PETALING JAYA: Roti canai is now the “new king” of Malaysian delights, dethroning the all-time favourite nasi lemak, on the food delivery list.
This Indian-influenced flatbread snack, which is a popular dish in mamak and Indian restaurants, is ranked No. 1 on the GrabFood and FoodPanda list during this movement control order (MCO) period.
Before the first day of the MCO on March 18, roti canai was not even ranked on the list.
FoodPanda Malaysia managing director Sayantan Das said roti canai and roti telur were now its main items for breakfast and snacks.
Next on the list are nasi goreng kampung, nasi goreng ayam and nasi ayam penyet.
Nasi Lemak has dropped to sixth spot, followed by satay ayam, chicken rice, nasi goreng Pattaya and nasi kukus ayam berempah.
He said there was also increasing orders for pizza and coffee in their delivery service nationwide.
Fried chicken continues to dominate the “comfort food” segment. This is followed by pizza and bubble tea (popular among the young), mushroom soup, ice cream,
chicken burger, tea, roast chicken, nuggets and coffee.
Second on Grab’s list is satay, followed by egg tart, roti telur, tau foo fah (a Chinese dessert made with soft tofu), and siew pau.
Nasi lemak is listed seventh in its top 10 list, followed by nasi impit, telur dadar (omelette) and nasi goreng kampung. Teh tarik is ranked 11th.
Malaysia Grab country head Sean Goh said many of the food items which made it to the GrabFood order list during this MCO were relatively new entries.
“It’s quite clear that many of us are missing the mamak and local street food during this stay-at-home period, ” he added.
Goh said there was an increasing demand for “comfort food” among Malaysians, with cakes, apple pie, ice cream and caffe latte topping its list.
Before the MCO, he said its data showed that the people indulged more in fast food items like fried chicken, burgers, pizza, fries and bubble tea.
For online delivery orders from local mini-marts, the trend showed that Malaysians were health conscious.
High demand for carbonated drinks and snack items such as coke, 100 plus, milo, caramel popcorn and instant curry noodles have been superseded by health-based items such as wet wipes, hand sanitisers, face masks, fruits and bottled water instead.
Goh said GrabFood would like small local eateries, including hawkers, to participate in e-business to boost their visibility.
“They can participate in GrabFood’s Local Heroes campaign to create awareness of their offerings.
“Under the campaign, during the MCO, participating retailers need not have to pay any commission to Grab when using its e-payment getaway to market their food and products via WhatsApp, Facebook, phone orders or voluntary self pick-ups, ” he said.
