MasterChef contestant slammed for using rolling pin to make roti canai: ‘Total culinary crime’
A MasterChef contestant who won a challenge with a roti canai dish has come under scrutiny after a clip of her using a rolling pin to flatten the dough triggered shocked reactions online.
Jaime Tan, a 27-year-old contestant representing Malaysia in season 16 of the cooking reality show, won a challenge with a roti canai dish served with Malaysian curry, coconut rice, and cucumber-pineapple salad.
Roti canai is a popular flaky flatbread dish served in hawker stalls and Indian Muslim eateries in Malaysia. In Singapore, the dish is known as roti prata.
During the challenge, Tan explained that the dish often “takes a few hours to make”, earning praise from judges when she managed to pull it off in an hour.
The win attracted attention online, with many netizens praising her achievement, while others took issue with her cooking methods.
In particular, a clip showing her using a rolling pin to flatten a circle of dough sparked backlash.
The user behind food blog Smartdory, a travel and food blog, called out the contestant in a June 9 post, offering congratulations but urging Tan to “do a little research on the dish before crushing it”.
“ALL the mamak uncles in Malaysia are rolling their eyes so far back into their heads that a dense flour tortilla could be easily passed off as our beloved roti canai right now,” the post read.
The user added that using a rolling pin was a “total culinary crime”, insisting that making the dish was an “art form” which required hours of resting the dough and flipping and stretching it to create “iconic, flaky, air-trapped layers”.
“There is no shortcut,” they added.
“Squashing it flat with a rolling roller and rushing it in an hour completely kills the soul of the dish, leaving you with a rubbery charred pancake.”
The user argued that iconic heritage dishes should not be reinvented “without learning the basics first”.
Tan also drew criticism for mispronouncing “canai” with a “k” sound instead of a “ch”, prompting her to post an apology on her social media accounts.
‘Can be done, though not perfect’: Netizens support contestant
Some netizens agreed with the Facebook user in the comments.
“Roti canai is not authentic without the mamaks bodily oils and sweat in it…” one user joked.
Others came to Tan’s defence, pointing out that her cooking method “can be done, though not perfect”.
“She deserves respect instead of belittling her like nobody business,” one netizen commented. “You can disagree, but I respect her for her passion and creativity.”
“At the very least, she did win fair & square. The prestige and pride for Malaysia, no?” another added.
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