Malaysia's Delightful Eats and Treats

Malaysia is renowned the world over for its hugely diverse, flavorful and culturally rich cuisine, which mirrors the colorful ethnic make-up of its society. Malay, Chinese and Indian influences are amply evident in native Malaysian fare.

However, aside from local foods, Western cuisine is easily available in Malaysia at all price-points. Popular western fast-food chains like McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, Popeye, A&W and others are very visible in various urban centers in Malaysia, so if you rather not experiment with local food and stick with the tried and tested global fast food brands you can easily do so while visiting Malaysia.

However, travel is a wonderful resource which helps broadens your outlook and when you travel you should try and sample the native culture; one way to do so is via the destination’s food offerings.  In Malaysia, you are truly spoiled for the country offers a smorgasbord of diverse foods that gastronomes can’t help but rave about. Further, if you are worried that these foods may not be halal, you can be rest assured for most food in Malaysia, a predominantly Muslim nation, is halal and is regularly inspected and certified by the authorities.

Based on the above listed are some food experiences you should sample whilst in Malaysia: -

Indulge in delicious Malaysian street food

The plethora of Malaysian street foods like Satay, Char Kuay Teow, Laksa, Nasi Kandar, Hokkien Mee and more offered at locales like Gurney Drive in Penang are renowned the world over. Similar experiences can be hand at spots like Jalan Alor in Kuala Lumpur and the city center streets of major cities like Kota Kinabalu.

Sample Baba-Nyonya cuisine

The Peranakans are known for their own unique culture and traditions and a style of cooking which is essentially a blend of Malay and Chinese cuisines. Popular Peranakan dishes include preparations like Asam Laksa, Popiahs(fresh spring rolls) and otak-otak (fish ,coconut milk, galangal and spice paste wrapped in banana leaf and steamed).

Delight in mouth-watering Mamak fare

The India population in Malaysia has largely originated from Southern India and is composed of both Hindus and Muslims, while the Indian Hindus brought along various vegetarian delicacies like thosai, idli, puri and more, the Indian Muslims contributed dishes like nasi  biryani, Roti Canai, Murtabak and more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Discover the delights of ‘Mamak’ cuisine

‘Mamak cuisine’, one of the many native Malaysian cuisines, is hugely popular all over Malaysia. This delicious fare is usually associated with Malaysia’s Indian Muslim population and is served both at roadside stalls (open 24 hours a day) and as well as at full-service restaurants.

‘Mamak cuisine’, is believed to have been brought to Malaysia, by Indian Muslims, hailing from the southern states of India, like Kerala and Tamil Nadu during the 19^th century, when these immigrants were brought by the British to work on the rubber and palm oil plantations. In fact the popular Mamak stall beverage, Teh Tarik, the Malaysian interpretation of Southern Indian pulled coffee was once served at stalls set up at the entrance of plantations

The Indian immigrants then went on to intermarry with the locals and they soon came to known as Mamaks and were largely associated with roadside eateries popularly referred to as known as ‘Mamak stalls’. These roadside ‘Mamak ‘stalls continue to survive, though the Malaysian dining landscape today, also features full-service ‘Mamak’ cuisine restaurants that offer a wide array of tasty dishes.

Favored ‘Mamak eats’ include dishes like: -

Roti Canai

Roti Canai is a hugely popular breakfast dish and consists of a flaky paratha served with a spicy chicken curry sauce

Roti Tisu

Roti Tisu, is a wafer-thin conical pancake topped with a syrup of condensed milk and sugar.

Rojak Pasembur

This salad dish is served warm and features shredded vegetables like cucumber and turnip mixed with diced potatoes, beansprouts, boiled eggs and tofu, all of which are tossed together with sweet and spicy peanut sauce.

Nasi Kandar

A Nasi Kandar meal is composed of nasi (rice) offered with an assortment of vegetarian or non-vegetarian spicy curries.

Murtabak

A serving of Murtabak features a roti stuffed with fillings like eggs, mutton, sardines, beef or chicken. A Murtabak is usually complemented with a lentil-based dipping sauce.

Nasi Lemak

Renowned as Malaysia’s favorite comfort food, a dish of Nasi Lemak features rice steamed in coconut milk, wrapped in banana leaves and served with anchovies, peanuts and a fiery sambal.

 

Maggi goring
This dish feature Maggi instant noodles stir-fried with dark soy sauce, curry powder, spices, vegetables, tofu and chicken and topped with a sunny-side up egg.