Maggie with her Pineapple RiceOn 18th July 2009, in conjunction with Racial Harmony Day, Katong Community Centre held a cooking competition themed 'Potpourrie With Rice'. Participants have to come up with a rice dish for 2 - 3 people.
There was overwhelming response to the competition, 14 contestants representing various ethnic races were picked to showcase their cooking skills. There was also a Korean mother who demonstrated her spicy Kimchi Rice.
Mdm Fatimah's Rice with Mutton won second place. Celebrity Chef Eric Teo was the main judge. He is the Executive Chef of Mandarin Oriental Hotel and also the President of the Singapore Chefs Association.
Youngest participant Cheryl Marsh (age 15), won 3rd prize with her healthy sushi. Cheryl lives with her grandmother and learns to cook from her at a young age. A student at Broadrick Secondary Schoool, she is a lively and independent girl who not only takes care of herself but looks after her grandmother too.
A participant with her creative dish.
Chef Eric tasting a dishChef Eric gave cooking tips to the participants as he went round tasting their dishes. He is the idol of many ladies present that day. They were in awe of him, including ECL. :D
The wonderful aroma of delicious food filled the air. We got hungry and couldn't wait for the contestants to finish their cooking. hehe.... Every one got to taste the dishes after the cooking competition.The participants were great cooks and many presented their dishes creatively. The judges had a tough time deciding the winners.
Vivian Ler with MP Lim Biow Chuan and Eric TeoFirst prize went to Vivian Ler whose unassuming dish of Glutinous Rice, which she learnt from her grandmother, won the hearts of the judges. She was even using her grandmother's wok to cook her winning dish. She won a S$100 NTUC voucher plus a trophy.
from left : MP Lim Biow Chuan, ECL and Eric TeoFirst Commenter - yenjai.net
ahjie
ReplyDeleteDid you cook up anything for your Idol?
^-^
Eastcoastlife,
ReplyDeleteFrom your smile, I know you had enjoyed the foods or its smell.
ECL,
ReplyDeleteyou enter the competition too or not? :)
Anyway, congrats to the winners!
Hungry some more looking at all those rice dishes.
ReplyDeleteHaven't been eating rice for the time being. Mmmm... it'd be nice to eat fried rice...
will there be a post about the Ethnic Costume Parade after this?
ReplyDeletemmmmmmmmm! I wish I could have smelled all the great foods. How fun!
ReplyDeletewah, i live near katong cc leh...how come i dunno got such thing? *tigerfish living in a shell* ...oops!
ReplyDeleteok. where on erth did u get info on such interestg events ard the neighbourhood?
ReplyDeleteyenjai,
ReplyDeleteHopefully my idol will have the chance to taste my cooking one day. :)
Shucks, I just missed that opportunity didn't I?
coolingstar9,
ReplyDeleteI do look good in that picture, huh?
Especially when I'm looking pale and sickly these days.
Being with my favourite guys do perk me up. haha.....
Lina,
ReplyDeleteaiyahhhh.... I should have entered the competition. It would be fun though I might not be as good as the participants.
There were some pretty interesting dishes. Gosh, those dishes are yummy. I hope to learn cooking from the other races.
Why haven't you been eating rice? I have been cutting down on my rice intake, it is still my staple food. I will miss it if I don't eat it for a few days. :P
hehe.... good guess. The ethnic costume parade is another interesting event. :)
heidi,
ReplyDeleteOhhh... the aroma of the dishes was too difficult to ignore! I still had the smell of spices stuck to my clothes after the event. :P
Meeting the participants from all walks of life and speaking to them about their food was already a great experience and it was fun knowing them.
tigerfish,
ReplyDeleteYou are living 200,000m under the ocean!?
Don't know about the event? There are banners and flyers (noticeboard) in the estate! :P
Ok, watch out for more news in my coming posts.
stan,
ReplyDeleteJoin Association of Bloggers Singapore. :D
Jaymes didn't participate in the competition? Oh ya, I forgot, his specialty is baking actually. By the way, I want to say you look really good in the last pic, young and radiant! That top suits you really well!
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool competition, I like the pineapple rice, sure yummy!
ReplyDeleteLove ur pic here, stylo la ECL! ;)
ReplyDeleteI won't mind getting to know Chef Eric Teo too. It's interesting to talk to people who are passionate about the things that they do.
ReplyDeleteI didn't expect that the glutinous rice dish was the winning dish. It must have been heavenly delicious!
Wow what a good representation of ethnic diversity! And I really didn't know you could do so much with rice. I have a habit of just serving it white. I have a lot to learn :-)
ReplyDeleteHow interesting - you know I love to learn about food traditions from all over the world (as well as sharing ours from Norway). Like DianeCA; I have a lot to learn - also about rise :-)
ReplyDeleteYou should have participated too - and you look great in the last pic!
interesting!!
ReplyDeleteECL,
ReplyDeleteZaini has been avoiding rice because he wants to lose excess weight, so I just follow suit. :)
Ecl-you should have entered the competition and most likely walk away with the top price.
ReplyDeleteHi ECL, you always have fun things to do. I enjoyed this post not only because you can savor the food from the contestants, but also an interaction between ethnic groups on Racial Harmony Day.
ReplyDeleteAww.. The competition seems great and fun. Wish I could be the food taster though.. ;P
ReplyDeleteaged 15 n she cooked like a pro! i have so much yet to learn .:p
ReplyDeleteWow..that 15 yr old did her family proud by winning 3rd prize!
ReplyDeleteSo, what did you dish up?
Wonder how does the sushi look like...
ReplyDeleteWhat is the dish which looks like our flag?
Hi ECL,
ReplyDeleteheheh that was so cute that you thought black eyed peas was a recipe heheh :) But this article of yours is about real food and it has made me uber hungry hehehe :) Have a great stress free week ahead :) xoxo
Doreen,
ReplyDeleteJaymes' speciality is cooking! :)
He has to serve breakfast that morning, so he couldn't participate. He attend Chef Eric's class in the afternoon though.
Mariuca,
ReplyDeleteThere were a few Pineapple Rice dishes, look attractive eh!
I thought I look good in that picture too. :P
oceanskies,
ReplyDeleteYou will love Chef Eric Teo. He's such a humourous guy. I'll inform you when he's having his next class. :)
Probably have to queue for a place. lol
Diane,
ReplyDeleteYou will be amazed by the various ways we can serve rice. :)
I can show you when I visit you in Norway. :P
Renny,
ReplyDeleteI wish to cook for you too. Hope to do that one day when I visit you and Diane in Norway.
Thanks for your compliment. :D
I regretted not participating too. :(
lina,
ReplyDeleteCut down on rice and carbohydrates, but don't avoid it completely.
I love bread and pastries but have to watch my intake. :(
stanley,
ReplyDeleteThe contestants are good cooks... I probably would not even be in the top 3. :)
I'll try in the next cooking competition.
Ebie,
ReplyDeleteI love interacting with people from all races. We learn from one another.
I tried so many dishes at this event.... and made some friends. Hope to find out more about their culture. :)
cashmere,
ReplyDeleteEvery one present got to taste the dishes.... must be fast. :)
levian,
ReplyDeleteChef Eric likes her sushi. :)
She has been learning cooking from her grandma since a young age....
Mei Teng,
ReplyDeleteHer grandma was very proud of her. :)
erm....paiseh. I didn't participate. :P
yah... yah... yah.... I should. :D
Dora,
ReplyDeleteI didn't upload the photo of the sushi because my page is too cramped ledi! :)
The dish that shows our flag is a Indian curry rice dish.
Empty Streets,
ReplyDeleteI thought Black-eyed peas is a snack! lol
Thanks for dropping in to check on me. :)
*warm*
this is the kind of event i'd love to participate in--as an audience, or as a taster.:P
ReplyDeleteit's always fun to try cuisine from various ethnic groups.:P
miranda,
ReplyDeleteMe too!
Let them sweat it out while I wait to pick the yummy bits. :)
Wah interesting competition. I never participate in any cooking competition before......then maybe I will be 'kelam kabut' because 'very kang cheong', he he he!
ReplyDeletePete，
ReplyDeleteI'm also the 'kelam kabut', 'kan cheong spider' type.... probably all the 'xyz' language will come out too :P
i'd love to be a judge here so i can have a free taste of 'em all hihi.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the visit, EastCoast! I wish we could adopt Racial Harmony Day here in the desert too. we have like 200 nationalities here in Dubai.
Kero,
ReplyDeleteThe spectators got to taste the food after the judges are done. :)
200 nationalities in Dubai!? Wow! They need a Rcial Harmony Day! It would be spectacular!
I love your adventures!
ReplyDeleteWow now I am getting hungry ! It looks so delicious what I can see from the pictures.
ReplyDeleteBTW I forgot to mention that I always cry when I watch something sad on TV, lol ! Not in real life but on TV yes.
the Pineapple Rice looks good! congrats to the winners ;)
ReplyDeleteu look good in that picture ECL! :*
ReplyDeletewow, so much perks for ECL! nice pose with the guys =)
ReplyDeleteMust been very interesting to watch the event. Hmmm! I feel hungry now! Yes, I was there July 10 - 14 and i was totally impressed with your country.
ReplyDeletewow, what an interesting event! when i see the pineapple, i was reminded of my future FIL's pineapple fried rice. His is the best! not even the thai restaurant can compare to his. :)
ReplyDeleteim so impressed wt cheryl. It's her courage to compete against other peoples that has attract my attention. :) Congrates to her for 3rd place! :)
oh, the mutton rice sounds yummy la! :)
I am always your silent passer-by... and today I am here to let you know you got an award in my blog... :)
ReplyDeletewah, cooking competition...i wish to enter or go and watch ler...i like to see ppl cooking ler...
ReplyDeleteoh my Bill my son-in-law would definitely have loved this event!!
ReplyDeleteHe absolutely is nuts for any Korean dishes!
Wonderful as always ECL!
Oh wow I stilll have so many to visit...Jean, Marzie, Monica....wow starting up this commercial stuff has really got me hopping!!:-)
Good morning ECL! the pineapple sure looks delish and you're making me so hungry dear.
ReplyDeletecongrats to all winners. :)
ReplyDeleteInteresting event I woud love to join if given the chance. Food gets people together. You look good too...
ReplyDeleteWow! I wish I was there to taste all those great foods! : )
ReplyDelete