Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TOP TASTES
Don't even think about leaving KL without sampling these much-loved specialities:
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Asam laksa
- hailing from Penang, this is a sour and chilli-hot bowlful of round rice noodles in a fish-
based soup, garnished with slivered torch ginger flower, chopped pineapple and mint.
»
Cendol
- a wonderfully refreshing sweet of shaved ice mounded over toothsome mung bean noodles, all
doused in fresh coconut milk and luscious palm-sugar syrup.
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Char kway teow
- wide rice noodles stir-fried with prawns, cockles, bean sprouts and egg; it vies with
nasi lemak
for the title of 'national dish'.
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Nasi lemak
- rice steamed in coconut milk and served with
ikan bilis
, fried peanuts, half a hard-boiled
egg,
sambal
(chilli sauce) and a selection of curries; often eaten for breakfast.
»
Roti canai
- flaky unleavened bread griddled with ghee until crisp and eaten with curry or dhal; it's anoth-
er breakfast favourite.
What to Eat
CHINESE
Thanks to generations of immigrants from all parts of China, KL boasts a notable range of
regional Chinese cuisines including Cantonese, Sichuanese, Teowchew, Hokkien and
Hakka.
Home-grown Chinese dishes that the city is famous for include
pan mee
. Literally
'board noodles', these are substantial hand-cut or hand-torn wheat noodles tossed with
dark soy sauce and garlic oil, garnished with chopped pork and crispy
ikan bilis
(dried
sardines or anchovies), and served with soup on the side. Some versions include a
poached egg.
More expensive than your average noodle dish but well worth it are
sang har mee
(liter-
ally 'fresh sea noodles'): huge freshwater prawns in gravy flavoured with Chinese rice
wine and the fat from the shellfish heads, served over
yee mee
(crispy fried noodles).
Hainanese immigrants were the private cooks of the British during colonial rule which
has led to a hybrid style of Western cuisine still served in old-school places such as Yut
