Masterchef Australia winner wows crowd in KL
KUALA LUMPUR: The aroma of food filled the air as Masterchef Australia Season 9 winner Diana Chan, 30, showcased her cooking skills to food lovers at Bukit Bintang here yesterday.
She caught the crowd’s attention with her bright smile and quick and easy dishes that she demonstrated for an hour.
Chan, who grew up in Malaysia before moving to Melbourne, Australia, at 19, showcased three of her dishes: steak with chimchurri; razor clams, chilli and garlic with pangratto and deconstructed eton mess to the crowd.
Chan first caught the cooking bug when she moved to Australia to further her studies.
“I have always loved eating. But moving to Australia and seeing all the fresh produce made me try cooking and then, it just hit the spot.
“As a student, I wanted to try all the good food. However, it was too expensive, so I decided to cook,” said Chan, whose first dish as an amateur cook was fried rice.
An accountant by profession, she decided to join the ninth season of the popular cookshow after receiving encouragement from her boyfriend and close friends.
Throughout the seven months of the competition, Chan was not allowed to carry a handphone, or contact her loved ones. It taught her to handle pressure and push her limits to greater heights.
She said the most difficult challenge was preparing the dessert, “Trio of fruits” by famous Australian pastry chef Kirsten Tibballs for the final competition.
“It was the most challenging dish I have prepared because of the details and layers.
“It was a six-hour competition and I was so overwhelmed when it ended that I just started crying.”
Chan, who is working on her ebook, said she would open her own restaurant in a year.