MALAYSIAN TRADISIONAL FOOD

MALAYSIAN
TRADISIONAL

FOOD

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NAME: RUTTRA SREE THANAPAL
CLASS: 1 VIVEGAM
SCHOOL:SJK(T) TAMAN TUN

AMINAH

Image result for about traditional
food of MALAYSIA

Malaysian cuisine combines locally
sourced herbs and spices with varied

cooking styles inspired by the
cultures that define it – creating a
unique explosion of flavours that's
robust and palatable. ... It is best

enjoyed with curry or the very
popular Rendang, which is a spicy
meat stew usually made with beef.

1. NASI LEMAK

Frequently referred to as the national dish of
Malaysia, Nasi Lemak can be consumed at breakfast,

lunch or dinner. Its name, which in Malaysian
literally means ‘oily or fatty rice’, is taken in this
context to mean ‘rich’ or ‘creamy’, and refers to the
cooking process. To make the dish, rice is soaked in
coconut cream and then steamed with a pandan
leaves, to provide a delicious aromatic flavour. This
is then wrapped in banana leaf and served with
cucumbers, roasted peanuts, hard boiled egg, and
fried anchovies in shrimp paste and chili sauce.

2. ASAM LAKSA

There are countless variations of laksa in
Malaysia, but there are two major categories:
Assam Laksa and Curry Laksa. Assam Laksa is

considered as one of Penang’s main dishes,
and is generally cooked with a white flakey
fish. The broth is tart and tamarind-based, and

filled with noodles, cucumber, pineapple,
fresh mint, lemongrass and ginger. This dish

has such an alluring combination of salty,
spicy and sweet, that you’re sure to be hooked

as soon as you try it.

3. RENDANG

One of Malaysia’s most well-known
dishes, Rendang is a spicy, rich meat dish.

To make the dish, beef is simmered in
coconut milk, chillies and spices to make a

tender, aromatic and flavoursome meal.
In the past Rendang was served at

ceremonial and festive occasions, but
today it has become so popular that it is
widely served with Nasi Lemak, Ketupat

and Lemang.

4. CHAR KWAY TEOW

Another favourite from Penang, where
street hawkers are have added ‘Penang’ to
the title of the dish, Char Kway Teow is stir
fried ricecake strips and flat rice noodles
with prawns, bloody cockles, Chinese lap
cheong (sausage), eggs, bean sprouts, and

chives in a mix of soy sauce.

5. ROTI CANAI

The Malay word ‘roti’ means bread, and this
must-try dish is an Indian-style flatbread.
Traditionally, it is eaten at breakfast, and
served with dhal (lentil) curry or mixed

sambal (chilli sauce). If you get a chance, try
to watch someone making roti. They will slap
and smack the ingredients, toss and swirl it in

the air repeatedly, then fold and heat it,
putting on a show that is almost as good as

the eating that follows.

6. SATAY CHICKEN

In Malaysia, you will notice the towering piles
of skewers and the recognisable aroma of
satay everywhere – at hawker stalls and

pasar malam (night markets) these skewers
are tossed onto the grill and made to order.
Across Southeast Asia, each country has its
own unique recipe for satay. Malaysian satay

is made with common ingredients from
Malaysian cooking, like shallots, turmeric
powder, coriander powder and lemongrass

7.NASI KERABU

This colourful dish will both catch your eye
and tantalise your tastebuds. The blue rice in

Nasi Kerabu gets its colour from telang
flowers, which are crushed and mixed into it.
The rice is then topped with dried fish or fried

chicken, bean sprouts, prawn crackers,
cabbage and other salads. This dish comes
from the state of Kelantan in the northern
peninsular of Malaysia, which explains why
it’s traditional to use your hands to eat it.

8.AIS KACANG

Ais Kacang is commonly known as ‘ABC’, which
stands for Air Batu Campur. Traditionally, this
Malaysian dessert is made from shaved ice and
red beans, but today it comes in bright colours
and with all kinds of fruit and dressings, such
as palm seed, sweet corn, jelly cubes, cendol,
peanuts and ice cream. It is then topped with
evaporated and condensed milk and coconut
milk, red rose syrup and sarsi syrup are drizzled

over the ice.

9.MEE GORENG

Mee Goreng, which translates to ‘fried noodles’, is
a dish that’s thought to be derived from Chow
Mein and brought to Malaysia by Chinese
immigrants. Its yellow egg noodles come from

Chinese cuisine, while the spices used come from
Indian food, and sweetness is added for the Malay

palate. This dish has become so popular that an
instant version of it has been created and is even

sold in the Western world at a very economical
price, much to the delight of university students.

10.MEE REBUS

Mee Rebus is a dish of yellow noodles in a
sauce of sweet potato and tomato, cooked
with a chilli-based rempah (spice paste) and
topped with egg, calamansi lime, fried tofu,
fried shallots, and bean sprouts. Mee Rebus
used to be sold by street food traders who
would carry two baskets over a pole, with
one containing cooking utensils and the other

all the ingredients for the dish.

11.NASI KANDAR

Nasi Kandar is a popular northern Malaysian food,
originating from Penang. This dish is essentially

steamed rice served with a variety of curries and side
dishes, which often include curry, fried chicken,

prawns or squid, egg, and okra. This is often laid out
buffet-style in street markets. The name of this dish

reflects the way that hawkers used to balance 2
containers of ‘nasi’ (rice) on a kandar pole on their
shoulder. Nasi Kandar restaurants remain extremely
popular all over Malaysia, with many of them open for
24 hours a day and run by ethnic Indian Muslims. Lots
of people like to eat the sauced-soaked rice with their
bare fingers, leaving their hands smelling delicious

long after they have been washed

12.MOONCAKES

During the Mid-Autumn festival, a popular East Asian
celebration of togetherness, mooncakes become so
prominent in Malaysia that the festival is actually more
commonly known as the Mooncake Festival. If you’re
lucky enough to be in Malaysia at this time (which is on
the 15th day of the 8th lunar month each year), you will
notice lots of moongazing and parading with colourful
Chinese lanterns. But most of all, this is a time for

eating copious amounts of mooncakes. Famous
companies and small stalls alike will sell these
traditional treats, which come in both sweet and
savoury varieties. Ingredients can be as diverse as ham,
red beans, lotus seeds, egg yolk, dates, chocolate,
cinnamon, or the distinctly Malaysian pandan leaves

and durian.

13.NASI GORENG

Nasi Goreng translates to ‘fried rice’,
and is a popular dish of leftover rice
which is stir-fried with chilis, garlic,
kecap manis, lime or tamarind, and
topped with chicken or prawns and a

fried egg. It is often eaten for
breakfast

14. WONTON MEE

Wonton Mee recipes vary all over the country, but
essentially it includes noodles with pork, broth and
wontons, and it can be served either dry or wet. The

dry version has stir-fried noodles with thick soy
sauce and pork lard, with the broth and dumplings
on the side, whereas in the wet version the whole

meal is served in the broth. A spoonful of spicy
sambal is served on the side. It is topped with green
Chinese kale, sliced green onions, and pickled green
chillies. Generally the wontons are served boiled or
steamed, but in the Penang version of Wonton Mee

they are served fried.

15. HOKKIEN MEE

This may be cheating because this actually counts for
two dishes – both of which are worthy of hunting

down. Penang Hokkien Mee is an egg and rice noodle
soup in a rich, savoury shrimp stock which is filled

with prawns, hard-boiled eggs, and bean sprouts and
topped with fried shallots and sambal. It is very

popular at street stalls during breakfast and lunch
time, but is also found in some places during dinner. In

Kuala Lumpur and the south of Malaysia, however,
this type of Hokkien Mee is called Hokkien Prawn Mee

instead because Hokkien Mee refers to another
cuisine which has a cult following in KL. The Kuala
Lumpur version is fried thick noodles, which consists
of thick yellow noodles braised in thick, dark soy
sauce with pork, squid, fish-cake and cabbage and

cubes of crispy fried pork lard as garnishing.

16. BAH KUT TEH

While its name literally means ‘meat bone
tea’, there is actually no tea to be found in

Bak Kut Teh. The tea in its name instead
refers to a strong oolong Chinese tea which is

usually served alongside the soup in the
belief that it dilutes the large amounts of fat
in this dish. The broth of pork ribs with herbs,

garlic and spices is cooked for as long as
possible – sometimes even days – to give it a

rich flavour. To find the best ‘BKT’ as it is
often affectionately called, go to Klang,
where coffee shops and street food centres

serve it.

17.FISH HEAD CURRY

Fish head curry originated in South India
and became a popular dish in Malaysia
and Singapore around the second half of

the 20th century. The various ethnic
groups of the Malay Peninsula have
added their own flavour to the dish, and

recipes vary all over the country.
Generally, the head of a red snapper is

stewed in a Kerala-style curry with
assorted vegetables, and served with

either rice or bread

18. CURRY LAKSA

Curry laksa is filled with
coconut and rempah to make

a rich broth. Made with
turmeric, ginger, lemongrass,
chilies and belacan, the broth

is filled with noodles and
topped with shrimp, tofu,
cucumber, fish balls, and

eggs.

19.KETUPAT

Ketupat is a dumpling made from rice
that is packed inside a woven palm leaf
pouch. As the rice cooks, it expands to
fill the pouch, giving it its characteristic
form and texture. This style of cooking is

said to have been created for sailors,
who needed to keep cooked rice from
spoiling during their sea voyages. The
leaves used in wrapping the rice are
shaped into a triangle or diamond and

stored hanging in bunches.

20.NASI DAGANG

Nasi dagang consists of rice
steamed in coconut milk, fish
curry, fried shaved coconut,
solok lada, hard boiled eggs and
vegetable pickles. It is a often
eaten for breakfast in the East
Coast of Peninsular Malaysia.

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