UK High Commissioner to Malaysia Vicki Treadell may have been in Malaysia for just four years, but this diplomat knows her rendang and nasi lemak.

In a tweet addressed to MasterChef UK judges John Torode and Greg Wallace, Treadell appears to suggest that the pair may have erred with their reprimand of Kuantan-born contestant Zaleha Kadir Olpin.

Zaleha had served nasi lemak with chicken rendang, but Torode, an Australian, believed that her chicken rendang was a mistake while Wallace, a Brit, said he expected the chicken to be "crispy".

Treadell appeared to find such remarks rather unpalatable and took to Twitter to clear the air.

"#Rendang is an iconic #Malaysian national dish not to be confused with Indonesian options. It can be #chicken #lamb or #beef.

"It is never #crispy & should also not be confused with the #friedchicken sometimes served with #nasilemak," wrote Treadell.

Zaleha (photo), a former Petronas accountant, was eventually eliminated from MasterChef UK after presenting her dish.

Following this, irate Malaysians took to Twitter to criticise the two judges for their comments on chicken rendang.

Among others, Malaysian celebrity chef Redzuawan Ismail, better known as Chef Wan, said it was impossible to make rendang with crispy chicken skin and challenged the judges to do so.

Torode kicked up another storm when he told one Twitter user that "Maybe rendang is Indonesian".