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Malaysia, a country in Southeast Asia with 35 million residents, has different ethnicities: 69% Malay, 23% Chinese, 7% Indian, and 1% other. Malays were established there, and traders from India and China created trading ports and coastal towns in the 2nd and 3rd centuries.
When travelling through Malaysia, you can experience this mixture of cultures and customs, which also results in the wide variety of food found in the country!
Malay food
Malay food is strong and spicy, cooked with ‘rempah empat beradik’ spices – the four siblings: star anise, cinnamon, cardamom, and clove. You will find locals eating at kopitiams and food courts, where you have a variety of choices!
Laksa
A spicy, soupy noodle dish eaten throughout the day, every region has its own rendition of the broth, combined with white or yellow round noodles! The most popular are curry laksa made from coconut milk and curry paste and asam laksa, which is distinctively sour from tamarind and flaked mackerel.
Image source:Amanda Lim / unsplash
Nasi Lemak
Aptly named “fatty rice” in Malay, the rice is especially fragrant from being cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf. To go with it, you pick a meat (often fried chicken) and get roasted peanuts, egg, anchovies, slices of cucumber, and sambal belacan: a delicious spicy shrimp paste to add some kick and flavor.
Kaya Toast
For those who enjoy both savory and sweet foods, kaya toast is for you! Typically eaten for breakfast, two slices of toasted bread with butter and kaya (a sweet, creamy spread with coconut cream, pandan leaves, eggs, and sugar) get dipped into a broken soft-boiled egg.
Cendol
If it’s a hot summer day – which is often the case in Malaysia – cendol is the perfect dessert: ice with coconut milk, palm sugar syrup, panda jelly, and red bean.
Chinese food
Chinese food often originates from the Hokkien and Teochew people, a Han Chinese subgroup and an ethnic group native to the Chaoshan region in southern China, respectively.
The food is often lighter and less spice-heavy than Malay food, and night markets are a fun experience to try various Chinese-influenced Malaysian dishes. Otherwise, small establishments usually specialize in a certain dish, and Ipoh in particular has a lot of unique Chinese dishes as 75% of the population is Chinese there.
Yong Tau Foo
For vegetable lovers, this dish is for you! Yong tau foo is a Hakka dish made of tofu filled with fish paste and minced meat, and you’ll find other stuffed vegetables like bell peppers, eggplant, okra, and chilis too. These are boiled and served in soup or dry with a slightly sweet, red sauce.
Chee Cheong Fun
Typically eaten for breakfast and originally Cantonese, chee cheong fun is steamed rice noodle rolls served with different sauces, depending on where you are in Malaysia: soupy curry, sweet bean paste, hei ko (shrimp paste) – all delicious!
Popiah
Popiah is a Fujianese/Teochew fresh spring roll, where a thin pancake wrapper gets filled with various ingredients, like cucumber strips, shallots, grated peanuts, crispy tempura bits, egg, lettuce, bean sprouts, sambal belacan. Light and refreshing, these are the perfect afternoon snack.
Hainan Chicken
As the name suggests, Hainan chicken is from Hainan in Southern China: poached chicken served with rice, sliced cucumber, and chili sauce. Ipoh in particular is known for Hainan chicken, although it has a slight variation: instead of rice, a bowl of clear and light, flat rice noodle soup is served along with a plate of bean sprouts.
Indian-influenced Food
Indian food is very popular, and there are often Little Indias in cities with a lot of Indian food. A typical Malaysian Indian dish will likely have curry leaves and spice, along with fresh coconut in various forms. You can find Indian food in mamaks, which are indoor and open-air stalls that serve a wide range of food, and you will see sinks as most mamak food is eaten with hands!
Roti Canai
A flatbread made from ghee, flour, and water, it’s usually served with daal or curry dipping sauces. You can choose to add egg, onion, chili pepper, banana, or an array of other items into the flatbread, and the texture is flaky dough, perfect for a snack!
Teh Tarik
Teh tarik – literally meaning “pulled tea” in Malay – is the most popular drink, and it’s hot or cold strong black tea with condensed milk. The name is in reference to the tea getting repeatedly poured back and forth between containers from a great height, making it froth and cool down.
Banana leaf rice
Instead of a plate, you have a banana leaf! On it is a pile of rice, curries, vegetables, pickles, and fried items – many bold flavors combined together to make a very filling and satisfying meal. To be like a local, eat it all with your hands!
Why is Malaysian food so multi-ethnic?
Because Malaysia has different ethnicities (Malay, Chinese, and Indian), there is a mixture of cultures and customs, which also results in the wide variety of food found in the country. The most prevalent cultures are the following:
- 69% Malay
- 23% Chinese
- 7% Indian
- 1% other.
What cuisines does Malaysian food draw ingredients and flavours from?
Thanks to the different cultures found in Malaysia, the food found in the country has Malay, Chinese, and Indian ingredients and flavors.
Image source:Job Savelsberg / unsplash
Where can you get the best authentic Malaysian food?
Find where the locals eat! For Malay food, locals eat at kopitiams and food courts, where you have a variety of choices. For Chinese food, night markets are a fun experience to try various Chinese-influenced Malaysian dishes and otherwise, small establishments usually specialize in a certain dish. As for Indian food, you can find it in mamaks, which are indoor and open-air stalls that serve a wide range of food.
Is Malaysian food spicy?
Malay and Indian food is spicy, Chinese food is not.
