Malaysian cuisine reflects the multi-racial aspects of Malaysia. Various ethnic groups in Malaysia have their dishes but many dishes in Malaysia are derived from multiple ethnic influences and are an intrinsic part of the culture and food of the region.
Malay Food
Variety is the spice in Malay food. The traditional culinary style has been greatly influenced by the long-ago traders from neighboring countries, such as Indonesia, India, the Middle East, and China. Malay food is often described as spicy and flavorful as it utilizes a melting pot of spices and herbs.
Malay cooking incorporates ingredients such as lemon grass, pandan (screwpine) leaves, and kaffir lime leaves. Fresh herbs, such as daun kemangi (a type of basil), daun kesum (polygonum or laksa leaf), nutmeg, kunyit (turmeric) and bunga kantan (wild ginger buds) are often used. Traditional spices such as cumin and coriander are used in conjunction with Indian and Chinese spices such as pepper, cardamom, star anise and fenugreek. Seasonings play an important role in Malay cooking as they often enhance the food taste and flavors. Many of the seasonings are not dried spices but are fresh ingredients such as fresh turmeric, galangal, fresh chili paste, onions, and garlic. A combination of fresh seasonings and dried spices are normally pounded together to make a fine paste and cooked in oil. Fresh coconut milk is often added.
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.
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.
Chinese Food
The Dim Sum has more than 30 items and includes delights such as the baked egg custard, pan-fried carrot cake, baked cake with sausages and turkey ham, steamed seafood dumplings with shark's fin, steamed soft noodles with shrimps, steamed crabsticks stuffed with fish paste, deep-fried dumplings with salted eggs and red bean paste, and very promising-sounding steamed fresh super prawn dumplings.
It is a firm belief that mooncakes are a must during the Mid Autumn or Mooncake festival. The mooncakes are made of six delicious fillings - red bean paste, red bean paste with single egg yolk, lotus seed paste, lotus seed paste with single egg yolk, lotus seed paste with double egg yolks and white lotus with single egg yolk. Some mooncakes are also HALAL or for the Malays who are not allowed to take pork.
Freshly cooked mushroom dishes include the mouthwatering grilled shitake mushrooms with chrysterium and special sauce, teapot soup with pine mushrooms, and the succulent grilled shimeji mushrooms.
Select from a range of all time favorite Chinese culinary like soups, seafood, poultry, and vegetable dishes. This set of dish promises to trill connoisseurs of Chinese cuisine.
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.
North Indian cuisine boasts of a diet rich in meat and uses spices and ingredients such as yogurt and ghee in dishes that are elaborate without being overly spicy. Here, bread and chapati (wheat-flour pancakes) replaces rice, which is the center of most South Indian meals. Coconut milk, mustard seeds, and chilies are also widely used in the Southern province.
Spices are the heart and soul of Indian cooking. But the quantity and proportions vary with the geographical boundaries. Curry powder is almost never used. Spices are freshly grounded and added in many different combinations. Spices commonly used are coriander, turmeric, cumin, chilies, fennel, and fenugreek. Other fragrant spices added are cardamom, clove, cinnamon and star aniseed.
In Malaysia, 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. Malaysia also abounds with shops offering "Nasi Kandar", which is basically a combination of Malay and Indian cuisine - hence very Malaysian - although the taste is more robust. This concept came about when "nasi" (rice) hawkers would previously "kandar" (balance a pole on the shoulder with two huge containers on both ends) their wares.
Bread is the main item in most meals in North Indian cuisine. Therefore, a wide variety of bread is offered at these restaurants. Nann (leavened bread with poppy seeds) is a popular choice. The bread dough is rolled out and then slapped on the inside of the tandoori, near the top where it cooks very quickly in the fierce heat. It is then flavored with onion or garlic. Paratha, meanwhile, is rich, flaky, and flavored with ghee. It can be eaten as an accompaniment or by itself, filled with potatoes and peas. Chapati is another leavened bread. It resembles flat discs and has a delightful flavor and chewy texture.
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.
Nyonya Food
Nyonya food, also referred to as Straits Chinese food or Lauk Embok Embok, is an interesting amalgamation of Chinese and Malay dishes thought to have originated from the Peranakan (Straits Chinese) of Malacca over 400 years ago. This was the result of inter-marriages between Chinese immigrants and local Malays, which produced a unique culture. Here, the ladies are called nyonyas and the men babas.
Nyonya food is also native to Penang and Singapore. However, over the years, distinct differences have evolved in nyonya cooking found in Penang and Singapore than that in Malacca. The proximity of Malacca and Singapore to Indonesia resulted in an Indonesian influence on nyonya food. Malacca Nyonyas prepare food that is generally sweeter, richer in coconut milk, and with the addition of more Malay spices like coriander and cumin. Meanwhile, the Penang Nyonyas drew inspiration from Thai cooking styles, including a preference for sour food, hot chilies, fragrant herbs, and pungent black prawn paste (belacan).
Influences aside, nyonya recipes are complicated affairs, often requiring hours upon hours of preparation. Nyonya housewives of the past would spend the better part of their lives in the kitchen, but they were fiercely proud of their unique cuisine, preferring nyonya food to any other type of food.
It has been said that in the old days, a Nyonya lady seeking a prospective bride for her son would listen to the pounding of spices by the maiden concerned as it denoted the amount of attention she would give to her cooking!
Nyonya cooking is also about the blending of spices, employing pungent roots like galangal, turmeric and ginger; aromatic leaves like pandan leaf, fragrant lime leaf and laksa leaf, together with other ingredients like candlenuts, shallots, shrimp paste and chilies. Lemon, tamarind, belimbing (carambola) or green mangoes are used to add a tangy taste to many dishes.
For dessert, fruits are seldom served and are instead replaced by cakes. Nyonya cakes are rich and varied, made from ingredients like sweet potato, glutinous rice, palm sugar, and coconut milk.
Nyonya Assam Curry FishThe nyonya assam curry fish is cooked with assam jawa juice, shallots, garlic, lengkuas, buah keras, serai (lemon grass), buah kantan, daun kesom, chili boh, tumeric powder, belacan powder, chicken stock, and sugar. It is best served with steaming hot rice.
Brinjal curryBrinjal is sliced and seasoned with tumeric powder (serbuk kunyit), dried prawns, roasted belacan (shrimp paste), and other spices. Served with hot rice and garnished with fried onions.
PopiahThe basic ingredients are the same - shredded turnip, carrots, bean sprouts, cucumber, prawns, Chinese Taro, dried onion flakes, and garlic. However, the Nyonya popiah has the addition of a chili and sweet sauce made from palm sugar, wet spices, and a rice flour mixture that gives it a distinct taste. Egg is also added to the batter to give the popiah skin a moist texture.
Hawker Food
Kuala Lumpur is the hub of the local entertainment scene, yet there are those who would tell you that there is no place like Penang for hawker food. Others will, however, argue that Ipoh city in Perak offers even greater specialty dishes. But since the general consensus for great hawker food seems to be Penang, we shall concentrate there.
With an abundance of hawker stalls prominently positioned along busy streets in the city and suburbs of Penang, it is not difficult at all to understand why this island is often referred to as a hawkers' paradise. Penang hawker food is reputedly the best in the nation, and some visitors from neighboring states and even neighboring nations have been known to make regular trips to the island with the sole purpose of patronizing their favorite hawker food venues!
Hawker food is usually available in large, medium, or small portions at different prices. However, the price may also differ according to optional extras placed on your dish, for example, additional prawns. Prices should be displayed for the various dishes. If not, ask before placing your order.
Hawkers selling food, fruits, or drinks in push-carts or mobile stalls are a common sight around the country, especially on Penang Island. However, the mushrooming of hawker centers and government-sponsored hawker complexes in the suburbs have somewhat reduced this. Hawker centers or complexes feature permanent stalls, each offering their own special dishes. These venues usually stay open until late, catering for those working on early shifts and those seeking supper after a late night out.
Most hawkers in Penang and other major towns are licensed, and these are renewed periodically. Enforcement officers from the Health Department and Municipal Councils also conduct regular checks on hygiene and cleanliness.
Hawker food is normally freshly-prepared. Although the basic recipe of hawker dishes remain the same, variations abound. Often, watching a hawker prepare the food is an interesting experience in itself. For example, roti canai makers will punch a ball of dough flat, grab the edge then swing it around in circles to make a pancake. This is flattened, shaped, then fried. Some roti canai makers might even throw the cooked bread into the air with a flourish before chopping it with the edge of their hands. Another one such example is "Teh Tarik" (literally, pull tea), a smoothened creamy tea that is resulted from the act of pouring the tea between two big mugs and increasing the height by pulling the pouring mug higher and higher. This act smoothens the tea and cools it.
