Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Nasi goreng
Malay-style fried rice is distinguished from Chinese fried rice by the fre-
quent presence of
belacan
(shrimp paste) and by the absence of pork
Nasi lemak
White rice cooked in coconut milk and served with side dishes such as salted
fish or egg; Malaysia's unofficial national dish, it's popular for breakfast
Pulut
Glutinous rice
Rendang
Spicy beef or chicken stew made with coconut milk
Roti canai
Grill-fried Indian-style bread, often with a savoury or sweet filling; popular for
breakfast
Sambal
Any of a wide variety of spicy condiments or sauces made with hot chillies
Sambal belacan
Ubiquitous condiment made with
belacan
(shrimp paste), hot chillies,
limau kasturi
(calamansi lime), sugar and sometimes other ingredients
Satay
Skewers of
ayam
(chicken),
kambing
(goat, also used for lamb and mutton) and oc-
casionally
ikan
(fish),
cumi
(squid) or
udang
(shrimp) grilled over an open fire and served
with peanut sauce
Soto ayam
Chicken soup made with rice vermicelli
Chinese Cuisines
The ancestors of Borneo's ethnic Chinese pop-
ulation migrated from a variety of provinces in
southern China (Kuching's Chinese History
Museum spotlights nine different dialect
groups). Their distinct culinary traditions -
Hokkien, Teochow, Foochow, Hakka etc - are
alive and well to this day, especially in the cit-
ies and larger towns of Sarawak and Sabah and in Singkawang (West Kalimantan), where
many of the food stalls and restaurants are run by Chinese.
Near the coast, keep an eye out for Chinese
fish and seafood restaurants that display the
day's catch either alive, swimming in tanks, or
laid out neatly on ice. Diners point to the
creature they'd like to eat and specify the mode
of preparation; the charge is by weight.
Malay food is always halal - that is, it follows
Muslim dietary rules: no pork or porcine derivat-
ives, no products from animals that were hunted,
and no alcohol.
Marriages between Malays and Straits Chinese res-
ulted in a delicious fusion cuisine, known as Nonya
or Peranakan, that mixes Chinese recipes and
