Malaysian food is influenced by Chinese, Thai, Indian, and Indonesian cuisine. This is reflected in the way spices are combined, as well as in the use of wok pans.

Staple foods

Just like in other Asian cuisines, rice is the main staple food. The most common type is local or Thai rice, as well as Indian basmati rice. Noodles are another staple, as are breads originating in India such as idli, dosa, and puri, which are usually served for breakfast.

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Spices

Malaysian food is quite spicy, with chili being one of the main spices, followed by cumin, and cardamom. A hot spicy sauce called sambal is served with almost every dish in the country. In addition, there is a plethora of herbs like coriander, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and fenugreek, all of which make Malaysian food very fragrant.

Nasi Lemak

Nasi lemak translates as ‘fatty rice’ or ‘rice in cream’. It is a dish of steamed rice combined with coconut milk and complemented with dried anchovies, hard-boiled eggs, peanuts, cucumber, dried shrimp, and spiced with sambal. Nasi lemak is considered Malaysia’s national dish and is eaten throughout the whole day. It is often served along with curries or rendang stew (beef cooked in coconut milk & spices).

Laksa

The spicy noodle soup laksa has two main types – curry laksa and asam laksa. Curry laksa is the richer variety due to the usage of coconut, combined with a spice paste called rempah. This paste contains ginger, turmeric, chilis, lemongrass, and belacan (shrimp paste or shrimp sauce). Then, noodles are added and topped with shrimp, tofu, eggs, fish balls, and cucumber.

The other variety, asam laksa, is based on a tamarind broth and is cooked with white fish. Noodles are a must, accompanied by cucumber and pineapple, and spiced with ginger.

Satay

If you thought this dish was Thai, don’t be confused. Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia all have their own versions of satay. Malaysian satay characterizes with a sweet-and-spicy peanut sauce and meat marinated in local spices. Speaking of spices, turmeric is always used to add the signature yellow color. Serve it with onions, cucumber slices, and ketupat (rice cakes).

Popiah

Popiah are fried spring rolls that are a popular snack with almost every ethnic group in Malaysia. The ingredients used in this crispy appetizer are quite versatile. They are often filled with shredded yams, shrimp or pork, and carrots. They can also have tofu, beans, or mushrooms. No matter what they’re stuffed with, the one thing that is constant for all popiah varieties is their side dish – chili sauce for dipping.

Chicken Curry

The Malaysian version of this popular dish is based on the spicy & aromatic paste rempah, and almost always includes the omnipresent coconut milk. Curry in Malaysian is served with a bowl of rice or, for dryer versions, on a banana leaf.

Roti Jala

Roti jala are pancakes very unlike the American ones. In appearance, they are very thin and netlike, resembling French crepes. In terms of ingredients, they use coconut milk (of course!) and turmeric. In terms of cooking, the batter is rapidly drizzled in concentric circles to form a delicate shape.

This Malaysian food is almost always accompanied by a savory dish like curry but who’s stopping you from smearing them with Nutella or smothering them in maple syrup?

Mee Goreng

One of our favorite Malaysian foods, stir-fried noodles, which appear in a number of forms. The most common one is yellow noodles quickly cooked in a wok pan with garlic, soy, chilis, and shallots. Chicken, beef, shrimp, and various veggies can also be added. Mee Goreng is a very popular street food; street vendors often cook it over a charcoal fire that impairs a characteristic smoky flavor.

Hokkien Mee

This Malaysian food is considered one of the most complicated to make. Like many Malay foods, it has many versions, all sharing one ingredient – noodles. Other than that, the ingredients are varying depending on the region. In the capital, Kuala Lumpur, the dish is drier, composed of stir-fried noodles combined with pork and squid, dark soy sauce, plus some pork lard.

In the northwest state of Penang, on the other hand, rice noodles form the base, along with hard-boiled eggs, shrimp stock, prawns, bean sprouts fried shallots, and sambal that build a very intense salty, acidic & fishy flavor.

Sweet Malaysian Foods

Sweet Malaysian foods are incredibly creative & colorful. During the colonial occupation by the British, teatime used to be a very important meal. The ritual was often accompanied by traditional British cookies, scones, and cakes but soon, Malaysian sweet foods were introduced. After the country became independent, the teatime tradition was kept.

Sweet Malaysian foods can be divided into two broad categories – fried desserts, which include pancakes and shaved ice, and kuihs, desserts made from glutinous rice.

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Here are some authentic Malaysian sweets you can serve with your tea.

Bahulu

Bahulu is a traditional sponge cake especially loved by kids. That is why it is often made in fun shapes, for instance, fish or buttons. Main ingredients are flour, sugar, and eggs. When the cake is baked, it becomes golden, soft, and crusty at the same time. It is often served along with coffee or tea.

Kuih bangkit

These coconut cream cookies are the go-to choice during festive seasons like Hari Raya (literally ‘celebration day’, the day that marks the end of Ramadan). The main reason for their popularity is the sweet coconut flavor but also the fact that they literally crumble and melt in your mouth.

And in order to achieve that effect, the moisture from the flour has to be removed. The use of high-quality coconut cream is also very important in order to get that authentic taste. One more thing to take into consideration when making these cookies is they need to be white so be careful not to brown them while baking. Not only will they change the color, but they’ll also crack. We think these cookies will be perfect for Christmas!

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