Amazing Foods from Malaysia

Typical home-style Malay dishes include fish or seafood, chicken, beef or vegetables simmered in a coconut, spicy, sweet and sour, tomato or soy sauce gravy served over steamed rice.

Onions, garlic, ginger, shallots and fresh or dried chilies serve as the foundation ingredients for most dishes. They are blended in a blender or pounded in a mortar and pestle to a "wet" paste, resembling applesauce. The paste is then fried in a small amount of oil with aromatic herbs and spices in a wok until fragrant. To this the main ingredients are added, resulting in the most "amazing" foods you will ever taste.

Home-style Malay cooking is all about adding flavor and aroma to foods. It relies heavily on aromatic herbs and spices according to Rose bte Sayuti, owner of RBS Restoran. "Necessary ingredients to have on-hand for preparing authentic Malay foods are lemon grass, kaffir limes, daun kemangi (basil), daun kesum (laksa leaf), bunga kantan (wild ginger flower buds), fresh curry leaves, turmeric, pandan (screwpine leaf), fennel, cumin, coriander, cloves, cardamom, star anise, mustard seeds, fenugreek, cinnamon, and nutmeg."

Asian vegetables such as kangkung, kai lan, long beans, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, brinjals and sawi pendak make incredible side dishes like Sayur Lemak, a vegetable stew served in lightly spiced coconut gravy, Kangkung Goreng, a spicy stir fry dish featuring kangkung greens and belacan (shrimp paste), and Kari Terung, sliced brinjals simmered in curry sauce.

For most, steamed rice does not conjure up images of being delectable. For Malaysians however, generous portions of Nasi Kerabu and Nasi Lemak are not only full of flavor and aroma but are also picture perfect images embedded in the mind.

Nasi Kerabu, a regional specialty from the northeastern state of Kelantan, combines steamed rice tinted blue from the petals of the clitoria flower with raw vegetables and finely shredded aroma-packed herbs like mint, basil, lemongrass, turmeric and kaffir lime leaves garnished with salted fish, dried prawns, fish crackers or fried grated coconut.

The highly popular, Nasi Lemak, can be purchased from hawker stalls, morning and night markets, and outdoor restaurants throughout Malaysia. The rice, which has been steamed with pandan leaves and coconut milk, has a subtle woodsy flavor. Usually eaten for breakfast, it is served with a spicy chili sauce, roasted peanuts, fried anchovies, cucumber slices and a hard-boiled egg.

Beef Rendang and Chicken Curry are the most amazing of all foods in Malaysia. Beef Rendang is a spicy stew-like dish featuring bite size chunks of beef slowly simmered in a spicy sauce made from blending garlic, onions, ginger, lemon grass, red chilies and coconut milk. Like Rendang, Chicken Curry is a stew-like dish as well. Bite size chunks of chicken are slowly simmered in a sauce made from blending garlic, onions and ginger to which is added a spoonful or two of a pre-mixed Malaysian curry powder, coconut milk, a sprig or two of fresh curry leaves, star anise, cinnamon stick, cardamom and allspice.

Locally caught fish and seafood dishes are plentiful too. Masam Manis Bawal Hitam, a mild flavored fish served with sweet and sour gravy, Ikan Goreng, fish that has been lightly sprinkled with salt and turmeric powder before frying, and Sambal Tumis Udang, prawns simmered in a spicy sweet and sour chili sauce, are all quite delicious.

For lighter appetites there are a variety of incredible finger foods in Malaysia. Roti Canai, Thosea and Curry Puffs are just a few readily available snacks throughout the country. Roti Canai and Thosea are pastry like versions of Greece's pita bread without the pocket. Both are served with a spicy Indian curry made from yellow split peas called dhall. Curry puffs, half moon shaped pastry filled with sweet potatoes cooked in curry sauce, are reminiscent of Mexico's empanada.

Satay, grilled chunks or slices of chicken or beef that have been marinated and threaded on bamboo skewers served with fresh cucumbers and a spicy peanut sauce, is another popular finger food available throughout Malaysia.

A less traditional but totally awesome snack worth mentioning is Ayam's Chili Tuna. Trust me, canned tuna, spread on bread or crackers, never tasted so good!

Desserts in Malaysia are serious business! Their food stalls showcase delectable foods that add a whole new dimension to the phrase "sweet tooth." Coconut, pandan leaves, glutinous rice, agar, rice flour, glutinous rice flour, red beans, pearl sago and palm sugar are commonly used ingredients in Asian desserts. Malaysia, being a tropical location, presents some interesting challenges for jello lovers like myself. There's no jiggle in warm jello and without its jiggle there's no point to eating it. Malay cuisine rises above such annoying details with Kuih Lapis, a colorful jello-like dessert that "jiggles" thanks to agar, a gelatin derived from seaweed.

For a healthier sugar boost at the end of a meal Malaysia's awesome selection of tropical fruits include bananas, cempedak, coconut, duku langsat, dragon fruit, durian, jackfruit, mango mangosteen, oranges, papaya, pineapple, pomelo, rambutan and watermelon.

The durian garners five golden stars amongst local appetites. Touted as the "King of Fruits" throughout the country, durian is both delicious and offensive at the same time. Its creamy fruit unfortunately smells like last year's garbage, maybe worse. For this reason, it is an unwelcome guest at hotels and on public transportation systems. It's utterly amazing that something so good could smell so bad!