The cuisine of a country is generally a microcosm of the nation and 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.
Ingredients
Staple Foods
Rice tends to be a staple food in Malaysia as in most countries in the same region. The rice eaten in Malaysia tends to be the local variety of rice or fragrant rice from Thailand, its northern neighbour. Varieties of rice such as basmati, Japanese short grain rice and others are slowly entering the Malaysian diet as Malaysians go to the ends of the earth and the ends of the earth come to Malaysia.
Noodles are another staple. Noodles such as "Mee Hoon" (vermicelli), "Kuay Teow" (soft fluffy noodles shaped like fettuccine but made of rice and translucent white in colour), "Mee" (yellow noodles), "Mee Suah", "Yee Meen" (pre-fried noodles), "Tang Hoon" (transparent noodles made from green beans), macaroni, and others provide a source of carbohydrate besides the ubiquitious serving of rice that accompanies every meal.
Western style bread is a relatively new addition to the Malaysian diet, having gained acceptance only in the last generation or so. Even so, bread is generally consumed as part of breakfast.
Meats
Poultry
Chicken is generally available from local farms and is a cheap source of meat. Farms used to be family affairs, with chickens slaughtered fresh on demand at the community wet market. For a small fee a vendor would put the dead chicken into a machine where the feathers would be removed. The machine consisted of a large container of hot water which was agitated aggresively resulting in removal of feathers. Gutting and cleaning the chicken would be performed at home.
Today, while wet markets still exist, most urban Malaysians purchase frozen poultry which are raised on huge farms run by corporations.
A special type of chicken in malaysian cooking is called the "kampung chicken" (literally village chicken). These are free-range chickens which are allowed to roam instead of being caged. These chickens are generally considered to have higher nutritional value. They are scrawnier than their farmed counter-parts, meaning they have less body fat. Cooking of kampung chicken is usually by way of steaming or preparation in a soup.
Duck and goose also form part of the Malaysian diet.
Beef
Beef is available in the Malaysian diet. Certain religions such as Hinduism and some types of Buddhism forbid the consumption of beef. Beef can be commonly found cooked in curries, stews, roasted or with noodles.
Pork
Pork is largely consumed by the Chinese people of Malaysia. Malay people are by definition Muslim and their religion forbids them from consuming pork.
Seafood
Fish
Fish features in the Malaysian diet and most local fish is purchased the day after it is caught. Some local fish is salted and dried. This dry, hard, salted item is also used as an ingredient.
Frozen fish are usually of the imported kind. Fish such as salmon and cod are well received on the Malaysian table but are not caught by local fishermen. Such fish are frozen and flown in as pieces or as whole fish and usually sold by weight.
Vegetables
Vegetables are usually available year round as Malaysia does not have four seasons. During the rainy season, sometimes vegetable yield decreases but does not stop altogether. Therefore, vegetables can be purchased year round but are slightly more expensive at certain times of the year.
Fruit
Malaysia's climate allows for fruit to be grown year round. Most tropical fruit is available in Malaysia as demand for fruit is quite high.
Food types
Malay food
Malay food is best eaten at roadside stalls, hawker centres or at home.
- Satay is grilled meat on skewers served with spicy peanut sauce
- Nasi lemak (literally rice with cream) is perhaps the unofficial national dish of Malaysia.
- Kangkung belacan is kangkung wok-fried in a pungent sauce of shrimp paste (belacan) and hot chilli peppers. Various other items are cooked this way, including petai and yardlong beans.
- Keropok lekor , a specialty of the state of Terengganu on the east coast of Peninsula Malaysia, is a savory cake made from a combination of batter and shredded fish. It is eaten with hot sauce.
Mamak food
Mamak (or Muslim Indian) dishes have developed a distinctly Malaysian style.
- Roti canai is a thin bread with a flaky crust, fried on a skillet and served with condiments.
- Mamak rojak is a variant of rojak consisting of substantial ingredients like boiled potatoes and hard-boiled eggs.
Chinese food
- Fruit rojak. A fruit salad with a topping of thick dark prawn paste.
- Hokkien fried mee. A dish of thick yellow noodles fried in thick black soy sauce and pork lard which has been fried until its crispy.
- Bak kut teh. A soup cooked with herbs, garlic and pork bones which have been boiled for many hours.
- Penang laksa. A bowl of thick white rice noodles served in a soup made of fish meat, tamarind, pineapple and cucumber in slices.
- Char kway teow. Stir fried rice-flour noodles with prawns, eggs and beansprouts.
Nyonya food
Nyonya food was invented by the Peranakan people of Malaysia and Singapore. It uses mainly Chinese ingredients but blends them with South-East Asian spices such as coconut milk, lemon grass, turmeric, screwpine leaves, chillies and sambal.
- Laksa lemak is a type of laksa served in a rich coconut gravy.
- Otak-otak is a fish cake grilled in a banana leaf wrapping.
Other foods
Thai food also features strongly in Malaysian cuisine and a localized version of Thai favourites like Tom yam is widely available.
Desserts
Desserts in Malaysia tend to make use of generous amounts of coconut milk. Some common desserts include:
- Cendol. Smooth green rice noodles in chilled coconut milk and gula melaka (coconut palm sugar).
- Ais kacang (also known as air batu campur or just ABC). Sweet corn, red beans and cincau (grass jelly) topped with shaved ice, colourful syrups and condensed milk.
- Pulut hitam. Black glutinous rice porridge cooked with sago and served hot with coconut milk.
- Bubur cha cha. Yam and sweet potato cubes served in coconut milk and sago, served hot or cold.
- Honeydew sago. Honeydew melon cubes served in chilled coconut milk and sago.
A huge variety of tropical fruits are commonly served as desserts in Malaysia.
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