What is Malaysian Food?
For a Malaysian tourist, they will quickly discover why this country is also famous for its food. Malaysia offers a great gastronomical experience. Restaurants and food vendors that provide delicious food can be found almost everywhere in the Malaysia. In addition, Malaysian food is very diversified and greatly influenced by the Chinese, Indian and as well as the traditional Malay cooking styles. These effects extend from the user of the wok as the main cooking pan, to a combination of a number of spices in most of the dishes. This country food uses unique blend of favours through the combination of tastes, colour and textures with an infusion of many types of ingredients.
Malaysia is melting pot of varieties of ethnic group, cuisine available in this country has its own unique style. Genuine Malay restaurants can be found easily side by side with an array of Chinese and Indian restaurants.
The traditional Malay cooking style was influenced by traders from neighbour countries in the past. Malay food is generally described as very spicy and with a number of herbs and spices. Seasoning is one of very important as it is added on enhancing the flavour and taste. Such, some fresh spices as chili paste, onions, turmeric and garlic are commonly used. Rice is the main dish in a Malay meal. Most of rice meals are eaten by simply using fingers, with eating utensil usually being used to spoon out the side dishes. Seafood is also important in Malay cooking. Beef is also popular as well but it is important to note that since that majority of Malays are Muslims, as the halal certification issues are very important in Malay cooking.
Next, Indian food was brought into this country mainly by Indian trades and migrant that played important role in Malaysian cuisine since the 19th century. Indian food in Malaysia is divided into two categories, known as the Southern and Northern cuisine. Northern Indian cuisine is mostly rich in meat and heavier flavours. Some dishes can be made using others ingredients, such as, yogurt and ghee. As the southern Indian cuisine, most of them use coconut milk, chili and mustard. Basically, spices are the core of Indian cooking with some commonly used spices like, cumin, chili, fennel, fenugreek, turmeric, clove and cinnamon. Lot of Indian restaurants and stalls that was located around the country. One of the most famous Indian dishes widely available in street stalls is fried noodles that are a combination of Chinese yellow noodles with bean sprout, shrimp and tofu. To add to the uniqueness of the cuisine here, some of Indian food is served on a banana leaf. This banana leaf meal that is served with white rice is served with an assortment of vegetables, curried meat or fish, pickles, and tasty papadom crisps. There are a big number of Indian dishes that will surely satisfy your appetite, so do not miss out any of them.
Chinese food is usually stir-fried with a little bit of oil to ensure a crisp and fresh meal. One famous Cantonese specialty is Dim Sum, which is a small basket of little snacks that is usually had for lunch or for a weekend brunch. Dim Sum and Cantonese restaurants are very popular in Malaysia. Another famous Chinese cuisine is Szechuan food, Shanghai food as well as Peking cuisine. Szechuan cuisine is known for its high levels of spice, with a lot of garlic and chili. Beijing cuisine, famous for the Peking duck, is a bit less intrusive than Szechuan food. It is mostly eaten with a hot steamed bun, noodles or rice. Shanghai cuisine is not widespread throughout Malaysia. Hakka and Hainan cuisine are a lot more easily found in food centres around major cities. Popular dishes include the Yong Tau Foo (stuffed seafood), Popiah (traditional spring rolls) and Char Kuey Teow (fried noodles with shrimp, eggs, and bean sprouts).
Local fruits and vegetables are also widely used in Malaysian cuisine. Not only is fruit an essential part of a healthy diet, it’s also a great way to add natural sweetness to any meal. Fruits such mango, durian, pineapple as well as vegetables such as cucumbers and tomatoes are widely used in cooking which add flavour and more variety to local cuisine.
Traveling in general is made up of three main areas for discovery: the people, the sights, and the food. For travellers to this country, we welcome you to Malaysia and hope that you will find time to taste and enjoy assortments of our food and, in turn, bring all the happy and delicious memories back to your respective homes.