Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
192
Tips
How to Eat Like a Malaysian
Many Malaysians eat with their right hands and off banana lea ves when they are
having
nasi padang
or
nasi kandar
(rice with mixed dishes). This is absolutely
acceptable. If you choose to follow suit, wash your hands first and try to use your
right hand because the left is considered unclean (traditionally, it's the hand used
to wash after a visit to the toilet).
Do not drink tap water anywher e in
Malaysia. If you ask for water, either make
sure it's boiled or buy mineral water. Oth-
erwise, drink r efrigerated canned bev er-
ages.
TAXES & SERVICE CHARGES
A 10%
service charge and 5% government tax are
levied in large r estaurants, but hawkers
charge a flat price without tax.
MALAYSIAN CUISINE
A Malay meal always revolves around rice,
accompanied with curries, fried chicken or
fish, v egetable dishes, and small por tions
of condiments, called
sambal.
S ome of
these condiments can be harsh to for eign
noses, particularly
sambal belacan,
which is
made with extr emely pungent fermented
shrimp paste. M alays also fav or seafood,
especially fish, prawns, and squid. As all
Malays ar e Muslim, y ou won't find por k
on the menu and most r estaurants ar e
halal.
Where you see mutton, most times
it's goat, which is pr eferred over lamb for
its milder, less musty taste and smell.
A good example of a local fav orite is
nasi lemak,
rice cooked in coconut milk
and ser ved with fried chicken, prawn
Probably the most famous Malay dish is
satay,
barbecued ske wers of marinated
chicken, beef, or mutton that ar e dipped
in a chili peanut sauce. Another great dish
is
ikan bakar,
which is fish smother ed in
chili sauce and grilled in foil o ver an open
flame.
An inter esting local v ariation to tr y is
Malay food influenced b y Indian Muslim
cooking.
Mamak,
or Indian Muslim, stalls
specialize in a dish called
roti canai,
fried
bread to be dipped in curr y or
dhal cha
(vegetarian curr y); as w ell as
murtabak,
which is br ead fried with egg, onion, and
meat, which is also dipped in curr y. These
dishes are best enjo yed with a cup of
teh
tarik,
fr othy tea made with sw
eetened
10
condensed milk.
Regional v ariations ar e also notable,
particularly when it comes to P enang,
which is famous for its food. A per fect
example of ho w region affects a dish can
be found in
laksa,
a seafood noodle soup
created b y the P eranakans. I n S ingapore,
laksa
has a rich, spicy coconut-based broth,
almost like gravy. Alternately, Penang
laksa
is not coconut based, but is a fish br oth
with a tangy and fier y flav or fr om sour
tamarind and spicy bir d's-eye chili. Yet
another variation, Sarawak
laksa
also for-
goes coconut milk and instead focuses on
a base of
sambal belacan,
or fermented
shrimp paste. There are as many variations
of
laksa
as there are towns.
crackers, dried anchovies, a bit of egg, and
a dar k, sw eet chili sauce. O ther fav orites
are curr y-based dishes like
kari ayam,
a
mellow, almost creamy, golden curry with
chunks of chicken meat and potatoes; and
rendang,
stewing beef with a dr
y curr y
that's as sweet as it is savory.
