Malaysians take their food very seriously. But don’t take our word for it – just look at the many “food wars” that have occurred over the years on social media.
From crispy rendang and the origins of cendol, Malaysians will battle it out to defend the honour of beloved local cuisines.
That uniquely Malaysian food culture was noted by American Ida Abhari when she did her summer internship here in 2016. She was a student then at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
“Malaysians, whether Chinese, Indian or Malay, take eating very seriously,” she wrote in a post on the university’s website.
“Everyone warned me that eating out in Malaysia would be cheaper than buying groceries and cooking. Since I really enjoy cooking, I didn’t want to believe them, but after several grocery trips and hundreds of ringgit later, I was forced to admit that eating out was infinitely more desirable,” she added.
Ida said she got to enjoy cuisines from many cultures while staying in Kuala Lumpur.
“Actually, street food is where Malaysians reign supreme. My walk home from the metro station every day took me past stalls of freshly cut fruit, vegetables, and various types of noodle dishes being prepared in the stalls in Bukit Bintang, one of KL’s busiest areas,” she said.
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Ida’s one regret, however, was that she never mustered the courage to try durian during her time in Malaysia.
Ida’s glowing review is just the tip of many other praises that international travellers have heaped upon Malaysia’s colourful food scene.
“Malaysian food doesn’t get the global recognition it deserves. But the fact is, this stuff is good!” remarked a CNN Travel staff in an article.
They also noted that the food here bears some resemblance to cuisines from neighbouring countries. However, they are also quick to add that origins is secondary to the taste.
“Regardless, once you’re in Malaysia and eating, you’ll quickly dispense with historical concerns and wonder instead where your next meal is coming from and how you can get to it sooner,” they said.
Food for thought
Many international tourists have made their way to Malaysia, lured by the promise of tantalising cuisines. It’s a phenomenon experts dubbed as food tourism, or gastronomical tourism.
The concept was discussed by researchers Sharina Osmana and Norwani Nazari from Universiti Kuala Lumpur.
“Food has emerged as one of the motivations for people to travel and has an important multiplier effect in tourism destinations. As people are willing to travel for food, good food adds value to a destination’s image,” they wrote in the journal titled Reviewing Food As A Tourism Product.
“People travel just to taste and experience the originality as well as the authenticity of the foods at the chosen destinations. This growth in interest in local products is linked to their regional or local heritage and is valuable for the tourism industry,” they noted in their paper.
The paper also said that many Malaysian dishes don’t get the recognition they deserve.
“Malaysia has various gastronomy products that can be offered to tourists. However, it still remains a great challenge to establish Malaysia’s position as a world-renowned culinary tourism destination that can attract foodies from around the world. This is an important gap to be addressed,” the researches said. Get on the trail
For many Malaysians, the pursuit of good food is usually satiated with a good old road trip. There are many ways these journeys could be done.
Some make little detours in small towns along the highway while driving to their final destination. Others prefer to stop and stay a night or two to explore other attractions in the area.
Another option is to single out signature dishes at respective states. This is a great way to plan your road trip if you’re overwhelmed by a “best of” list of restaurants.
If anything, recommendations of particular food spots have been detrimental to some well-known dining establishments. Small time hawkers, especially, struggle to cope with the influx of customers after their business got media attention.
This festive season, how about going on a foodie trail as you make your way back to your hometown? We tracked some signature dishes at several routes in Malaysia.
Foodies are spoilt for choice whenever they travel to the northern side of Peninsular Malaysia. The route is peppered by two food capitals – George Town in Penang and Ipoh in Perak.
While in Perak, try some rendang tok if you manage to come across any. The state’s rendang tok is characterised by the ample use of spices, lemongrass and cekur root.
In Penang, you probably already know the drill. The usual hawker fare suspects are char kuey teow, Hokkien mee (known as prawn noodles to non-Penangites), white curry mee and asam laksa.
And then there’s nasi kandar. The signature trait of this dish is the mixture of various curries. It’s easy to lose yourself as you select your choices of delicious meat, seafood and vegetables, so do be wary of how much each item will cost you. The price list is usually up on a board somewhere in the shop but if you can’t find it, just ask the waiters.
In Kedah, the must-try dish is the laksa. The laksa here is distinguished by its fish-based, asam-tinged gravy and freshly-made rice noodles. Sambal nyiur (coconut sambal), heaps of cucumber and onion, as well as herbs like daun kesum add to the taste profile of the laksa.
Other food to look out for in Kedah are gulai nangka and kuih bahulu.
After you’ve feasted on seafood, look out for pekasam and pulut mempelam.
This route offers a perfectly balanced mix of modernity and history, and of course, good food!
The richest state in the country has more to offer than just hipster cafes. When in Selangor, a must-try snack is satay Kajang. The skewered meat this town has built a reputation for being perfectly tender and flavourful. Foodies credit satay Kajang’s appeal to the chunks of grilled fat.
If you’re feeling adventurous, go for the more “exotic” satays such as rabbit, venison, duck and ostrich meat.
In Negri Sembilan, the representative dish is masak lemak cili api. The locals here love a good serving of heat, and masak lemak cili api delivers that through the usage of copious amount of cili padi. The creamy gravy is usually served with meat, seafood and vegetables.
More heat awaits in Melaka with the asam pedas. This signature dish has sour and spicy notes, making it a favourite among the Peranakan community here. The red broth is made with tamarind juice and a range of spices, freshwater fish is usually added to it.
Other Peranakan dishes to try in Melaka are ayam pongteh and debal curry (devil’s curry).
At the southernmost state, a unique kind of laksa awaits visitors. Don’t be surprised if you find spaghetti in your laksa Johor, or if you’re asked to eat it with your hands! The dish also comes with a thick gravy, unlike many of the other laksa varieties in Malaysia.
Another dish with thick gravy is mee bandung, and it’s popularly associated with Johor’s royal town of Muar. Other food to try in the state are otak-otak, pajeri nenas and kacang pool.
The east coast of Peninsular Malaysia is home to Kelantan and Terengganu, which are cradles of rich Malay culture. That heritage extends to its culinary offerings too. Visitors will find many traditional Malay cuisines and delicacies in both states.
Begin your journey in Pahang before venturing up the East Coast Expressway. The quintessential dish here is the gulai tempoyak ikan patin. Be warned, however, that it’s an acquired taste due the fact that its star ingredient is the muddy freshwater silver catfish. And then there’s the equally important tempoyak, which is fermented durian paste. Gulai tempoyak ikan patin is popularly associated with the town of Temerloh.
If you’re not too keen on catfish or durian, then feast on laksa kuah putih and ikan bakar petai instead.
In Terengganu, nasi dagang is an absolute must-try. The locals usually have it for breakfast and the dish would be sold out at many places as early as 10am. Nasi dagang (which translates to trader’s rice) is a combination of fragrant and sticky rice, usually served with gulai ikan tongkol and acar timun (pickled cucumber, carrot and onion).
Of course, snack on some kerepok lekor while you’re in Terengganu. Other dishes to try are solok lada and sata.
Look out for nasi kerabu in Kelantan. The wholesome rice dish is served with a variety of fresh herbs and raw vegetables. What also makes nasi kerabu distinctive is the blue rice, which gets its colour from butterfly pea flowers.
Other must-try dishes in Kelantan are laksam, ayam percik and ketupat sotong.
Sabah boasts a multicultural community and this translates into having a large variety of culinary offerings. A food hunt that you can do is by tracking down the many ethnic food available in the state. Some traditional dishes to look out for are hinava and linopot.
Hinava is the Sabahan version of ceviche, slices of raw fish that’s “cooked” in a combination of lime juice and salt, and mixed with shallots, ginger, chillies and bitter gourd.
Linopot is usually served with simple dishes like salted fish or fried fish, as well as a selection of pickles like tuhau and bambangan, both of which are unique to Sabah.In the past few years hinava, linopot, tuhau and bambangan – food items that are normally only served and eaten at home – have made their way into numerous restaurants as well as supermarkets and convenience stores selling grab-and-go meals around Sabah.
This has made them a lot more accessible to tourists, and they have become high potential gastronomy tourism products of the state.
Apart from traditional fare, Sabah is also known for its large variety of noodle dishes. From Tuaran mee and Beaufort mee, to sang nyuk mian (pork noodles), ngiu chap (beef noodles) and soto, you can easily find all these delicious dishes all around the state. What makes them extra special is that each district will have its own versions of these dishes, so a foodie road trip in Sabah is bound to be full of surprises!
Meanwhile, when you’re in the east coast, always, always have the seafood.
But if you’re not a fan of seafood, then try nasi kuning, which is a popular breakfast item in Tawau. It is turmeric rice cooked in santan and served with fish or chicken, sambal, boiled egg and serunding kelapa.
Mention Sarawak and most foodies will usually think of Sarawak laksa. Various components come together to form this flavourful dish. These include rice vermicelli, shredded omelette, strips of chicken and prawn. Of course, the star factor is the rich broth served with sambal and lime on the side.
Chances are you will find Sarawak laksa throughout the state, but good luck finding a proper – or complete – recipe for it. Folks who make this dish usually learn by watching the older generation in their family prepare it; there is no official recipe (or at least, that’s what many Sarawak laksa cooks will tell you).
Another highlight is kolo mee. It’s a dish of dry noodles served with pork and shallots, and it is quite similar to kampua mee, which is mostly found in Sibu and Sitiawan.
In theory, kolo mee is kind of like wantan noodles but without the soy sauce. It is served with a bit of minced meat, and uses homemade curly noodles (kampua noodles are straight), giving this dish an extra bite. It is also slathered in a special seasoned oil, giving it a distinctive flavour.
Other food items to try in Sarawak are kek lapis, midin, linut, umai and manuk pansuh. The latter is a chicken dish that’s cooked in bamboo with ginger, lemongrass, garlic and torch ginger flower.
Manuk pansuh is the traditional food of the Dayak community – Iban, Bidayuh and Orang Ulu – in the state. It is normally served during festivals and special events, but nowadays you can find the dish in many restaurants around the state.
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