Masterchef Malaysia

Masterchef Malaysia (MCM) is finally underway on Astro Ria (Astro channel 104). Because it is on Astro Ria (a channel that caters to the Malay crowd), the show is (naturally) conducted in Malay. If you're not a fluent Malay speaker, no problem - just press the subtitle button on your Astro remote to get either Malay (really? I should try to see if it pops out) or English subtitles (or closed captioning, if you're familiar with that phraseology instead). 

It started last week, but I missed the first two episodes because...

1. I plain forgot.
2. I don't usually watch Astro Ria when I channel surf and,
3. MCM format is the same as Masterchef Australia, which I personally find to be a little long and drawn out. I haven't seen the Masterclass episode yet as it's still pretty early on (it's currently the bootcamp/basic skills stage at the moment). 

When they announced who the MCM host/judges are way back when, I was like, "who?" But it's just me and my ignorance. If they were selected based on their fluency in the Malay language, I say the producers did an outstanding job there. These people are professional chefs - they're not all like media savvy chefs on TV like Chef Wan or Chef Ismail, okay..

• Is it just me, or is the MCM kitchen a little smaller than its foreign counterparts?
• The way some of the contestants reacted to the dishes they have to make in the Pressure Test makes me think they probably have never seen the other Masterchef shows or something before they went to audition.
• Speaking of Pressure Test, I don't know how one can screw up Chef Riz (progeny of Chef Wan)'s tiramisu recipe so badly. Yes, they were given recipes.
• Skills test so far (that I've seen, anyway) - onion dicing (a Masterchef favourite), making santan (coconut milk) from scratch, and separating egg whites.
• Sorry to say this, but the kid contestants of Junior Masterchef could probably beat some of these adults with one hand behind their back. Maybe.
• I have to give the non-Malay contestants props for speaking as much Malay as they possibly could even if some of them sounded pretty pelat on national (pay) TV.
• If most of the competition is on Astro Ria, why are the Masterclass episodes on STARWORLD?
• Check out this MCM contestant's insight into the first episode here.
• Preview for Episode 4 teased the departure of one of the judges? 

I'll keep watching (if I remember) to see what happens.

Masterchef Malaysia is on at 9 p.m. (GMT+8), Saturdays to Wednesdays on Astro RIA (Channel 104).