Malaysian food – 15 traditional meals to taste

After months of researching Southeast Asian cuisine, we were blown away with Malaysian cuisine.

Malaysia is a melting pot of peoples and cultures, and we had assumed that Malaysian culinary traditions were more segmented and focused on their respective communities: Indian, Chinese, Malay, and Indigenous. Malaysian food, to our surprise (and delight! ), turned out to be a mix of all the cultures there, and it reflects the finest of Asian cuisine in our opinion.

Let’s hope you appreciate the list of 15 traditional Malaysian foods that we suggest to you.

Nasi Lemak

Malaysian cuisine’s national dish. Nasi refers to rice, and Lemak means “rich” or “tasty.” Rice is cooked with coconut milk, pandan leaves, and other spices in a pot of water.

Sambal (chilli sauce with shrimp paste), fried dried anchovies, and roasted peanuts are traditional accompaniments to Nasi Lemak. Egg, tofu, calamari, fried chicken, and other side dishes are all options.

Hokkien Mee

Hokkien Mee is a popular dish in Malaysia and Singapore, but it’s only in Kuala Lumpur that you’ll discover a unique variation. Hokkien Mee is a thick noodle dish served with a dark, viscous soy sauce. You might think that a dish with this much soy sauce would be extremely salty, yet the dish is surprisingly well balanced.

Roti Canai

Dahl (lentil) and curry are served on a flatbread. Roti Canai, which has an Indian flavour, is a popular breakfast meal in Malaysia. The best way to taste Roti Canai is to eat it at a street vendor and watch the vendors spread out the dough.

Char Koay Teow

In Malaysia, char koay teow is a popular street snack. A joy influenced by Chinese culture. It’s created of thick rice noodles, lard, soy sauce, oyster sauce, egg, bean sprouts, shrimp, Chinese sausage, and other ingredients sautéed in high-temperature charcoal.

A texture and flavor combination with a hint of smokiness.

Assam Laksa

It tastes like a mix between a thick noodle soup and a sauce-heavy noodle dish. The Laksa sauce is what makes all the difference and is one of the primary factors that distinguishes one Laksa from another. Laksa comes in a variety of flavors, but Assam Laksa is one of my favorites. Penang-style thick rice noodles with a sweet and sour fish sauce.

Char Koay Kak

If you like Char Koay Teow, you’ll enjoy Char Koay Kak as well. Instead of noodles, rice cake cubes are used in this meal. The texture is quite intriguing!

Chai Tow Kway, a radish cake-based variant, is also available.

Durian Goreng

It was love at first bite when I first discovered these fried durian dumplings at a street market in Kuala Lumpur. Even people who aren’t fans of durian will enjoy this, as it tasted like melted cheese inside. Cempedak, jackfruit, or banana can also be used.

Cendol

In Southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, this dish is very popular. A mixture of coconut milk and palm sugar syrup is served with rice and pandan flour green noodles. The topping can be rather unique, including boiled beans in some cases. It can be served chilled, either with or without shaved ice.

Murtabak

A popular dish brought to Malaysia by Muslim traders from the Tamil Nadu area of India. It has egg, onion, spices, and ground beef, similar to a stuffed pancake (can be mutton, beef, chicken, etc.). It comes with dahl and curries, just like Roti.

Curry Mee

Curry Mee, commonly known as Curry Laksa, is another popular Malaysian dish. Consider a combination of Malaysians, Chinese, Thais, and Indians. With the Curry Mee, you’ll get exactly that. A bowl of noodle soup with all the trimmings (bean sprouts, coagulated pork blood, shrimp, fish, chicken, etc.) and a flavor that only the cultural blend can deliver: coconut milk, sambal, mint, and curry spices.

Teh Tarik

It looks like masala chai, and the preparation even includes the same air-passed chai movement from the pan to the mug.

But this is Teh Tarik, Southeast Asia’s version of Indian chai, with one major difference: condensed milk.

Otak Otak

Steamed and grilled fish paste wrapped in banana leaf. In Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, this is a highly good snack. There are numerous variations: yellowish paste or white paste, dry and thin or moist and thick, using cassava starch, coconut milk, cornflour, and banana or coconut leaf wrapping.

Chee Cheong Fun

This dish is typical of Ipoh City, where Cantonese Chinese food has established itself in Malaysia. Chee Cheong Fun is the star of the show. The texture of this dish consisting of wrapped rice noodles is so delicate that it almost appears like silk.

Also, the food preparation is stunning to behold. Take a seat in front of the street vendor and savor this delicacy.

Apam Balik

This sweet pancake is popular in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Brunei, though the name varies depending on the nation. We came across names such as Apam Balik, Murtabak Manis, Terang Bulan, Ban Chang Kuih, and others. The truth is that the name may vary, but the pancake is always delicious (and very sweet!).

Nasi Biryani com Frango Frito

One of my favorite Malaysian dishes! This dish is served in Mamaks Nasi-Kandar restaurants. Mamak is the name of a Malay Indian community.

If you go to a Nasi-Kandar, order biryani rice, fried chicken, and whatever other food you prefer, and then ask for different curry sauces to be added on top. You’ll be ready to savor Malaysian cuisine’s most delectable flavor explosions.

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