[A PINK DESSERT]: Raspberry and Rose “Big Mac“, Raspberry Consommé and Lychee Parfait by bronze medal winner Wong Choon Hau for the Modern Dessert entry.

[A HEALTHY SORBET]: Mango Coulis and Passion Fruit Sorbet by bronze medal winner Wong Choon Hau for his vegetarian dessert.

[A MODERNISE CUISINE]: Salmon “Umai”, “Pansuh” Chicken and a succulent Trio Borneo Dessert by diploma award winner Christopher Wan Sageng for the Modernise Sarawak Cuisine category.

[THE SARAWAK SPECIALTY]: Sarawak Laksa by diploma award winner Joseph Martin Pudun for the Laksa Malaysia category.

[DELIGHTED]: Members of the UCSI’s cooking team beaming with pride for their win.

KUALA LUMPUR: UCSI University’s (UCSI) culinary arts students cooked up a storm at the 3rd Penang International Halal Chef Challenge (PIHEC). They returned with a silver medal, a bronze medal and seven diploma awards. 

The team competed against more than 1,000 students and professionals in the hospitality, tourism and culinary industry from around Malaysia. 

The signature event organised by Halal Penang in collaboration with Penang Chefs Association-Malaysia was held over three days at Setia Spice, Penang. 

Poon Wing Chong who currently reads the Diploma in Culinary Arts programme claimed a silver medal in the Plated Dessert Category.

"This achievement is a blessing. I was nervous and certainly did not expect to bring home a silver medal. And most importantly, I also gained a lot of invaluable skills from this competition,” he said. 

Poon’s menu contained a unique combination of sweet yet healthy ingredients. His shooter glass dessert consisted of Almond Tofu accompanied by Cheng Teng Soup infused with Self-heal Herbs and Sesame Tuile served with Cheng Teng Foam Mousse. The ingredients for Cheng Teng included dried longan, barley, gingko nuts, lotus seeds and malva nuts. 

For the freestyle dessert entry, the budding culinarian whipped up a delectable Chocolate Raspberry Cream Cake with Chocolate Crumble Base alongside a Pear Parfait, Red Sparkling Juice Poached Pear, Raspberry Consommé Carpaccio Jelly and Raspberry Granite. 

Poon’s hot dessert entry included the Yuzu Chiboust served with Yuzu Sabayon, Pistachio Tuile and Azuki Red Bean. For the vegetarian dessert, he impressed the judges with Citrus Terrine, Citrus Compote, Non-Fat Yoghurt Panna Cotta and Carrot Jelly, Orange Chip and Non-Fat Yoghurt Sorbet. 

Besides the moral support from his friends and family, Poon also credited his lecturer Wong Choon Hau, for his win. 

“My thanks to Chef Wong for his constant reminders on the dos and don’ts. It really helped me a lot during the competition,” said Poon.

Wong himself bagged the bronze medal under the same category by impressing the judges with his exceptional selections of Penang-inspired menu. 

His hot dessert included a divine taste of Chocolate Banana Popiah served with Chocolate Soil and Chocolate and Caramel Cream alongside Meringue Chips and Vanilla Ice Cream. 

Bringing a touch of fusion to the menu, the chef wowed the judges with a mouth-watering Chendol Panna Cotta infused with Palm Sugar Jelly, Coconut Sable and Ruby Chestnut soaked in Coconut Chantilly Cream for the shooter glass. 

Using fruits as the main ingredients, Wong served up an assorted fruit platter with Mango Coulis and Passion Fruit Sorbet for his vegetarian dessert. As for his modern dessert, the chef concocted the Raspberry and Rose Big “Mac“, Raspberry Consommé and Lychee Parfait. 

Bringing home one of the diploma awards is Gary Lim who impressed the judges with his Pan Seared Seabass served with Lemon Corn Sauce accompanied by Tempura Purple Yam and Assorted Sautéed Vegetable in the Asian Main Course category. 

In regards to preparing for the competition, Lim shared that time constraint is one of the biggest challenges the team had to face. Leading towards the competition, the team had to prioritise and balance their time between classes and practice. 

“It was very challenging for all of us. We did not really have enough time to construct our menu and execute our plans but it really is a relief that we manage to pull this through,” he said. 

Describing the competition as an insightful learning experience for the team, UCSI's Culinary Arts head of department, Christopher Wan Sageng said that PIHEC is indeed a perfect platform for the team to up their game. 

He added that by observing other participants and adapting to the competition’s environment, the students could use the competition to prepare for their future careers in the culinary arts industry. 

“With more entries this year, the standard has certainly been elevated to maintain the quality of the dishes produced by each participant. This, I believe makes the competition tougher. It certainly motivated our team, especially our students to do their best and they did,” he said. 

Wan Sageng also commented on the students’ commitment and enduring passion for cooking. 

“Our students possess the drive and purpose to create something memorable. Their determination, skills and desire to prove themselves have contributed to making the university proud once again. I am very happy and proud to have such passionate students,” he said. 

He also mentioned that the team's achievements clearly portray the quality of UCSI's culinary arts programme. 

“Although we did not win the gold medal, returning home with a silver, a bronze and seven diploma awards speaks volumes of the quality of our programme and our students,” said the chef. 

Wan Sageng who also took part in the competition brought home two diploma awards for the Asian Main Course and Modern Malaysian Cuisine category. 

Other diploma award winners are Anati Haryathie and Kueh Wun Thiin for the Asian Main Course category and a culinary arts lecturer Joseph Martin Pudun for the Laksa Malaysia and Modern Malaysian Cuisine category.