Malaysia is renowned for its culinary culture. It’s the gastronomic melting pot of Southeast Asia with influences from China, India, Thailand, Indonesia, the Mediterranean, Middle East, and more.
Of course, it all starts with rice. Malaysians freaking love their rice. They’ll eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with a bit left over for between-meal snacks. It’s typically plain white rice served alongside the day’s selection of meat and vegetables. I’ll admit I got a little burned out on rice my first week here, and I’ve since taken to diversifying my plate whenever possible.
You’ll find lots of different protein offerings here, from chicken and beef to goat, seafood, and lamb. The Muslim community eschews pork, but it’s available in most Chinese establishments if you need a bacon fix.
Most of the food in Malaysia is certified halal, which means it’s prepared in accordance with Islamic rules. This primarily focuses on meat and the way animals are slaughtered, with a swift cut through the throat being the appropriate method. Halal food is ubiquitous in Malaysia, and you’ll see the symbol everywhere. Even the McDonald’s is halal.
Speaking of McDonalds, there’s one about five minutes from my home. I haven’t tried it yet, though I have been to KFC and it was quite good. KFC is popular here as Malaysians seem to love fried chicken. I also ate at a place called “Texas Chicken” which was pretty much a KFC clone.
Malaysians also love their seafood. You can find some variation of fish or prawns almost everywhere you go. Malaysians often prepare their fish whole, with the head, skin, and bones still intact. This takes some getting used to, but it makes the meat juicy and flavorful if you’re willing to put in some work.
One of my craziest Malaysian dining experiences was at a massive seafood restaurant along the coast. There were hundreds of people in this giant outdoor pavilion, and we’d line up to grab our own raw selections and have them cooked to order.
I’ve only scratched the surface of food options available here, and I wish I knew more of the language to better understand what I can order. A few of my favorites so far:
Roti Telur (Egg Bread)
A breakfast staple in Malaysia, this is a dish I could eat any time of the day. A tasty flatbread with egg cooked inside, and a delicious curry sauce for dipping.
Nasi Goreng Pattaya
If I’m going to eat rice every day, I like to at least jazz it up. This dish is basically chicken fried rice wrapped in an omelette. It’s hearty and delicious, and often topped with chili sauce or some form of sweet ketchup.
Curry Puff
A popular snack food throughout the region, curry puff is a savory pastry filled with meat and vegetables. Traditional filling includes curry, chicken and potatoes, and they are usually deep fried for a crispy, flaky crust. My mother-in-law made these and she is clearly a curry puff master.
Satay and Kuah Kacang (Peanut Sauce)
God, I love peanut sauce. It’s a great compliment to veggies or rice, and it’s absolutely unbeatable on satay. Satay is a simple dish of grilled meat skewers. It’s popular across Southeast Asia, and there are many different styles featuring many different meats. Here we have a feast of chicken, beef, and lamb satay with a big tub of peanut sauce.
I recently discovered the Malaysian staple of Mamak cuisine, which is an Indian-Muslim hybrid that’s very popular around Kuala Lumpur. Mamak restaurants offer lots of variety in food and drink, and I even managed to find a halfway decent burger.
Many Mamak establishments are open around the clock, so they’re nice places to hang out when the weather cools down in the evening.
Finally, no discussion of Malaysian food would be complete without highlighting the many tropical fruits available year-round. Most prevalent is probably the Malaysian durian, a stinky horror-fruit that I’ll write about some other time. However, there are also many wonderful fresh fruits and juices available here: pineapple, mango, soursop, dragon fruit, rambutan, lychee, just to name a few. Here’s a bushel of rambutan picked fresh from my wife’s parents’ backyard.
Malaysian food is amazing, and there is a wide variety to accommodate any palette. Somehow amidst all the different food and drinks I’ve tried, nothing has made me sick or given me any digestive problems. I try to avoid the spicy stuff, and I won’t touch durian with a ten-foot pole. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t crave some American comfort food now and then, but when it comes to living abroad I consider myself lucky to have landed in a food lover’s paradise.
That’s all for now. Let me know what sounds good to you and if you have any suggestions for regional dishes I should try.
Happy eating!
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