Why Malaysians love their cuisine so much.

There is one word in Bahasa Malaysia that you will hear frequently and that is ‘Makan’. Translated into English this word means ‘eat’, ‘feed’ and/or ‘take’. Come morning, noon or the holy month of Ramadaan, Malaysians are constantly talking about food. And not just any food, but their own native cuisine. After living in rural Malaysia for two years, it’s safe to say that I’ve never met a people so excited to eat their nation’s own cuisine daily; plus most meals are happily consumed for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

For me, the beauty of Malaysian cuisine lies in the fact that each cultural group has its own flair and dishes to delight you; Indian, Chinese and Malay all present their own unique flavours so I would suggest trying a different dish each day you’re there.

Here’s a list of some of our favourite Malaysian dishes that you can’t leave off your ‘to munch list’:

1. Beef or Chicken Rendang.

A big favourite during Hari Raya (Eid) and any day it’s served on, this dish can be made with beef, chicken or duck and all taste great.

Galangal, ginger, lemongrass, shallot, garlic and chilli make up the essential paste before being added to the beef, coconut milk, kerisik and a few leaves ( turmeric and kaffir lime leaves). This is by far one of my top Malay dishes and really not a surprise that I learnt how to cook it at The Cooking House in Kuala Lumpur with the brilliant chef, Karen Chai Pei Pei.

If you’re looking to learn how to make any Malaysian dish, she is your go-to-gal. She makes cooking such fun and their school is large enough to bring friends or even your team at work.

2. Chicken Pongteh

In the courtyard of The Majestic Malacca, previously the home of a Chinese tycoon, is where we learnt to make this spectacular dish with Chef Pow. Translating to ‘meat tea’, pongteh describes the way the Baba Nyonya people enjoyed this dish, with tea. Chicken, potatoes, dried mushrooms, touch ( preserved bean paste), garlic, shallots and gula melaka make up some of the ingredients of this dish. Luckily for us, Baba Nyonya cuisine no longer takes an entire day to prepare and isn’t only reserved for special occasions. You’ll find this combination cuisine ( mix of Malay spices and Chinese cooking methods) at any Peranakan restaurant.

3. Fried Rice with Lemon and Ginger Wild Boar.

Fried rice is really a no brainer when it comes to Chinese food but I don’t think I’ve tasted better than in our tiny town of Mersing. Believe me when I say that not much goodness comes from this village at the end of nowhere but we had a few Chinese restaurants that slayed this dish. One of the oldest restaurants in this area is Ee Lo who did it particularly well along with their lemon and ginger wild boar. You’d think that fried rice would be simple to make, I tried and failed. Best just get it from the experts.

4. Kambing Curry ( Lamb curry) and roti.

There is possibly nothing quite as lovely as fresh roti right off the burner. I used to love watching the chefs kneading the dough before flattening it out with heat. Add fresh roti to curry with succulent chunks of lamb and you have the perfect meal. Or at least we thought so about twice a week.

5. Ayam Masak Merah( Red-cooked chicken) .

This is another gem of a dish that was frequently served up in the canteens of the schools I trained teachers in. A spicy dish that works perfectly with rice ( the staple of any Malaysian dish) and includes lots of the usual suspects of turmeric, chilli, red onions, kaffir lime leaves with some sweet dark soy sauce and tomato paste.

6. Chicken Briyani

Growing up in Cape Town, South Africa, breyani is a Cape Malay dish we ate quite often. My mom made it quite differently to the way Indians prepare it in Malaysia. At the popular 24 hour Mamak restaurants the biryani is sold out before 3pm and includes yellow rice with hot, curried chicken or lamb. In Cape Town, breyani is made with lentils and is never quite as spicy.

7. Seafood Tom Yam

While Tomy Yum finds its origins in neighbouring Thailand, Malaysia has taken on this iconic dish and made it their own by showing off more sugar than spice. Most Malay restaurants will offer up some form of Tom Yum. I do love the good ol’ Shrimp Tomy Yum hot enough to make your lips burn and your sinuses clear.

8. Udang Masak Lemak Nanas ( Pineapple prawn curry)

This is another classic Peranakan dish which I learnt to cook in Poh’s kitchen at the Majestic Malacca hotel. The essential ingredient being the rempah or spicy paste which you’ll have to mix and grind yourself. This paste includes belacan, long red chillies, galangal, lemongrass and garlic amongst other things. Mixed together with prawn, pineapple, dried tamarind and more equals seafood curry perfection

9. Satay

You can’t come to Malaysia without trying satay best served from a street stall. The most basic of snacks, this is skewered meat grilled over fire and served with a spicy peanut flavoured sauce. You can make a whole meal of it and sample some beef, lamb and chicken satay and munch it with the side orders it comes with of onions and cucumber.

10. Laksa Sarawak

Depending on the state you’re in, you’ll find varieties of laksa which is a spicy noodle soup. The one we tasted in Sarawak, was a prawn-based broth thickened with coconut milk, chicken shreds, prawns, bean sprouts and sambal paste.

11. Mee Goreng

Thin yellow noodles fried with onions, shallots, chilli and the meat of your choice. I found that depending on where you buy this, it could be a winner of a meal or not so great at all.

12. Char Kuey Teow

This is not one of my best buys, but Vaughan does enjoy these flat rice noodles with pan-roasted chilli paste, bean sprouts, eggs, garlic and prawns. If you enjoy noodle-based dishes, you’ll definitely want to dig into this.

Desserts:

13. Sago Gula Melaka

Another sweet delight hailing from the kitchens of the Baby Nyonya is onde onde or klepon which is simply boiled rice cake oozing with liquid gula melaka and sprinkled with coconut. I would generally pass on desserts made out of rice cake but this is the best one especially when served warm.

14. Pisang Goreng ( Fried banana)

In my mind, this sweet snack would fit perfectly with ice-cream and syrup but in Malaysia, locals prefer to partner this with belacan or something savoury. You can usually find this sold at roadside stalls and many restaurants.

15. Sarawak Layer Cake

When visiting Sarawak, we were told that we could not miss out on this cake also known as kek lapis. They were so right and it is well worth trying to transporting on the airplane with you. Our favourite was the green peppermint-flavoured cake which was consumed all too fast for our liking.

16. Onde Onde or Klepon.

Another sweet delight hailing from the kitchens of the Baby Nyonya is onde onde or klepon which is simply boiled rice cake oozing with liquid gula melaka and sprinkled with coconut. I would generally pass on desserts made out of rice cake but this is the best one especially when served warm.

17. Cendol

The UNESCO World Heritage site of Malacca is the place to taste exceptional Cendol. Walking down Jonker Street alone you’ll fine ample stalls making it and believe me that on a hot Malacca day (nearly every day) an ice-cold Cendol is all you need. If you’re new to Asian dessert this may be quite a surprise in your mouth as the main ingredient is a green rice flour jelly ( resembling little worms) with coconut milk, shaved ice, red beans and gula melaka ( palm sugar).

Favourites of Locals…

18. Ikan Bakar ( burned fish)

While I do love seafood, I am not a fan of burned fish, which is what ikan bakar is. An entire fish usually with the head, tail and all is grilled over a charcoal fire with the flames still high and served up with rice. You can ask for less spicy options or sweeter flavours.

19. Nasi Lemak

If you can find a local that doesn’t love nasi lemak then you have discovered a rarity. Staple breakfast of many, this simple dish include rice steamed with coconut milk and pandan leaves served up with roasted peanuts, cucumber, hard-boiled eggs and deep fried ikan bilis (anchovies).

20. Ikan Bilis

Even if you’re not eating nasi lemak, you may find these dried or deep-fried anchovies cropping up in many a meal. Not being a fan of them myself, I quickly learned that there are very few dishes which don’t have a subtle fishy flavour in Malaysia. I would often ask if certain dishes contained fish and the answer was no. When I looked closer the sauce or soup would actually always contain anchovies or hints of it.

For more information on cooking courses at The Cooking House, visit www.thecookinghouse.com

Which Malaysian dishes are your favourite?