Malaysian cuisine is exotic with an exciting range of flavours and culinary styles offering the uninitiated an endless gastronomic adventure. It comprises three main groups - Malay, Chinese and Indian with each having its own distinct style of cooking. There are also cuisine that have evolved from the meeting of cultures notably those of the Nyonya and Indian Muslim communities.
For the visitor who is interested in dining out, Kuala Lumpur boasts an extraordinary number of hawker stalls, coffee shops and restaurants, most of them offering a high standard of cuisine and often at very cheap prices.
Staple Diet - Rice Rice is the staple diet in any Malay meal. It is often served for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and supper too. Most meals are eaten by using your fingers, and eating utensils are kept to a minimum. All dishes are served at the same time, accompanied by a refreshing drink. Fish is popular in Malay cooking, as with other seafood such as shrimps and cuttlefish. Beef and mutton are very popular choices but never pork as it is against their religious beliefs to eat pork. The other popular white meat is chicken.
Dishes and Desserts One of the most unique Malay dishes is the "roti jala" (lacy pancakes), which sometimes replaces the staple rice. Roti jala is an ideal accompaniment to any dish with lots of rich gravy and is often served during special occasions. It is made from a mixture of plain flour and eggs, with a pinch of turmeric powder and butter. Desserts are a must for any Malay meal. Easily available at most local restaurants and roadside stalls, Malay desserts are invariably very sweet and include ingredients such as coconut milk, palm sugar, and flour.
Popular Malay dishes include : -
Nasi Dagang - The dish is made by cooking rice and glutinous rice together, to which coconut cream is added once it is cooked. Nasi Dagang is eaten with its own specially made side dishes of tuna fish curry and a light vegetable pickle.
Keropok Lekor / Keping - A popular and the most visible fried snack in Terengganu, the keropok is made of fish meat, ground to a paste, and mixed with sago. Coming in two main different forms, the long chewy ones are called 'lekor', while the thin, crispy ones are called 'keping'. Keropok is best eaten hot with its special chili dip.
Ayam Goreng - This is a popular chicken dish. Simply meaning fried chicken, this dish is prepared by first marinating the chicken with various spices like turmeric and curry powder. It is then deep fried in hot oil and served.
Laksam - A delightful yet simple dish, the laksam is akin to the western pasta dish. Like the latter, it has both the flour dough and the gravy that goes with it. However, unlike the pasta, laksam is made using both wheat and rice flours, and the dough is steamed instead of boiled. Laksam's gravy is made of fish meat, which is boiled, pureed, and later mixed with coconut milk
Indian Food - Indian influence in Malaysian cuisine started in the 19th century when large arrivals of Indian migrants were brought into the country as contract laborers to work in rubber estates and on the railways. Some did take the opportunity to set up trade in the textile and food industry. Indian cuisine can be divided into two mainstreams, Northern and Southern Indian cuisine.
In Malayasia, there is an abundant of Indian restaurants and food stalls to whet your appetite. They are traditionally served on a thali, a circular metal tray on which a number of small bowls called katori, also made from metal, are placed. Eaten with fingers, rice or bread are placed directly on the thali while curries and other dishes are served in the bowls. For South Indian cuisine, banana leaves are often used as plates where rice is served in the center, followed by various curries and accompaniments around it. These include dried fish, pappadams (lentil wafers), fresh chutneys made from herbs, coconut, and acid fruits among others.
Local Indian hawkers have created unique versions of local dishes, which are not found in India. For example, "mee goreng" is a combination of fresh Chinese yellow noodles, tofu, bean-sprouts, and dried shrimp paste. Malayasia also abounds with shops offering "Nasi Kandar", which is basically a combination of Malay and Indian cuisine - hence very Tandoori dishes are the most popular main courses in North Indian restaurants. Tandoori chicken is always a favorite, where a whole baby chicken or chicken quarters are roasted in the clay oven for several hours in advance and then finished off on the barbecue.
