As you have probably heard from Viv and other sources (Viv, again) Malaysia is the unsung culinary capital of the world. So, leave your inhibitions at home and prepare yourself for a culinary delight.
The Malaysian Food Experience
The best food is generally not found in expensive restaurants. The Malaysian “Restoran” experience involves sitting at a plastic table, with plastic chairs. There are no individual menus. Do not be fooled, the food is meant to be cheap and cheerful (and will be cooked in front of you). In one restoran, you might have different stalls operated by separate vendors selling different fares. You will pay the restoran for the drinks and each vendor for the food.
You might also come across food courts (also known as Hawker centre), which operate along similar lines and offer and even wider choice of food.
What you must know and try!
Roti Canai (ro-tee-char-nigh)
Roti Canai
Roti = Bread. Roti Canai is basically the best dish in the world (and one of the most affordable)! It’s traditionally a breakfast dish. You can pretty much find these on every street corner (at the Indian stalls). It’s generally served with Dhal (a lentil curry) but it may come with other types of curry (fish or chicken). When bought from a stall – it shouldn’t cost most than RM 0.80.
Besides roti canai, you can have rotis in all shapes and forms (some which are also definitely worth trying) including:
- Roti telur (with egg in the middle),
- Roti pisang (with banana)
- Roti bawang (with onions)
- Roti marjerin (with margarine)
Viv’s personal favourite is Roti Jala - which isn’t really like a standard roti bread...
Roti Jala
Murtabak (Muhr-tah-bach)
Similar dough to that of Roti Canai, however this little parcel of delight is filled with meat, veg and beans. It’s a complete meal and dipped in curry creates smiles when eaten. Best with beer.
RICE DISHES
The Malay word for rice is Nasi, so you know what to expect when you order.
Arguably, the national dish of Malaysia is Nasi Lemak (Na-see-le-mak) which has spicy paste and anchovies. It is served with peanuts, cucumber and a boiled egg. Again this is a breakfast dish. You might find stalls selling nasi lemak wrapped up in banana leaf. Again, this shouldn’t cost more than RM1 for the banana leaf version.
Nasi Lemak
- Nasi Goreng = fried rice (generally with prawns)
- Nasi Kampung = rice “village” style
- Nasi Ayam= chicken rice.
- Etc.
You might also see Nasi Kandar restaurants around (a well known chain which has a good reputation is Pelita) – Nasi Kandar will serve a range of rice and curries – make sure there are proper cooking appliances on the premises to guarantee the food is fresh). Nasi = rice, kandar = the stick that the vendor used to carry Tiffin carriers on.
Besides “Malay” rice dishes, there are also Chinese rice dishes. Check out the Chinese stalls. Hainanese Chicken rice is ubiquitous and delicious. Your chicken can be roast or boiled. And make sure you ask for the broth on the side.
Chicken Rice
NOODLE DISHES
Noodles or Mee come in variety of shapes and styles. Different regions will cook different dishes differently (example Curry Mee or Hokkien Mee).
A few examples:
- Char Kway Teow (char-koueh-tiao) – flat wide egg noodles which are delicious. These are fried with eggs, spring onions and seafood (prawns, clams) - but in Viv’s case she just has the vegetarian version.
Char Kway Teow
- Mee Hoon (or Bee Hoon) is another type of thin rice vermicelli fried.
- Curry Mee (or Curry Laksa) – another national dish a spicy curry soup with noodles in coconut milk with prawns, fish balls. Variations on the same theme: Prawn Mee
Curry Mee
- Wanton Mee – noodles served with pork and dumplings – the noodle can be dry (with soup and noodles on the side) or in a soup.
Also a rice based noodle is Chee Cheong Fun – a large tube like noodle that is chopped up and served with black sauce and fried shallots. It is also served with Yong Tau Foo, (fried "food stuff" e.g. deep fried beancurd skin). Yong Tau Foo is generally sold separately.
Chee Chong Fun
OTHER MEAT DISHES
The king of street food – Satay. A dish of marinated, skewered and grilled meats (chicken or beef), served with a peanut sauce. Make sure you have the ketupat (rice squares).
Satay and Ketupat
Beef / Chicken Rendang (wren-dung); meat in a rich spicy coconut sauce. It can have a bit of kick but the meat just melts in your mouth!
Beef Rendang
Try also mutton peratal, mutton mysore, devil chicken
FISH & SEAFOOD
There is an array of seafood-based dishes. You might like to try grilled fish (Ikan Bakar) or crab. Oysters are also popular.
If there are more than 2 of you, get a steamed fish, especially with garlic and some soy sauce. You can even pick the exact fish you want to eat from the aquariums that adorn the hallways and walls of the restaurant.
If you like cockles, try “Lala”
Lala
SWEET TREATS
Malaysians have a sweet tooth but the ones on the short list include:
- Goreng Pisang – banana fritters – perfect at tea time
- Pinapple Tarts – speciality from Melaka
- Kueh - sweets made from rice (Kueh Lapis, Kueh Dadar, Seri Muka) – many variations
- Ais Kacang (ice-kar-chung) – shaved ices with syrup, jelly, beans.
The better ones:
- Teh Tarik – tea, made with condensed milk and poured from a height. It’s really delicious (although very sweet) but is really worth trying. Might take some getting used to, but honestly one of the nicest to drink with a curry puff. Malaysians drink a lot of tea as it is produced here.
- Soursop – Viv’s absolute favourite non-alcoholic drink in the world. If it’s on the menu anywhere try it!
- Barley water – boiled barley with sugary water.
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