There’s truly nothing we Malaysians love more than to see another fellow Malaysian representing our country on the global stage—whether it’s through music, fashion, film or, arguably what we’re best known for, food. This is the instrument with which Jaime Tan is performing a cross-cultural understanding, elevating our local cuisine and shining a spotlight on us to the rest of the world. The Malaysian-American is currently competing in MasterChef: Global Gauntlet, and with every episode, she’s bringing a dish that’s not close to our hearts but also hers.
View this post on Instagram
If you’ve seen even one episode of MasterChef, you’ll know just how extremely stressful and high-stakes it can be. The contestants are constantly pushed to their limits under intense pressure, and are expected to cook up the ‘perfect’ dish within 60 minutes that will blow the judges’ minds. (One of the judges being, of course, the notorious Gordon Ramsay.) Thus, MasterChef is often the ultimate proving ground—if you can make it on MasterChef, you can make it anywhere.
Enter Jaime Tan, better known online as “iGumdrop”: popular content creator and YouTuber who’s built up a steady following through her lifestyle and food content. On her channel, you can find multiple cooking videos—from easy, one-and-done recipes to heartier meals—as well ‘What I Eat in a Day’ type of content, as she takes you through her daily eats. Despite being born and raised in Queens, New York, Jaime’s food knowledge extends way beyond what you might find around there. Online, you’ll notice that she has consistently embraced her own Malaysian heritage in her cooking, drawing inspiration from her father’s home cooking, which she has also demonstrated on this MasterChef season.
Right off the bat, even during the audition rounds, Jaime had made her purpose clear: that she wants to showcase our cuisine, specifically Malaysian street food, to the rest of the world. Ahead, we talk to Jaime about her journey on MasterChef thus far—from her first impressions, how she comes up with her dishes, and discovering new things about herself throughout the experience.
Congrats on making it this far on MasterChef, and we wish you all the best on the show! You’ve made your goal pretty clear from the start of your MasterChef journey, wanting to showcase Malaysian food to the world. What kind of mindset did you go into MasterChef with? Did you have any expectations about what your experience would be like?
I went into MasterChef with the mindset that I wanted to put Malaysian food on the map in the U.S. I’m the first contestant on MasterChef US representing Malaysian food, so I felt a lot of pride, but also a lot of pressure to do well. Honestly, I didn’t have many expectations—I was scared I wouldn’t even get my apron! But I reassured myself by remembering that Malaysians would still be proud of me for trying. Not sure if that’s true, but that’s what I hoped to think! (laughs)
What were your first impressions of being on the show?
I actually didn’t know the theme of the season was “Global Gauntlet”, so when I realized that all of the contestants were just like me—representing their own cuisine—my first impression completely changed. I thought, ‘Wow, this is going to be a really tough competition. Everyone here has so much grit, purpose, and intention in the way they cook and compete while representing their country.’
Were there any memorable interactions or moments (whether with the judges or fellow contestants) that have stuck with you so far?
In Episode 5, during the “Game Day” challenge, I cooked salt and pepper shrimp. I really loved that dish, and I think you can see that on the show. The judges enjoyed it, but apparently, it was too spicy! Joe literally said, “Oh shit, that’s spicy,” and Gordon was coughing. I think I may have added too much peppercorn, but I honestly didn’t taste the spice—to me, it wasn’t spicy enough! I think if I put less peppercorn, I could have won best dish, hahaha!
Since you’ve been on the show, what have you observed about the reception to Malaysian dishes—whether from the audience, the judges and the team/fellow contestants?
The judges especially loved the flavors in my dishes, and I think you can really see the heart behind Malaysian food. Gordon Ramsay actually kept talking about his visits to Malaysia, and he was very familiar with the dishes I was making. That made me feel really comforted because he understood the different traditions Malaysians have. For example, when I made roti canai, I quickly smashed it together, which almost made it look like I had destroyed it—but he knew that’s what you do to make traditional roti canai.
MasterChef is a lot about ‘elevating’ everyday dishes, and especially in your case, where you lean towards Malaysian-inspired street food. What’s your personal favourite or ‘go-to’ way of elevating a dish?
Malaysian food is all about abundance, so it was definitely a challenge for me to elevate Malaysian dishes while still keeping the tradition and essence of each dish intact. I tried to keep my fine dining experience in mind—people like to eat things easily, understand what’s on the plate, and enjoy smaller, more refined portions. But my personal favorite cooking style is still abundance. The more, the better!
In your opinion, what makes street food the ‘staple’ of local culture? Is it the casual presentation, the simplicity of its recipes, the people making it?
As someone who grew up with less and later grew into being able to experience elevated food, I truly believe there’s nothing like eating from someone who deeply knows what they’re cooking and has dedicated their life to that craft. That’s what street food represents to me, and what I see in my father. You don’t need a degree, culinary school, or all the traditional credibility—you master your craft on the streets, and to me, that is so incredible. I would choose street food over fine dining any day!
What goes into choosing or crafting your dish to fit into the different MasterChef challenges?
From the beginning, my goal was to showcase as many Malaysian dishes as possible. So whenever I first heard the theme of a challenge, I would immediately go through my mental database and see which dishes could fit—roti canai, nasi lemak, laksa, curry puffs. I was always waiting for any opportunity to showcase those dishes. In the episode that I won, we only had five minutes to think about our dish, and we weren’t even sure what would be available in the pantry. It was all about improvising while still preserving the tradition of how the dish is made. It was definitely a challenge, but one I was willing to take on. You may see how I get creative to implement Malaysia into a dish soon! (laughs)
You’ve spoken a lot about being inspired by your dad’s cooking when it comes to Malaysian dishes, and even expressed wanting to open a food truck with him. Can you recall your earliest memories of your dad’s cooking—what were some of your favourites? And what do you hope to showcase in your dream food truck?
My earliest memories of my dad’s cooking were on hot summer days, when he would call my brother and me over to watch him make ais kacang. We had this janky little shaved ice machine that you had to crank on the side to grind up the ice, and he would top it with syrup, condensed milk, red beans, jellies, and sweet corn. It felt so magical to me! For our dream food truck, I would really want to showcase Malaysian street food favorites like satay, nasi lemak, and stir-fried noodles. My dad is so good at cooking stir-fried noodles—they’re so addicting! I want people to taste the food and go, “Damn, I didn’t know Malaysian food was this good.”
What’s one dish you have never attempted before, that you hope to create or master, whether for MasterChef or on your own)?
It would have to be a French dish with Malaysian influence and flavor. Maybe a laksa consommé? Consommé is a French clear soup that’s known to be difficult to make because it requires precise temperature control and clarification with egg whites. I’d love to try making a laksa version—ha ha ha, I said it here first!
And what is one dish from the other competing regions (i.e. Europe, Africa, or the Americas) that you could see yourself trying to recreate in your own home kitchen?
I was very close with the Moroccan contestant, Dave, because we noticed so many similarities between Moroccan and Malaysian cooking techniques. I’d love to try making Moroccan tagine because it looks just as flavorful and comforting as Malaysian rendang. They’re both slow-cooked, deeply spiced meat dishes built on aromatics like onion, garlic, and ginger, and they use warm spices like cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and cardamom. They’re rich, saucy, and full of depth.
What did you discover or learn about yourself through your MasterChef journey, that you maybe didn’t know you were capable of before?
I learned that I’m actually really good at improvising. I think I do better in challenges where we have less time to prep, because my strength is cooking with minimal ingredients and relying on my intuition to get something on the plate. I was the most nervous about not being able to prepare ahead of time, but I really surprised myself with how quickly I could develop ideas, create flavor, and trust my instincts and muscle memory. And lowkey, I like seeing people freak out in the chaos while I thrive off the spontaneity!
What would you like to walk away from the MasterChef experience with?
I’ve struggled with low self-esteem and feeling proud of myself. MasterChef was the first competition I’ve ever been part of, and it made me understand how athletes and competitors learn to keep their heads held high. I want to walk away from this experience with a newfound confidence—a reassurance I built for myself that nobody can take away from me.
When are you coming to Malaysia next, and what’s the first thing you plan to do when you get here?
I would love to come this summer! My dream is to work with Malaysia Airlines and fly my parents back to Malaysia. They haven’t been [back] in more than a decade because the flight is so long and can take a lot of energy. The first thing I plan to do when I get there… OMG, definitely get Milo and roti canai!
Note : The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
