Masterchef Poh tells us the weirdest things she's ever put in a sandwich.

This week, former MasterChef contestant and artist Poh Ling Yeow sat down with the Mamamia team to talk all things food – including her new show Poh & Co. 

What ingredients would you have bought if you were a contestant on “Ready, Steady, Cook“?
I’d take them leftovers from my fridge because I hate waste but isn’t random also way more entertaining?! So right now, there’s 2 L of vanilla creme patissiere, 6kg of feijoas, lentil and tomato soup, some sliced cooked steak, left over chicken tikka and dong po pork I wrecked by thinking I could multi task.

What is the strangest thing you have ever found in food?
Cockroaches in 2 consecutive courses of a Chinese banquet in Malaysia.

What’s the one thing/meal you have eaten and would kill to get the recipe for?
A deep-fried crab omelette I once had in Thailand. The lady who cooks it is legendary.

Click through the gallery below to see what Poh’s been doing since ‘The Chef’.

What’s the weirdest, but most delicious, sandwich filling you’ve ever come up with?
I didn’t come up with them but 2 sandwiches I used to get sent to school with were a dry pork floss sanger, which looked like tobacco trapped between 2 slices of bread and the other one was a spam omelette sandwich. I grew up in Malaysia where it’s tropical so the notion of cold meats was essentially spam.

Do you ever just eat cereal for dinner because you can’t be bothered cooking?
Um, yes. How horrible of you to ask.

Do you do the cooking at home? And who does the washing up?
Jono and I share both actually.

What’s your favourite hangover food/cure?
I’m a tee-totaller but if I wasn’t, it would definitely be a huge bowl of beef pho.

You’ve previously said you bake and paint through the night. When on earth do you sleep?

That’s a good question. I’m very greedy with life and sometimes the only option for jamming so much into each day is to omit sleep.

Question from our editor-in-chief Jamila Rizvi: I am at home. There is nothing fresh in my fridge, except newly-opened champagne. People are coming over in 15 minutes, there is no time to go to the grocery store. What do I cook from the random ingredients in my pantry?
Puttanesca!!! Olives, garlic, anchovies, dried chilli flakes. I’m going to cheat a bit and pretend you had a wrinkly tomato and withered bunch of parsley at the bottom of your vege crisper.

What is your honest opinion of kale – superfood or horrible-tasting vegetable?

I actually love it cooked but in a juice it makes me heave. As for its nutritional value,  I’m guessing it would be comparable to brocolli but no ones making a fuss about him are they?

Would we find activated almonds, goji berries and chia seeds in your pantry? Do you get on board food fads?‘
Whatchu talkin’ bout, Willis? None, except goji that I grew up with in soups. I detest food trends with a capital D! My go to is @thenutritionalguruandthechef if you want advice on SUSTAINABLE healthy eating – they’re brilliant at breaking down hype into real nutritional facts. None of this snake oil biz!

What’s your secret food shame? (eg. Noodles covered with tomato sauce.)
2 minute noodles and Spam, both of which I explain with “BUT I’M ASIAN!!!!”

Do you still watch Masterchef?
For a while, no. But loved last season and really excited about the new one.

This is the question that first saw you kicked out of the MasterChef kitchen in 2009, but can you answer it now… What are the ingredients in a minestrone? 
It was THAT particular minestrone that had farro which looks incredibly similar to barley. I will resent farro forever. Gawd talk about hitting up my Achilles heel!!

Out of George, Matt and Gary, who would you snog, marry and kill?
This is on a desert island, right? Well, I’ll work backwards. Unfortunately I’d have to kill Matt because he has the most meat and crackling on him. I’d want to be Alpha female and if it came to a scrap over the last fishhead I reckon in a hunger rage I could take Calombaris so it’s wedding bells there, which leaves Gaz to snog.

Why should we watch your new show, Poh & Co?

It’s very upbeat, unpretentious and represents very common suburban hopes and dreams of a lot of Aussies – stuff like building a vege patch and starting a market stall. I’m very proud that we’ve managed to cram in 6 – 8 family style recipes per show which is pretty rare and peppered in between are good times with my hubby, Jono, the 2 pooches, Rhino and Tim, and the chaos of trying to juggle all the creative aspects of my life like painting and writing.

You can keep up-to-date with Poh and Co on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #pohandco. To find Poh’s recipes click here.

Read on if you’re interesting in all-things Masterchef.

How to be a Masterchef judge: a helpful (and hilarious) guide.

Masterchef favourite spills the beans on romance.

Poh Ling Yeow’s ex husband married her best friend and she’s totally cool with it.