A Malaysian Food Tour

If there's one thing that Malaysians love, it's food. The greeting 'have you eaten yet?' is as common as asking about the weather in the UK. It's a national obsession.

There are Malay restaurants, Chinese restaurants, Indian restaurants, Thai restaurants and more. In fact, eating out in Malaysia is a real gastronomic adventure and one of the things that many visitors enjoy most.

Popular Malaysian dishes include satay, nasi lemak, rendang, roti canai, murtabak, laksa, chicken rice, and fried noodles. Western cuisine is also easily available. In addition, all the usual fast food chains are here so there's bound to be something to enjoy.

It's not just the range of food, but also the amount of places to eat. There are hundreds of restaurants going from roadside hawker stalls (you ought to do it at least once) to fine dining places that are at least 50% cheaper than the equivalent in Western countries.

It's perfectly safe to eat at the roadside. As long as it's served hot you'll have no bother. And restaurants at the upper end, especially hotel restaurants, are as good as anything you'd find in the West.
Here's a quick rundown of some popular food types:

Malay FoodThe traditional culinary style was greatly influenced many years ago by traders from neighbouring countries. Malay food is often described as spicy and full of flavour. The more chillis they can squeeze in a dish the better!

Chinese Food
Steamed seafood dumplings, steamed crabsticks stuffed with fish paste, deep-fried dumplings with salted eggs and red bean paste... or just sweet and sour pork, like back home!

Indian Food
Spices are the heart and soul of Indian cooking... Plus, more often than not, your curry will be served on a banana leaf which makes it an experience to remember - especially if you do like the locals and eat it with your fingers.

Hawker Food
Hawkers selling food, fruits or drinks in push-carts or from roadside mobile stalls are a common sight. If you're going for the basics it's often where the best food is found too. Give it a try for the experience.

Nyonya Food
Nyonya (said: non-ya) people are descended from early Chinese/Malay mixed marriages, so their dishes combine the best of both cultures.

Snack Food
Nasi lemak is rice cooked in coconut milk and flavoured with cloves and pandan leaves. It's the Malaysian national dish. It's often served for breakfast, look out for the small pyramid-shaped packets if you fancy some as a snack during the day.

Richard Ryan is a professional journalist who has worked in the UK, Malaysia and Australia. For more information visit http://www.richardryan.co.uk

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An Introduction to Malaysian Food

Malaysia is a country with rich culture. The population is made of mainly Malay, Chinese and Indians while the Borneo sub origins made out the most of west Malaysian population. Malaysian food, of course is very much reflective of the diversity of the people staying here. Located at the Southeast Asia, Malaysia is in between Thailand and Singapore while West Malaysia is next to the Sulawesi and Philippines.

It doesn't take an adventurous traveler or food enthusiast to appreciate Malaysian food. There are just so much to choose from, whether traditional or modern cuisines, deem to satisfy the choosiest tastes buds. The staple food in Malaysia is rice, just like the other Asian countries. Due to its sunny weather all year round, fruits and vegetables are in abundance while meat, poultry and seafood is inexpensive and readily available. Malaysian food, just like its people, is divided into Malay, Chinese and Indian and is still prepared by their own unique ways.

Malay food, in general is rich with herbs like lemongrass, tamarind, dried and fresh chilies, ginger and garlic. Malay dishes can be distinguished into a few methods of cooking namely masak merah (tomato sauce), masak lemak (coconut milk), masak asam (sourish tamarind) and masak pedas (spicy). Popular dishes that cannot be missed are such as nasi lemak (coconut milk steamed rice), sambal belacan (shrimp paste with pounded chilies), beef rending (dried curry) and serunding (beef floss). Satay, or barbequs meat on a stick, is originated from Malay cuisine has presence in restaurants all over the world today.

Indian food, on the other hand, has very much integrated northern Indian and southern Indian cuisines when they reach Malaysian shores. Popular for their curries, banana leaf rice and breads such as chapati, naan and roti (prata in some countries). Indian food has also been assimilated with Malay food through their mix marriages of Indian Malay. The resultant is Mamak food, which cannot be found in India, itself. Examples are like teh tarik (tea with milk), murtabak and rojak (mixture of fruits with peanut sauce).

Chinese food, like Indian food, has been assimilated with local cuisines. In China itself, Chinese are divided into so many provinces namely the Cantonese, Hakka, Hokkien, Hainan, Teochew and so forth. In Malaysian, Cantonese food makes the most presence with its stir fry and steaming method. Chinese dishes such as dim sum, sweet and sour dishes, char siew (sweet barbecued pork),bak kut teh (herbal soup) are a few popular dishes. Steamboat or fondue is also widely available and can be a great experience.

There is no denial, Malaysia is a food heaven. Restaurants open very early through wee hours in the morning. There is food for every budget. Sometimes a hearty meal come with a small price, yet does not compromised on varieties. Head down to street stalls in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of the country and you will know what I mean.

amy guan loves to cook and shares her recipe on her blog at www.malaysianfoodrecipe.blogspot.com

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