There’s one thing that Malaysians can all agree on, it’s probably their shared passion for food. Regardless of ethnicity, language, and religion, the Malaysian is generally an avid foodie. Malaysian food today generally draws from the culinary traditions of its three main ethnic groups which are Malays, Chinese and Indians.
Nasi Lemak
Nasi Lemak is a must eat food in Malaysia. It was a white rice literally soaked in coconut cream and then steamed to give a gorgeous, aroma of coconut-perfumed white rice that is then wrapped in banana leaf or served on a plate and eaten with the other side dishes mentioned above. Sometimes a knotted pandan leaf, or ginger or a stalk of lemongrass is thrown it to make the rice all the more fragrant.
The Malaysian nasi lemak consists of a hot spicy sauce, hard boiled egg, cucumber slices, small dried anchovies and roasted peanuts at its core and to this you may add sambal cuttlefish, fried chicken, cockle, stir fried water convolvulus, pickled vegetables or beef rendang.
Roti Canai
This popular flatbread dish originates from southern India. Made with ghee and flour, the best roti canai is crispy and flaky on the outside and buttery smooth on the inside.
It is usually served with dhal or curry or with sugar. Roti canai can be modified in a variety of ways. You can have it plain which called roti kosong, or with a wide variety of fillings such as roti mixed with egg, onions, mushroom, cheese, or banana slices.
Nasi Kandar
Nasi Kandar is a popular northern Malaysian food, which originates from Penang. It is a meal of steamed rice which can be plain or mildly flavored, and served with a variety of curries and side dishes. The rice is accompanied by side dishes such as fried chicken, cubed beef, curried mutton, fish roe, fried squid or fried prawns. The vegetable dish would usually be brinjal or bendi.
A mixture of curry sauces is poured on the rice. Always ask for the sauces to be mixed and get the awesome aroma and taste. This is called nasi ‘banjir’ and imparts a multifaceted taste to the rice. Many eat the sauced soaked rice with their bare fingers and the aroma actually stays with you long after you have washed your hands.
Char Kway Teow
This popular Chinese dish is traditionally stir-fried in pork fat, but there are also halal variants for Muslim diners to enjoy.While its recipe seems simple, it takes a lot of skill to fry the rice noodles, prawns, soy sauce, chilli, bean sprouts, belacan and cockles in a wok over very high heat.
Penang’s street hawkers are famous for this dish where most Malaysians don’t try to recreate its signature charred aroma at home.
Banana Leaf
One of the great south Indian cuisines we have the privilege of eating on a daily basis from Chettinad cuisine. Chettinad cuisine is the cuisine of the Chettinad region of Tamil Nadu state in South India. Most people will definitely love the Banana Leaf Rice if they love rice.
In banana leaf rice, white rice is served on a banana leaf with an assortment of vegetables, curried meat or fish, pickles, and the super addictive papadum. Most of the time, only the gravy of the curry will be served and no meat is served as it is meant to be a traditional Indian vegetarian dish but it can served also with mutton redang and dry chicken curry.
Yong Tau Foo
Like pan mee, Yong Tau Foo is a Hakka dish that can be served dry with two dipping sauces or as a soup dish. The star attraction is tofu that is either filled with a ground meat mixture or fish paste.
The tofu is eaten with fish balls and slices of vegetables such as eggplant, okra, bitter melon and chili alongside the meat or fish paste filling. The stuffed items which are either fried or boiled can be eaten on their own or with a side serving of rice or noodles.
