PART II
and/or keropok. The name comes from Pattaya, Thailand.
Nasi goreng USA the Malaysian equivalent of American fried rice, one of the most expensive fried rice and can only be found in some urban restaurants.
Nasi kandar a popular northern Malaysian dish, which originates from Penang. It is a meal of steamed rice which can be plain or mildly flavored, and served with a variety of curries and side dishes.
Nasi kerabu a Malay rice dish, a type of nasi ulam, in which blue-coloured rice is eaten with dried fish or fried chicken, crackers, pickles and other salads. The blue color of rice resulting from the petals of Clitoria ternatea (butterfly-pea) flowers kembang telang) used in cooking it. It is often eaten with solok lada and is also eaten with keropok.
Nasi lemak a fragrant rice dish cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf commonly found in Malaysia, where it is considered the national dish.
Nasi ulam a steamed rice dish mixed with various herbs, especially the leaves of pegagan (Centella asiatica) or often replaced with kemangi (lemon basil), vegetables and spices and accompanied with various side dishes.
Malaysian Kuih Muih
Ang koo kueh a small round or oval shaped Chinese pastry with red-colored soft sticky glutinous rice flour skin wrapped around a sweet filling in the centre.
Apam balik a turnover pancake with a texture similar to a crumpet with crisp edges, made from a thin flour based batter with raising agent; is typically cooked on a griddle and topped with castor sugar, ground peanut, creamed corn, and grated coconut in the middle, and then turned over.
Bahulu tiny crusty sponge cakes which come in distinctive shapes like button and goldfish, acquired from being baked in moulded pans.
Bahulu is usually baked and served for festive occasions.
Cincin a deep fried dough pastry-based snack popular with East Malaysia's Muslim communities.
Cucur deep-fried fritters, sometimes known as jemput- jemput. Typical varieties include cucur udang (fritters studded with a whole unshelled prawn), cucur badak (sweet potato fritters), and cucur kodok (banana fritters).
Curry puff a small pie filled with a curried filling, usually chicken or potatoes, in a deep-fried or baked pastry shell.
Jelurut also known as kuih selorot in Sarawak, this kuih is made from a mixture of gula apong and rice flour, and then rolled with palm leaves into cones and steam cooked.
Kapit, sapit or sepi crispy folded coconut-flavored wafer biscuits, colloquially known as "love letters".
Kochi glutinous rice dumplings filled with a sweet paste, shaped into a pyramid-like and wrapped with banana leaves.
Niangao or kuih bakul a brown sticky and sweet rice cake customarily associated with Chinese New Year festivities. It is also available year round as a popular street food treat, made with pieces of niangao sandwiched between slices of taro and sweet potato, dipped in batter and deep-fried.
Onde onde small round balls made from glutinous rice flour colored and flavored with pandan, filled with palm sugar syrup and rolled in freshly grated coconut.
Or Kuih a steamed savory cake made from pieces of taro (commonly known as "yam" in Malaysia), dried prawns and rice flour. It is then topped with deep fried shallots, spring onions, sliced chili and dried prawns, and usually served with a chili dipping sauce.
Pie tee this Nyonya specialty is a thin and crispy pastry tart shell filled with a spicy, sweet mixture of thinly sliced vegetables and prawns.
Pineapple tart flaky pastries filled with or topped with pineapple jam.
Pinjaram or penyaram a saucer-shaped deep fried fritter with crisp edges and a dense, chewy texture towards the centre. It is widely sold by street food vendors in the open air markets of East Malaysia.
Putu piring a round steamed cake made of rice flour dough, with a palm sugar sweetened filling.
Seri Muka a two-layered kuih with steamed glutinous rice forming the bottom half and a green custard layer made with pandan juice.
Wajid or wajik a compressed Malay confection made of glutinous rice cooked with coconut milk and gula melaka.
Malaysian Chinese Dishes
Bak Kut Teh (pork ribs soup) is the term for meaty ribs, at its simplest cooked with garlic, dark soy sauce and a specific combination of herbs and spices which have been boiled for many hours.
Popularly regarded as a health tonic, this soup is historically eaten by hard working Chinese coolies accompaniment with strong tea on the side.
Bakkwa literally "dried meat", bakkwa is better understood as barbecued meat jerky. While this delicacy is especially popular during the Chinese New Year celebration period, it is available everywhere and eaten year round as a popular snack.
Cantonese fried noodles a preparation of noodles which are shallow or deep fried to a crisp, and then served as the base for a thick egg and cornstarch white sauce cooked with sliced lean pork, seafood, and green vegetables like choy sum.
Chai tow kway a common dish in Malaysia made of rice flour. It also known as fried radish cake, although no radish is included within the rice cakes, save perhaps the occasional addition of preserved radish during the cooking process. Seasonings and additives vary from region, and may include bean sprouts and eggs.
Char kway teow stir fried rice noodles with bean sprouts, prawns, eggs (duck or chicken), chives and thin slices of preserved Chinese sausages.
Cockles and lardons were once standard offerings, but mostly relegated to optional additions these days due to changing taste
preferences and growing health concerns.
Penang-style char kway teow is the most highly regarded variant both in Malaysia as well as abroad.
Chee cheong fun square rice sheets made from a viscous mixture of rice flour and water. This liquid is poured onto a specially made flat pan in which it is steamed to produce the square rice sheets. The steamed rice sheets is rolled or folded for ease in serving. It is usually served with tofu stuffed with fish paste. The dish is eaten with accompaniment of semi sweet fermented bean paste sauce, chilli paste or light vegetable curry gravy.
Chicken rice one of the most popular Chinese-inspired dishes in Malaysia. Hainanese chicken rice is the best known version: it is prepared with the same traditional method used for cooking Wenchang chicken, which involve steeping the entire chicken at sub-boiling temperatures within a master stock until cooked, to ensure the chicken meat becomes moist and tender.
Curry Mee a bowl of thin yellow noodles mixed with bihun in a spicy curry soup enriched with coconut milk, and topped with tofu puffs, prawns, cuttlefish, chicken, long beans, cockles and mint leaves, with sambal served on the side.
It is often referred to as curry laksa.
Hokkien Mee a dish of thick yellow noodles braised and fried with thick black soy sauce and crispy lardons. Originally developed in Kuala Lumpur, Hokkien mee can be found in many towns and cities with a substantial Chinese community.
Lor Bak a fried meat roll made from spiced minced pork and chopped water chestnuts rolled up in soya bean curd sheets, and deep fried. It is usually served with small bowl of Lor (a thick broth thickened with corn starch and beaten eggs) and chili sauce.
Lor mee a bowl of thick yellow noodles served in a thickened gravy made from eggs, starch and pork stock.
Mee Hailam yellow wheat noodles braised in a gravy made from a stir-fried mixture of meat or seafood and copious amounts of vegetables, seasoned with soy sauce and calamansi lime. It is a menu item in Hainanese-run restaurants.
Ngah Po Fan or Sha Po Fan seasoned rice cooked in a claypot with secondary ingredients, and finished with soy sauce. A typical example is rice cooked with chicken, salted fish, Chinese sausage, and vegetables. Claypots are also used for braising noodles, meat dishes and reducing soups.
Oyster omelette or O-chian a medley of small oysters is sauteed on a hot plate before being folded into an
egg batter, which then has moistened starch mixed in for thickening, and finally fried to a crisp finish.
Pan mee noodle soup with hand-kneaded and torn pieces of noodles or regular strips of machine-pressed noodles, with a toothsome texture not unlike Italian pasta. A variant popular in the Klang Valley is known as "Chilli Pan Mee", and which of cooked noodles served with minced pork, a poached egg, fried anchovies and fried chilli flakes which are added to taste. Chilli Pan Mee is accompanied with a bowl of clear soup with leafy vegetables.
Popiah style crepe stuffed and rolled up with cooked shredded tofu and vegetables like turnip and carrots. Popiah can also be deep fried and served in a manner similar to the mainstream Chinese spring roll.
Wonton Mee thin egg noodles with wonton dumplings, choy sum and char siu. The dumplings are usually made of pork or prawns, and typically boiled or deep fried. In Malaysia it is more commonly dressed with a dark soy sauce dressing, with boiled or deep-fried wonton dumplings as a topping or served on the side in a bowl of broth.
Yau Zha Gwai a version of the traditional Chinese crueller, which is a breakfast favorite. It can be
eaten plain with a beverage like coffee and soy milk, spread with butter or kaya, or dipped into congee. It is shaped like a pair of chopsticks, stuck together.
Yong tau foo tofu products and vegetables like brinjals, lady's fingers, bitter gourd and chillies stuffed with fish or pork paste. Originally developed in Ampang, Selangor, it is a localised adaptation of a Hakka dish called ngiong tew foo (stuffed tofu with ground pork paste) and is usually served in a clear broth.
Yusheng a festive raw fish salad consists of strips of raw fish tossed at the dining table with shredded vegetables, crispy tidbits and a combination of sauces and condiments. The salad has become ritualized as part of the commemoration of Chinese New Year festivities in Malaysia and Singapore.
Zongzi a traditional Chinese food made of glutinous rice stuffed with savory or sweet fillings and rapped in bamboo, reed, or other large flat leaves. They are cooked by steaming or boiling, and are a feature of the Duanwu festival, which is still celebrated by the Chinese communities in Malaysia.
Malaysian Indian dishes
Chapati a Punjabi style flatbread. It is made from a dough of atta flour (whole grain durum wheat), water and salt by rolling the dough out into discs of approximately twelve centimetres in diameter and browning the discs on both sides on a very hot, dry tava or frying pan. Chapatis are usually eaten with curried vegetables and pieces of the chapati are used to wrap around and pick up each bite of the cooked dish.
Fish head curry a dish where the head of a fish (usually ikan merah, or literally "red fish"), is braised in a thick and spicy curried gravy with assorted vegetables such as lady's fingers and brinjals.
Fish molee originally from the Indian state of Kerala, this preparation of fish in a spiced coconut milk gravy is perhaps the Malaysian Malayalee community's best known dish.
Idli made from a mashed mixture of skinned black lentils and rice formed into patties using a mould and steamed, idlis are eaten at breakfast or as a snack. Idlis are usually served in pairs with vadai, small donut-shaped fritters made from mashed lentils and spices, chutney, and a thick stew of lentils and vegetables called sambar.
Lassi a yogurt-based drink which comes in savoury and sweet varieties. A common drink of Tamil origin
which is similar to lassi but is thinner in consistency is called moru. It is seasoned with salt with flavoured with spices like asafoetida, curry leaves and mustard seeds.
Mee goreng mamak stir-fried yellow egg noodles; it may be wok-tossed with bean sprouts, chili, boiled potatoes, greens, eggs, tofu, and meat of choice. It is usually accompanied with a calamansi lime.
Murtabak a savoury dish of stuffed roti canai or flatbread eaten with curry gravy. A typical recipe consists of a minced meat mixture seasoned with garlic, onions and spices folded with an omelette and roti canai. Murtabak is popularly eaten with a side of sweet pickled onions during the fasting month of Ramadan.
Murukku a savoury snack of spiced crunchy twists made from rice and urad dal flour, traditionally eaten for Deepavali.
Nasi Beriani or Biryani a rice dish made from a mixture of spices, basmati rice, yoghurt, meat or vegetables. The ingredients are ideally cooked together in the final phase and is time- consuming to prepare.
Pachadi made with green chilli (heat), unripe mangoes (tangy), neem flowers (bitter), jaggery (sweet), tamarind juice (sour) and salt. The Malaysian
Telugu community celebrate the Telugu New Year or Ugadi by preparing a special dish called Ugadi Pachadi, which blends six taste notes as a symbolic reminder of the various facets of life.
Pasembur a salad of shredded cucumber, boiled potatoes, fried bean curd, turnip, bean sprouts, prawn fritters, spicy fried crab, and fried octopus.
This Penang Mamak speciality is served with a sweet and spicy nut sauce, and variants of this dish are found in other states as Mamak rojak.
Pongal a boiled rice dish which comes in sweet and spicy varieties. It shares the same name as the harvest festival which is celebrated every January. The sweet variety of pongal, prepared with milk and jaggery, is cooked in the morning.
Once the pongal pot has boiled over (symbolism for an abundant harvest), it is then offered as a prasad to the gods as thanksgiving.
Poori an unleavened deep-fried bread made with whole- wheat flour, commonly consumed for breakfast or as a light meal. A larger North Indian variant made with leavened all-purpose flour or maida is called bhatura.
Puttu a speciality of the Ceylonese Tamil community, puttu is a steamed cylinder of ground rice layered with coconut. It is eaten with bananas, brown sugar, and side dishes like vendhaya kolumbu (tamarind stew flavoured with fenugreek seeds
and lentils) or kuttu sambal (relish made from pounded coconut, onions, chilli and spices).
Putu Mayam the Indian equivalent of rice noodles, also known as idiyappam. Homemade versions tend to be eaten as an accompaniment to curried dishes or dal. The street food version is typically served with grated coconut and orange-coloured jaggery. In some areas, gula melaka is the favoured sweetener.
Roti canai a thin unleavened bread with a flaky crust, fried on a skillet with oil and served with condiments. It is sometimes referred to as roti kosong. A host of variations on this classic dish may be found at all Mamak restaurants, either at the creative whim of the cook or by customers' special request. A few examples include: roti telur (fried with eggs), roti bawang (fried with thinly sliced onions), roti boom (a smaller but denser roti, usually round in shape), roti pisang (banana), and so on.
Roti tissue a variant of roti canai made as thin as a piece of 40–50 cm round-shaped tissue in density. It is then carefully folded by the cook into a tall, conical shape and left to stand upright. Roti tissue may be served with curry gravy, dal and chutneys, or finished off with sweet substances such as caramelised sugar and eaten as a dessert.
Tandoori chicken chicken marinated in a mixture of spices and yoghurt, and cooked in a clay oven or tandoor.
Teh tarik literally meaning "pulled tea", teh tarik is a well-loved Malaysian drink. Tea is sweetened using condensed milk, and is prepared using outstretched hands to pour piping hot tea from a mug into a waiting glass, repetitively. The higher the "tarik" or pull, the thicker the froth.
The pulling also has the effect of cooling down the tea.
Thosai, dosa or dosai a soft crepe made from a batter of mashed urad dal and rice, and left to ferment overnight. The batter is spread into a thin, circular disc on a flat, preheated griddle. It may be cooked as it is for (which results in a foldable and soft crepe), or a dash of oil or ghee is then added to the thosai and toasted for crispier results.
Vadai, vada or vades - is a common term for many different types of savoury fritter-type snacks originated from South India with a set of common ingredients. The most common ingredients are lentils, chillis, onions and curry leaves.
Foods and Beverages particular to Sabah
Amplang is a type of cracker made from Spanish mackerel, tapioca starch and other seasonings, and then deep fried.
Bahar or baa is the Kadazandusun variant of palm wine made with sap collected from the cut flower bud of a young coconut tree and a special type of tree bark called rosok, endemic to the Tuaran district.
Pieces of the rosok is dipped into the coconut nectar during the fermentation process, which contributes a reddish hue to the final product.
Beaufort Mee a speciality of Beaufort town. Handmade noodles are wok-tossed with meat (usually slices of char siu and marinated pork) or seafood and plenty of choy sum, and finished off with a thick viscous gravy.
Bosou, also noonsom or tonsom, is the Kadazandusun term for a traditional recipe of tangy fermented meat. Smoked and pulverised buah keluak (nuts from the Kepayang tree (Pangium edule) which grows in Malaysia's mangrove swamplands), or pangi is a key ingredient and acts as a preservative. Combined with rice, salt and fresh meat or fish, the mixture is then placed into a sealed jar or container for fermentation.
Chun gen an oblong roll of seasoned ground pork or beef wrapped with a thin omelette and steamed.
The name is derived from the Hakka word for egg, which is pronounced as "chun". Today it is available beyond Tenom, its place of origin, and found throughout Sabah's Chinese communities.
It may be eaten on its own, cooked in broth or soup, and stir-fried with noodles or vegetables.
Daeng Semur is a dish of mackerel boiled in spiced coconut milk from the Bajau community based in Petagas, a suburb of Kota Kinabalu.
Hinava is a traditional Kadazandusun dish of raw fish cured in lime juice. Typically, firm fleshed white fish like mackerel (hinava sada tongii) is marinated with lime juice, sliced shallots, chopped chilli, julienned ginger and grated dried seed of the bambangan fruit. Optional additions may include sliced bitter gourd. Hinava may also be made with prawns (hinava gipan).
Kima or giant clams are eaten by Bajau communities residing in the coastal areas of Sabah. The clam meat is typically sliced and served raw, or sauteed with chilli paste.
Lihing a rice wine made exclusively from glutinous rice and natural yeast called sasad. Bittersweet in taste profile, lihing is a speciality of the Kadazan Penampang community, where it is still commonly brewed at home.