Zaleha Kadir Olpin

Zaleha Kadir Olpin

UK Masterchef contestant and cookbook author

Zaleha Kadir Olpin is most well-known for being a contestant in MasterChef UK Season 14, where her traditional chicken rendang was criticised by judges for not being crispy, causing her to be eliminated from the competition. Since then, Zaleha has gained tremendous support from foodies all over the world. Zaleha grew up in Malaysia and was taught to cook traditional Malaysian dishes by her mother from an early age. Today, Zaleha lives in Bristol, UK, with her husband and their youngest daughter, where she runs the successful Malaysian Kitchen UK with friends. Zaleha also teaches at a cookery school to share the tastes and flavours of Malaysian cuisine with others.

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Features & Stories

Behind the Cookbook: My Rendang Isn't Crispy

Behind the Cookbook: My Rendang Isn't Crispy

When Zaleha was selected as a contestant on MasterChef UK in 2018 she was prepared for cooking that famously “doesn’t get any tougher than this,” but she wasn’t prepared for what came next. In her guest blog, Zaleha, author of My Rendang Isn’t Crispy and Other Favourite Malaysian Dishes, available now on ckbk, talks about #RendangGate and the story behind her book’s intriguing title.