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Malaysian food

Malaysia is a food lover’s haven. Food of all kinds is found in Malaysia. From exotic dishes like Nasi Bryani and Tom Yum Curry to local fare such as Roti Chanai, Popiah and Nasi Lemak to wonderful Western food like pasta, French pastries and good old Fish and Chips, all can be found in Malaysia. Indeed, Malaysia is a melting pot of different types of cuisine from all around the world. Whatever your taste, there will be something you will enjoy.

The Chinese prefer to start off their meals with a soup; usually it is a vegetable soup as it is not too heavy. It is quite uncommon for people in Malaysia to have appetizers, other than in Western full-course meals. But Malaysians have lots of choices when it comes to side dishes. For example, Rojak is a popular Malay fruit and vegetable side dish. In Rojak, fruits and vegetables such as pineapples, pumpkin, cucumber, kangkong (a local vegetable) etc are cut into bite-sized pieces and mixed with prawn paste and covered in pounded peanuts. Another side dish is Popiah. This is also a vegetable dish where strips of cucumber, pieces of beancurd, small shrimp, turnip, bean sprouts etc are rolled into a flour batter in a small cyclindrical shape. To add taste, it is also eaten with prawn paste. Popiah can either be eaten raw or fried.

It comprises of pork, beancurd and shrimp deep-fried till crispy and served with unique sauces.

For main dishes, there is a plethora of food in the Malaysian menu. Nasi Bryani is an Indian dish where colored rice is cooked with raisins, cashew nuts and pineapple cubes. This is eaten with deep-fried chicken or mutton and lots of other add-ons. Satay is a popular dish among the Malays. It’s a smaller version of Shish Kebab. Pieces of chicken or beef are pierced onto a stick and grilled over an open charcoal fire.

The Malays have many types of rice dishes for their main dish. There are Nasi Campur (mixed rice), Nasi Goreng (fried rice) and Nasi Kandar. Besides rice, the Malays also enjoy noodles such as Mee Rebus (steamed noodles), Mee Jawa (steamed noodles in thick gravy), Mee Soto (noodles in a spicy soup) and many more. The Chinese, on the other hand, have their noodles like Kon Lao Mee (thin noodles in soy sauce with strips of meat or fish and vegetables), Won Ton Mee (the wet version of Kon Lao Mee), Assam Laksa (noodles in spicy soup but cooked the Chinese style), Char Koay Teow (broad noodles fried with soy sauce and cooked with vegetables, bean sprouts, preserved pork, chicken etc) and plenty more. Besides noodles of all sorts, Chinese enjoy steamed white rice with traditional Chinese dishes like braised pork, steamed or friend fish, beef and vegetables such as spinach, cabbage, Chinese lettuce etc.

Not to be outdone, the Indians also have their own specialties. Besides Nasi Bryani, the Indians love Banana Leaf Rice. This is steamed white rice served on Banana leaves instead of plates. It comes with an assortment of additional small dishes such as chicken, fish and beans all cooked in unique Indian style. The Indian Muslim (Indians of the Moslem faith) community in Malaysia has their own range of food such as Roti Chanai (unique flour batter cooked in various styles), Murtabak (this is Roti Chanai with either chicken or mutton and other food mixed into it), Roti Jala (a net-shaped version of Roti Chanai) and Tosai.

In Malaysia you will also find food from a variety of other countries such as Tom Yam (Thailand), Sushi (Japan), pasta or all sorts (Italy), Korean Ramen (Korean styled noodles) and Kimchi (pickled vegetables), Mexican or Spanish food, all-American Fish and Chips, a host of French pastries and lots more.

Truly, if you love tasting food from virtually every corner of the world, come to Malaysia.

Would like to visit this place and taste Food Malaysia yourself? Then read these vacation packing checklist tips and go for a journey.

Tags: Food, Recipes & Restaurants