10 Famous foods in Malaysia

1. Nasi Lemak The national dish of Malaysia. Nasi means rice, and Lemak can be translated as rich or tasty. Rice is boiled in water with coconut milk, pandan leaves, and other spices. Nasi Lemak is traditionally served with sambal (chilli sauce with shrimp paste), fried dried anchovies and roasted peanuts. Side dishes can include egg, tofu, calamari, fried chicken, etc. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/78938/malaysian-nasi-lemak/

2. Assam Laksa It resembles something between a very thick noodle soup and a noodle dish with a lot of sauce. It is the Laksa sauce that makes all the difference and is one of the main elements that differentiates one Laksa from another. There are several types of Laksa, but Assam Laksa is one of my favourites. Typical of Penang – thick rice noodles with a sweet, sour fish sauce. https://blog.seasonwithspice.com/2011/09/penang-asam-laksa-recipe.html

3. Curry Mee Continuing with the Laksa, another typical Malaysian food is Curry Mee also called Curry Laksa. Think about a mix of Malaysian, Chinese, Thais and Indian. That’s what you will get with the Curry Mee. A bowl of noodle soup with everything it is entitled to (ex. bean sprout, coagulated pork blood, shrimp, fish, chicken, etc.) with a taste that only the cultural mix can bring: coconut milk, sambal, mint, curry spices. https://thewoksoflife.com/curry-mee/

4. Roti Canai A flatbread that comes with dahl (lentil) and curry. Of Indian influence, Roti Canai is a very popular food in the mornings throughout Malaysia. The best experience is to eat Roti Canai in the street stalls while watching the vendors roll out the dough. https://www.theflavorbender.com/flaky-roti-canai-recipe/

5. Murtabak A very popular delicacy that arrived in Malaysia through Indian Muslim traders from Tamil Nadu region. Similar to a stuffed pancake, it has egg, onion, spices and ground beef (can be mutton, beef, chicken, etc.). Like Roti, it comes with dahl and curries. https://www.elmundoeats.com/en/homemade-murtabak/

6. Nasi Biryani One of my favourite meals in Malaysia! This dish is found in Mamaks restaurants known as Nasi-Kandar. Mamak is the name of the community of Malay Indians. If you go to a Nasi-Kandar, order biryani rice, fried chicken and other food you may like, in the end, ask to add on top different curry sauces. You will be ready to taste the most delicious flavour burst of Malaysian cuisine. https://recipesaresimple.com/recipe/nasi-briyani/

7. Hokkien Mee Hokkien Mee is a very common dish in Malaysia and Singapore, but it is in Kuala Lumpur that you find a very special version of it. Hokkien Mee is made with very thick noodles in a dark, dense soy sauce. By looking at this amount of soy sauce you may imagine that the dish will be very salty, but it is surprising how well balanced the dish is. https://thewoksoflife.com/malaysian-hokkien-mee/

8. Char Kway Teow Char Kway Teow is one of the main street food in Malaysia. A delight with Chinese influence. It is made with thick rice noodles, sautéed in high-temperature charcoal with fat, soy sauce, oyster sauce, egg, bean sprouts, shrimp, Chinese sausage, etc. A mix of texture and flavours with a pinch of smoke. https://www.recipetineats.com/char-kway-teow/

9. Chee Cheong Fun Typical of Ipoh City, where Cantonese Chinese cuisine has settled in Malaysia. The highlight goes to Chee Cheong Fun. A dish made of rolled rice noodles – the texture is so delicate that it even looks like silk. Also, the dish preparation is beautiful to see, secure your spot in front of the street stall and enjoy this delicacy. https://whattocooktoday.com/chee-cheong-fun-steamed-rice-rolls.html

10. Otak Otak Fish paste wrapped in banana leaf, steamed and grilled. A very tasty snack found in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. There are several versions: yellowish paste or white paste, drier and thin or wet and thick, with cassava starch, coconut milk, cornflour, wrapped in banana leaf or coconut leaf. https://www.kuali.com/recipe/retro-recipes/otak-otak/