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Celebrities show off their cooking skills for the True Aussie Beef challenge

True Aussie Beef & Lamb held a Celebrity Black Box Challenge via Instagram Live at Lumpang Emas restaurant in South Jakarta on Tuesday.

Inforial (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Wed, December 15, 2021

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Celebrities show off their cooking skills for the True Aussie Beef challenge (Courtesy of True Aussie Beef & Lamb)

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rue Aussie Beef & Lamb held a Celebrity Black Box Challenge via Instagram Live at Lumpang Emas restaurant in South Jakarta on Tuesday. The three contestants were Meisya Siregar, owner of Rendang Nantulang, restauranteur Dimas Beck and Bertrand Antolin, a self-proclaimed foodie. Judging the different creations of the contestants were chefs Vindex Tengker and Vania Wubisono, as well as Valeska,  Chief Representative of Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) Indonesia.

Unboxing the black box, contestants found assorted vegetables, pasta, heavy cream, herbs, cooking essentials and Australian sirloin beef as the star of the meal. They were given 30 minutes to cook whatever they pleased and were scored based on presentation, taste, cleanliness and creativity. The challenge was watched by Instagram viewers from across Indonesia.

“This is about how you can combine the beef with everything in the box,” Master chef Vindex Tengker said as the event began and the contestants started slicing and dicing.

While they prepared their dishes, moderator Radin Arsy asked questions about cooking with beef and lamb from the experts themselves, with chef Vindex pointing out that it was always better to dab meat with tissue paper rather than wash it to minimize bacterial contamination. Celebrity Chef Vania Wibisono also advised that when buying beef from a supermarket, it is better to get those that were already cut. The contestants were also able to multitask by answering questions while they cooked.

“I’ve been eating red meat every day of the week to gain more muscle mass, even though you’re only supposed to eat it four times a week,” Dimas confessed, as he is preparing for a movie role that requires him to gain some weight.

Before their time was up, chef Vania advised them to taste test their food in case they were missing an ingredient or needed to adjust the flavours, and soon after, the contestants were ready for the judges to taste and score their respective plates.

First up was Bertrand’s creation of Australian sirloin beef, cooked medium-well, with assorted vegetables and topped off by a mushroom sauce. Unlike the others, he used a cutting board to present his creation. Chef Vania praised him by comparing his cooking to a five-star restaurant, while Valeska applauded the “three dimensions” of taste on his plate.

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. (Courtesy of True Aussie Beef & Lamb /.)

Immediately to Bertrand’s right was Meisya, with her plate of fettuccine with Australian sirloin steak. She had chosen to cook the beef to a medium and took time highlighting the nutrition content on her plate, such as the protein, iron, and more.

“The composition is good, although a tiny bit more salt would have been good for the steak,” Vindex first commented.

Next to comment was chef Vania: “The rosemary tastes really good, as it is infused by the beef. The pasta is also perfect.”

Valeska conceded that she liked Meisya’s dish better than Bertrand’s because she preferred medium over medium well in terms of how beef is cooked.

The last table was Dimas and his Australian sirloin zucchini green pasta, serving beef strips instead of a steak. Although earlier admitting that his pasta was too salty, the judges did not seem to mind that mistake.

“If you like creamy dishes, this is the best,” Vania said, adding that it was perfect.

Valeska said that even though the beef had been separately cooked first, it was done just right, not overdone. Vindex pointed out that his pasta was cooked al dente and added: “I think it is a perfect dish. The addition of tomatoes might be a good idea.”

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. (Courtesy of True Aussie Beef & Lamb/.)

Each contestant felt that they had been able to fully showcase Australian beef as the hero of the dish. After tasting the three creations, the judges set off to score and deliberate on the results. After a few minutes, they were ready to announce the winners. Bertrand’s dish earned him a Best Presentation win, Meisya nabbed Best Creativity with her addition of eggplant, while Dimas won Best Taste overall with his dish.

The Celebrity Blackbox challenge replay can be viewed on @trueaussieid, to get ideas and inspirations on cooking with Australian beef and lamb for those special occasions.

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