Exotic Malaysian Food
Malaysia has many kinds of restaurants almost everywhere in the cities and towns. There are Malay restaurants, Chinese restaurants, Indian restaurants and more. Eating out in Malaysia is a real gastronomic adventure. There is such a great variety; spicy Malay Food, a seemingly endless variety of Chinese food, exotic cuisine from North and South India, as well as Nyonya Food.
Malay Food
The traditional culinary style has been greatly influenced by the long-ago traders from neighbouring countries. Malay food is often described as spicy and flavourful...
Satay- Satay is another popular Malay dish. Pieces of marinated chicken or beef are skewered and cooked over a charcoal fire where they are periodically brushed over with oil. The skewered meat is then served hot, accompanied by a special peanut sauce.
Rendang- A meat dish that is prepared with coconut milk, chilies, onions and other condiments. Eaten with rice, the tasty tender meat is a delectable dish, a must at most Malay functions.
Pulut Lepa- Made of glutinous rice and fish, this snack food is prepared over a barbecue. Boiled fish meat is mixed with sliced onions, and dried chilies and coconut. The mixture is cooked until it is dry. This is then used as a filling for the glutinous rice rolls. Wrappings of banana leaf cover the food before it is cooked over the fire.
Ketupat Sotong- A popular tea-time dish, it features squids stuffed with glutinous rice, bathed in a sea of cooked thick coconut milk. The stuffing is first soaked in coconut milk for an hour and a half before it is stuffed into the squids. Little skewers of coconut leaf rib holds the stuffing in place.
Nasi Lemak- Nasi or rice is cooked in coconut milk and served with anchovies in chili sauce, a few slices of cucumber and a sliced, boiled egg.
Chinese Food
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...
Dim Sum- 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.
Moon Cakes- 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.
Indian Food
Spices are the heart and soul of Indian cooking...
Roti Canai- Roti Canai is a kind of pancake prepared with wheat flour, eggs, ghee, or butter. It is eaten with meat or chicken curry. Best eaten hot, it is a perennial favourite served at most roadside stalls.
Chapatis- As well as rice, a number of different styles of unleavened, wheat-flour bread are eaten with Indian cuisine. Chutneys, pickles, and relishes are always served to complement and balance the main dishes.
Pappadum Rolls- Pappadums are made from lentil flour and are sometimes flavored with whole cumin seeds. These flat, thin breads are almost always made in factories by skilled workers and are sold all over the world in small, plastic wrapped packets containing about 30 pappadums.
Tandoori Chicken Kebabs- Chicken is highly regarded in India and often served at special occasions. Shop-bought tandoori and vindaloo pastes can be kept tightly closed in the refrigerator for several months.
Saffron Chicken Pullao- In a pan with a heavy base, stir rice in half ghee until the grains are well coated. Add saffron and spices and pour in 3 cups cold water. Cover and bring to boil, then reduce heat to lowest point and cook without removing the lid for 20 minutes. Let the dish sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Nyonya food
Nyonya food, also referred to as Straits Chinese food or Lauk Embok Embok, is an interesting amalgamation of Chinese and Malay dishes...
Nyonya Assam Curry Fish- The 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 curry- Brinjal 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.
Popiah- The 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.
Nyonya Fried Rice- Unlike other fried rice, the Nyonya Fried Rice is cooked with chopped dried shrimp, sliced mushrooms, hot pepper-soy sauce, chili powder, and shredded lettuce.
Bubur cha-cha- One of the most popular Malaysian desserts is the bubur cha cha. It is cooked with yam, sweet potato, sago, pandan leaves, coconut milk, and block sugar.
Onde-onde- Basically glutinous rice balls rolled in freshly grated coconut, this is a dessert that is delicious yet fun to eat. At bite size, these balls are made by sealing a lump of chopped palm sugar (gula melaka) into a dessert spoonful of glutinous rice dough and then rolled into a ball. The fun comes when one savours the delicious feeling of oozing gula melaka syrup as you bite through the dough.