KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan lashed out at critics who ridiculed him for frying rice in a wok with a can of insecticide nearby.

“I enjoy cooking simple things in my free time and I was unaware the can of pesticide was there right next to the food,” he said of a photograph he proudly posted on Twitter on Sunday showing his Goods and Services Tax-free rice the he had fried.

Somehow, netizens flayed him for the aerosol can that could be seen next to the wok which he did the frying.

Ahmad said cooking for his family was a hobby. He had garnished the food in the wok as his family would help themselves to the food right from it.

“Decorating the food is a form of creativity. There are many forms of creativity, and in my free time I enjoy watching reality shows about cooking,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby here.

“I know it looks a little different from the norm, but do not assume the wrong thing about it,” he said.

“There are those who enjoy playing golf, I enjoy cooking for my family. That is another side of Ahmad Maslan,” he said.

Ahmad also defended his claim that the rice he had cooked was GST free.

“There are several ways we can help people understand GST. The raw materials for my recipes are GST-free if cooked at home. The rice, water, cucumber and other ingredients are all GST-free,” he said.-thestar