5 Malaysian dishes you need to try

In the eyes of someone who’s never visited the country, Malaysia would probably be associated with the Petronas Towers of Kuala Lumpur, a symbol of the country’s modernity, or perhaps with picturesque beaches. The images of ancient Portuguese fortresses, Dutch churches, Chinese temples, Muslim mosques and Hindu sanctuaries wouldn’t jump to mind straight away. Yet, Malaysia is all the above and would be best described as a patchwork. The country was always at the junction between Europe, the Middle East and Asia and it shows in the diversity of its architecture but also in its cuisine. When it comes to food indeed, Malaysia brings out the best of so many cultures that eating there is a whole journey by itself and, if nothing else, an entirely valid reason to visit the country and indulge in the best of Asian food with a Malaysian twist.

Nasi Lemak

Nasi Lemak is hands down the most iconic dish of all in Malaysia. Do not trust its simple looks as this rice dish is packed with many more flavours than meets the eyes. The traditional version of this treat offers coconut-flavoured rice, grilled anchovies, peanuts, a fried egg, a couple slices of cucumber and the essential sauce known as sambal. This hot chilli sauce isn’t unique to Malaysia, as sambal can also be found in Indonesia and Sri Lanka, but it is a key component in many traditional dishes and is made of a variety of ingredients such as shrimp paste, lime juice, palm sugar and fish sauce. With such an array of flavours, nasi lemak can be off-putting at first try but it is bound to grow on you.

Fried rice

Every Asian country has its own take on fried rice. Being at the crossroads of so many culinary influences, Malaysia welcomed every kind of fried rice there is with open arms and just owned them. Spicy Indian biryani is probably as fragrant as it is in the Indian subcontinent. Food stalls will serve Indonesian nasi goreng at every street corner and some will even add some sambal to make it quintessentially Malaysian. Others will twist the recipe a little and fry noodles instead but mie goreng (noodles) will be as delicious as nasi goreng and that is all that matters.

Hainanese Chicken Rice

This staple of Chinese food can be found in China’s Hainan region and has become a Singaporean signature dish. It is in Malaysia that you will find it with a twist though. The city of Malacca in particular has made a name for itself by giving a very peculiar rendition of this favourite dish. What’s their secret? Turning Hainanese Chicken Rice into Hainanese Chicken Rice Balls. This might seem like a slight change to the traditional recipe but the cute round shapes of the balls are so pleasing to the eye that it makes hard not to credit the marketing genius who made them this way.

Street food

With its variety of influences from all over Asia and beyond, Malaysia does take street food to the next level. Whether you go to local food courts, stroll through night markets or just randomly walk through the streets, there will always be an appetizing and ridiculously cheap snack to eat the Malaysian way. Why not dip some Indian samosa into sambal? Or indulge in some roti canai, flatbread that seems like the local version of crepes, not forgetting skewers in all shapes and sizes, from peanut-flavoured satay chicken to steamed fish balls. Street food truly is an art in Malaysia.

Rojak

Desserts are a lesser part of the picture in Malaysia, which doesn’t mean that they don’t exist at all. As with all dishes in the country, they’re usually a mix of flavours, blending sour, sweet and tangy tastes. So does rojak. There’s no surprise in learning that the word means mixture in Malaysian and one look can tell that this dessert is a one of a kind experience. Take a traditional fruit salad and add some palm sugar on top of it. So far so good. Then add chilli peppers, belacan (shrimp paste) and peanuts and the result is far from your usual fruit salad. Depending on the region, rojak can contain eggs, fried dough fritters or even fried prawns too. Long story short, rojak is so intriguing that it is a must-try anyhow.