Southeast Asians have united to defend hugely popular chicken rendang that was knocked out of a British cooking competition television show for not being crispy enough, but the long-standing debate on the origins of the dish rages on.

Malaysian-born chef Zaleha Kadir Olpin cooked nasi lemak, a beloved traditional Malaysian dish, served with chicken rendang in the quarter-final of the BBC show "MasterChef UK," in which contestants were asked to prepare a meal that was important to them.

Judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace turned down the chicken accompaniment saying the skin wasn't crispy, stirring fury on social media and a viral debate in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei where the spicy dish is widely loved.