'At least I didn't burn down the kitchen': National shuttler Loh Kean Yew whips up dish from mum on cooking show

After achieving a career-high recently, Loh Kean Yew has proven to be an exceptional badminton player.

But can the 24-year-old's performance on the court match his culinary skills in the kitchen?

In a Facebook video by the Badminton World Federation on Wednesday (Feb 23), Loh shared that he would be cooking huan chu char bak (potato with minced meat) and stir-fried vegetables.

Adding that the former is a dish his mother makes at home, the Penang-born national shuttler said: "Today's mission is not to burn down the kitchen. Just kidding."

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/bwfbadminton/videos/638059707474895/[/embed]

While stir-frying the carrots and potatoes, Loh also shared that the pandemic gave him a chance to start cooking 

"During [the] circuit breaker I was cooking a little bit because I was bored and lazy to go out," he said.

Loh's 'cooking show' went well except when he forgot to add the carrots into his stir-fry vegetables but he managed to salvage the dish in the end.

In another highlight of the cooking show, Loh demonstrated his love for sodium. "Because I'm from Penang, so I may eat quite a bit of salt. I have a heavier taste," he said while seasoning the huan chu char bak with quite a bit of salt.

Before tucking into his home-cooked meal, Loh took a sly dig at how some home cooks would rate their food. He said: "Usually when they cook for themselves, they will say nice one."

But he had to eat his words when the huan chu char bak seemingly blew his mind. He exclaimed: "Really is nice. No joke, that one really nice."

However, the vegetables might not have measured up as his reaction was a little more muted. After taking a bite, he commented: "Not bad lah."

At the end of the day, it seems like his cooking demonstration was a success.

"At least I accomplished my mission of not burning down the kitchen," Loh said. 

chingshijie@asiaone.com