From cendol to nasi lemak – the top 10 Malaysian foods everyone should try
From laksa to satay and roti canai to bak kut teh – the Southeast Asian country is a foodie’s paradise. Here are 10 traditional dishes you can’t miss
Ask anybody what the one thing that cannot be missed in Malaysia is – and we bet the answer will be the food.
It’s almost impossible to visit Malaysia and not be tempted to try the plethora of traditional dishes on offer. Much like the country itself, Malaysian cuisine is culturally rich and diverse, with Malay, Chinese and Indian flavours each colliding in the nation’s cooking.
From famous street food to picture-perfect restaurant meals, natives are extremely proud of their local food heritage and have long regarded Malaysian fare as part of the nation’s identity. Just talk to any Malaysian who is abroad, and the one thing they’ll say that they miss most about Malaysia is the food.
From famous street food to picture-perfect restaurant meals, natives are extremely proud of their local food heritage and have long regarded Malaysian fare as part of the nation’s identity
As Malaysians at home and abroad celebrate Hari Merdeka, the official National day of Malaysia, we celebrate the 10 national dishes every foodie should try.
Nasi lemak
Coconut milk-soaked rice, sambal (chilli paste) on the side with anchovies, roasted peanuts, cucumber slices and a boiled egg: meet Malaysia’s unofficial national dish, the nasi lemak. A simple everyday meal that Malaysians all across the country enjoy from sun up to sun down, this beloved dish has a history as humble as its ingredients.
While it is now sold almost everywhere, from roadside shacks to five-star restaurants, the nasi lemak has its beginnings as a farmer’s meal – long hours in the field called for a filling dish ready for on-the-go eating. Wrapped in banana leaf packaging the rice, oils and fish provided a balanced diet in one packet. A recipe of Malay origin, it made use of two main seafront harvests – coconuts and fish.
Nasi lemak may be plain, but the dish’s simplicity is exactly the reason it is so revered among the locals. This mainstay of Malaysian cuisine has since inspired contemporary twists such as nasi lemak burger, nasi lemak pizza, nasi lemak cheesecake and nasi lemak gelato.
Roti canai
Another simple yet delicious dish, roti canai is an Indian-influenced flatbread served in Indian Muslim-operated mamak stalls found around the nation. Best eaten piping hot with dal (lentil curry) or other types of curry, this all-time Malaysian favourite also appears in a range of sweet and savoury renditions, and can be cooked with a variety of ingredients such as egg, banana, margarine and sugar, cheese, sardines and meat. Another popular version is the murtabak, a slightly thicker roti stuffed with warm ground beef or chicken and egg.