacks for sale at Proud Janny!

It was certainly a fruitful event filled with lots of information and goodies. You can check out a video clip of th event! Thanks to Shannon for the lovely invite and to the organizers of the event! Eating healthy contributes a lot to our general health living and also helps save the earth. There are plenty of quick shortcuts to eating healthy and making the effort to do an extra step of using organic and quality produce is certainly a great start… especially if the food is going into our bodies!