Franz ElizWhat does food mean to you?
For many, food is more than just what we eat. Apart from giving the body the nutrition it needs, food can also be a representation of one’s cultural identity.
In many parts of the world, food is also used for celebrating success, societal gatherings and new beginnings. Indeed, food is more than just sustenance.
Like the rest of the world, Malaysians take their food seriously. Food is part of Malaysian culture; it brings the nation together.
With so much wonderful Malaysian food served all around the country, it’s not always easy to decide which Malaysian food is indeed the best. But here’s a list of 8 popular Malaysian foods you might want to try when you’re in Malaysia.
1. Sarawak Laksa
An all-time favourite, Sarawak Laksa is a must-eat dish when dining in the Land of the Hornbills.
In Malaysia, you’ll find different Laksa varieties individually unique in flavours and appearance. While all of them are exceptionally delicious, Sarawak Laksa is my favourite.
Sarawak Laksa typically has six ingredients: rice vermicelli, shredded omelette, fresh prawns, chicken strips, bean sprouts and sambal. And lime is served on the side. Combined, these ingredients make up a bowl of aromatic Sarawak Laksa that’ll make you drink all of its spicy soup.
This is a dish I always look for whenever I return to my hometown. You can find some of the best Laksa stalls in Kuching.
How Much Does Sarawak Laksa Cost?
A bowl of Sarawak Laksa can cause as low as RM4.50 to as high as nearly RM16. It depends on where you buy it. Laksa Sarawak is cheaper in, well, Sarawak. But it’s more expensive in West Malaysia. Typically, a bowl of Laksa Sarawak is more expensive when it has more (or bigger) prawns.
Go ahead and try it if you haven’t. Even the late Anthony Bourdain loved it.
Do I Recommend Sarawak Laksa?
Sarawak Laksa is one of my favourite Malaysian dishes. That said, I highly recommend Sarawak Laksa.
But for vegans and vegetarians, there are vegan and vegetarian Sarawak Laksa recipes available online. So far, I have yet to find vegan and vegetarian Kolo Mee at restaurants in Sarawak. I’ll update this post once I find it.
2. Tomato Mee
Tomato Mee – tomato refers to the ketchup used to make the gravy, and mee means noodle) – is a noodle dish that’s made of tomato sauce, noodles (crispy or flat), shredded chicken, seafood, egg, leafy vegetables, corn flour and more. While you can find this dish in West Malaysia, It’s not as easy to find as the Sarawak Laksa.
Crispy noodles and Kuey Teow (flat noodles) are typically used for this dish. I prefer the crispy noodle version. It’s important to have the right amount of tomato sauce on the noodle’ too much hot tomato sauce will make the noodle soggy.
You might also want to try the wanton version. Instead of crispy or Kuey Teow noodles, fried wontons are used. This version is my favourite. But it’s not always easy to find. The last time I had this version was over 10 years ago.
Do I Recommend Tomato Mee?
I highly recommend Tomato mee, especially to non-spicy eaters and anyone who loves tomato sauce. Note that not all Tomato Mee is equally good. A balance between sweet and sour is important to make the perfect Tomato Mee.
However, I’ve tried those that were either too sweet or too sour, and I didn’t enjoy them.
The noodle quality matters, too, especially the crispy type. If stale, the noodle easily spoils the whole experience.
If you want to find this dish outside Sarawak, you can find it at 7th Mile Kitchen. The restaurant also serves other Sarawak dishes, such as Kolo Mee and Sarawak Laksa.
3. Nasi Lemak
Nasi Lemak is a fragrant rice dish made of ingredients like rice, coconut milk, pandan leaf, anchovies, egg (usually hard-boiled), peanuts, sambal, and cucumber. Many consider it the national dish of Malaysia. Nasi Lemak is also available in Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei and Thailand.
Although Nasi Lemak is commonly eaten for breakfast, many restaurants serve it throughout the day.
I never liked Nasi Lemak when I was in school. I was a fussy eater, and I never fancied Nasi Lemak. It just didn’t look appealing to me. I only learned to like it when I tried my first Nasi Lemak in one of my university’s canteens. The dish was simple, cheap and gobsmack spicy, yet delicious.
I got hooked, and today, it’s one of my favourite Malaysian dishes.
Back then, you could buy a packet of Nasi Lemak for only RM1. It’s almost impossible to find that price now. If you buy it from a roadside stall, you may be able to buy it for as low as RM1.50. Usually, locals would opt for side dishes like clams, fried chicken, prawns, or vegetables
You can also find Nasi Lemak at fancier restaurants – even bars and bistros – selling over RM20 a plate.
Do I Recommend Nasi Lemak?
I highly recommend Nasi Lemak to anyone who doesn’t get intimidated by the name! ‘Nasi Lemak’, when translated literally, is equivalent to ‘Fat Rice’. Since the dish is cooked with coconut milk, some people would request plain white rice instead.
Today, it’s common to see people enjoying their Nasi Lemak differently. Some opt for plain rice instead of rice cooked in coconut milk, while some would exclude the dish’s peanuts and anchovies.
Some Nasi Lemak dishes are very spicy, while some are rather sweet. If you don’t have a high tolerance for spicy food, there’s always a sweet and less spicy Nasi Lemak for you.
4. Kway Chap
Strictly non-halal. For those who love pork, Kway Chap is a must-try dish. It’s not easily available around Malaysia. The best place to find it in the country is in Sarawak.
Kway Chap is popular for its aromatic broth and delicious braised pork. But some people dislike it for its herbal-like aroma.
So, what’s inside this dish? Kway Chap is made of ‘kway’, which is a soy sauce broth served with white rice sheets and a wide selection of pig parts. It’s also served with a hard-boiled egg, fishcake and tofu. Hot chillies are usually served on the side to add spiciness to the dish. You can mix the chillies and the broth, or you can dip your pork into the chillies instead.
I love the dish for its savouring broth and broad rice sheets. Since I’m not a big fan of pig organs, my mom always helps me eat them instead.
Not a Fan of Pig Organs or Rice Sheets?
I feel you. I don’t like pig organs much, either. If you don’t fancy eating pig organs, you don’t have to include them in your Kway Chap. The price remains the same, though.
Tips: Tell your Kway Chap seller that you’d like to have more rice sheets in your broth. Perhaps you can ask for a whole hard-boiled egg instead of half of it. You could also exclude the rice sheets if you don’t like them and request more meat instead.
My late father wasn’t a fan of the rice sheets, so he always excluded them.
Do I Recommend Kway Chap?
I recommend Kway Chap to anyone who likes eating pork and isn’t bothered by the smell of the broth.
5. Kolo Mee
Kolo Mee is another popular dish from the Land of the hornbills. It’s the face of Sarawak cuisine.
The dish is simple, featuring char siew pork, noodle, spring onions and many other wonderful seasonings and marinades.
Although it’s typically served dry with a bowl of soup on the side, the dish can also be served as a soup noodle. You can also choose whether you want your Kolo Mee plain or ‘red’.
The red version uses char siew sauce to give it a reddish appearance. The red version also tastes sweeter than the plain one. I like the plain version when it’s served as a soup noodle, but I prefer the red version when it’s served dry.
Although Kolo Mee is originally a non-halal dish, you can find a halal version that uses beef instead of pork in Sarawak. It doesn’t taste like the non-halal version, but I find it very appetising, too.
Do I Recommend Kolo Mee?
I highly recommend Kolo Mee to anyone who visits Sarawak. Wet or dry, they both taste good. Your trip to Sarawak isn’t complete if you don’t try Kolo Mee.
The cheapest Kolo Mee in Sarawak today is about RM3.50. You can usually find this price at Kolo Mee stalls outside Kuching.
6. Nasi Paprik
If you’re into spicy food, I highly recommend Nasi Paprik. ‘Nasi’ is Malay for rice. The term “Paprik” or ‘Pad Prik’ comes from the Thai language. ‘Pad’ means stir-fry, and ‘Prik’ means chilli. Despite its Thai origin, Nasi Paprik is recognised in Malaysia as a local favourite, typically served in Malay restaurants across the country.
Nasi Paprik is usually served with chicken or seafood, cooked with green beans, red onions, dried chillies, tomato sauce, lemongrass, vegetables and many other local ingredients.
If you don’t like plain white rice, you can opt for fried rice instead. I prefer my Nasi Paprik with plain rice.
Some of my friends from around the globe have tried this dish. They were very pleased with it, so no rice was left behind.
Do I Recommend Nasi Paprik?
I recommend Nasi Paprik to anyone who likes spicy food. Most of the Nasi Paprik I’ve tasted are very spicy. Suppose you cannot stand spicy food. Then this dish might not be for you.
Sure, you can always request a less spicy Nasi Paprik, but less spicy is sometimes still too spicy for some people.
7. Char Kway Teow
This popular Malaysian dish uses flat noodles and is stir-fried in a wok on high heat. You can also find this dish in other countries, such as Brunei, Indonesia and Singapore.
Char Kway Teow’s common ingredients are flat rice noodles, shrimps, cockles, eggs, bean sprouts, soy sauce, and spring onions. Malacca and Penang are known for their exceptional Char Kway Teow dishes.
But I’ve tried some very good ones in Kuala Lumpur, too.
Note: You can also find vegan and vegetarian Char Kway Teow varieties. They taste good, too.
Do I Recommend Char Kway Teow?
I haven’t heard any Malaysian who says they don’t like Char Kway Teow. That’s because it’s delicious, and I can’t help but agree.
I recommend anyone travelling to Malaysia for the first time to try Char Kway Teow. The dish is available throughout Malaysia, cooked in two ways: dry or wet. I like both versions, but I feel that wet Char Kway Teow is more filling than dry one.
Vegan and vegetarian Char Kway Teow dishes are also available in the country. You can usually find them at vegan or vegetarian restaurants.
8. Roti Canai
Most Malaysians, I believe, love Roti Canai.
It’s an Indian-influenced flat bread served with curry and dhal on the side. The curry is usually chicken or fish curry, sometimes both.
Although Roti Canai is very popular in Malaysia and Singapore, you can also find it in Indonesia. Malaysians love to have theirs at Indian or Mamak restaurants.
The cheapest Roti Canai I’ve ever paid for was RM1.20. My friends and I would always have our Roti Canai at the Indian restaurant just opposite my previous apartment on Old Klang Road. The Roti Canai maker was so used to seeing us for breakfast that he would always start making our Roti Canai the minute he saw us trying to cross the road. That was back in 2016.
Today, you might not get that price anymore, especially in the Kuala Lumpur city centre. It may cost you nearly RM2 now, even more.
There are many other versions of flatbreads available around the country. My other favourites of flatbreads are as follows:
- Roti Telur (roti + egg)
- Roti Susu (roti + condensed milk)
- Roti Bawang (roti + onions).
These varieties are slightly more expensive than Roti Canai, but they’re typically served with the same sides. If you’re a vegetarian, you can consider dining at Chat Masala in Brickfields for a nice plate of Roti Canai.
Do I Recommend Roti Canai?
I recommend Roti Canai to all bread lovers out there. While it’s typically eaten for breakfast, most restaurants offering it also serves it throughout the day. It’s one of the cheapest breakfast options and makes a good meal when you’re in a rush but need to eat something quickly.
Have it with a glass of ‘Teh Tarik’ (hot milk tea) or any hot beverage of your choice.
