MALAYSIA…

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Secret life of Street Food in Malaysia..

One of the highlights of my trip is definitely hanging out at the mamak stalls at midnight, sitting on the red plastic stool flimsy enough that will probably break and flattened in any second, ready to be a laughing stock among the crowd. Okay, being a laughing stock maybe is not something I would like to consider as highlight; but having a great time, tasting an endless mount of street food will be very hard to top.

Only so much one mouth can handle, here’s just a handful of street food I happily devoured during my stay in Malaysia.

Preserved vegetable Rice Pudding 碗仔糕 (砵仔糕)
This savoury version of rice pudding is actually more like a jelly with a firm texture, with a light salty flavour. Eaten with preserved vegetable, which adds a new level of saltiness and crunchy texture. Condiments of chili paste and sweet sauce for that extra flavour.

Rojak
Definitely one of my favorite street food of all time. Rojak is an eclectic mix of fruit and vegetable then toss together in a dark gooey off-putting fermented prawn paste. An explosion of sweet, spicy and sour sensation in the mouth is simply indescribable. Make sure you ask for extra prawn fritters.

Pulut Tekan
Kuih in general, is consider the Asian concept of dessert or snacks, that can be eaten any time of the day, how good is that?! According to one friend’s theory – if the food is “BLUE”, eat it! I agree wholeheartedly. This glutinous rice is coloured with Flower Telang for that indigo blueish colour, served with kaya.

Fried Chicken Wings
Actually, this is nothing special. Just good old fried chicken a little bit different from the usual thick-battered KFC. These are lightly powdered with five spice and other “secret” herbs then deep fry. Another version is wrapped in tracing paper then deep fry the whole thing, which can be a bit oily. Fry chicken wing, cold beer, I am sold!

Kuih Lapis & Kuih Talam
Among all the kuih, these two famous kuih definitely defines the culinary art of Malaysian nyonya Kuih-muih. The labor intensive Kuih Lapis is probably the most colorful and fun to eat kuih – take your time, layer by layer, peel it and put it in your mouth. Kuih Talam which consists of two layers, with the top white layer which is usually salty made with rice flour and coconut milk, while the bottom is sweet made from green pea and pandan. Surprisingly the salty and sweet combination works like a charm.

Kueh Dadar (aka Kueh Ketayap)
More kuih you say? This green springroll is made of pandan pancake then filled with grated coconut soaked in gula melaka. You will find most of the green color from Nyonya kuih is not coloring but made from using pandan leaf, for its distinctive nutty, botanical fragrance.

Ban Chang Kueh (Apom Balik) (慢煎糕)
Who doesn’t like pancake? But pancake cooked in deep pan, then filled with sugar, roasted peanuts, sesame and sweet corn, EVEN BETTER! There are two types of Ban Chang Kueh, the thin crisp version as mentioned earlier (pic above) or the thick version, which is almost like a crumpet texture with crispy crust, filled with only sugar and roasted peanuts. As for the thin version, I’ve witnessed a new menu where other ingredients can be added including savoury ones like tuna, ham, egg, cheese, meat floss and mayonnaise. Something I am yet to try.

Ondeh-Ondeh
Give that small coconut coated green pandan ball a small bite, a sudden burst of gula melaka syrup coated inside the mouth all over, this kuih ondeh-ondeh is pure genius. Need I say more? I don’t think so.

Popiah (薄饼)
My all time favorite – HANDS DOWN! Popiah (pronounce – Bo-bee-ahh) is a spring roll variety, but bigger, fattier, filled with lots of different type of vegetable, plus crispy fried tiny shrimps and shallots, together with a sweet sauce, wrapped inside a wafer thin wheat flour pancake. But those I’ve had in Petaling Jaya is not so good, lacking some core ingredients plus a mysterious sauce. But then, I’ve tasted worse.
There are also other street food I’ve consumed during this trip but not make it to this post. I think is best for you to make a trip to Malaysia and discover it yourself, don’t you think?

Spicy Malaysian Noodle Soup Recipe...

A Malaysian/Singaporean recipe for Laksa 

My previous article referred to the freshman food catering company, Rempah, located in Toronto. Young foodies Lily Cheung and Daryl Chow have lovingly translated Chow's family recipes and brought them to a wider audience.

Their company offers everything from Beef & Chicken Satay to Spring Rolls to Gado Gado Salad and Pad Thai.

Cheung, a freelance graphic designer, and Chow, a linguistics masters student, were inspired to start their own catering company after hosting numerous events for Singporean and Malaysian students hungry for a taste of home while studying in Toronto.

Here are two fantastic Malaysian recipes, harkening to Chow's Nonya family lineage, that you might want to try.

Rempah Catering offers a gorgeous array of South East Asian food - in particular, dishes from Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

Read more at Suite101: Spicy Malaysian Noodle Soup Recipe: A Malaysian/Singaporean recipe for Laksahttp://asiancuisine.suite101.com/article.cfm/spicy_noodle_soup_recipe#ixzz0naH6IvpJ

1) REMPAH

Serves: 10-12 dishes

Ingredients:

• 4 cup of peanuts (or candle nuts) – soaked
• 10 finger chilies
• 3 bundles of shallots

Method: In a food processor (or mortar and pestle) add lemon grass and nuts and process until fine. Then add shallots and chili. Process again into a fine paste. Tip: Wash processor asap so it won’t stain and odorize

Now that rempah is done, it’s used as an important ingredient in many dishes. A very popular dish is Laksa.

2) LAKSA

Serves: 10

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of rempah
• 1 cup dried baby prawn - soaked
• 2 tbsp turmeric
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 2 cups of water
• 2 dozen large prawns
• 1 cucumber shredded
• 1 baked cube of fish cake

Rempah mixture: Process rempah, prawn, and turmeric. Fry in a large pot, bring down temperature to simmer. Add prawn stock and then stir in 1 can of coconut milk. Let it boil and then simmer for 20 minutes. Do not add any salt!

Prawn Stock: Fry large prawns in a large pan, keeping shells and heads on. Once shrimp turns pink and curls, remove from heat and de-shell. Put the peeled shrimp aside.

Place shells and head back in the pan. Use water to clean the food processor and add the wash to the shells. (2 cups). Cover and simmer for about 30 mins.

Strain stock and add prawn stock to the pot of fried rempah mixture. Simmer together 20 minutes.

Tip: simmer shells and heads again if in need of more stock/

Preparation of side condiments

- shred cucumber

- boil and slice eggs

- bake and slice fish cake

- slice prawn in half from tip to tail

- wash and peel laksa leaves, then chop finely (aka polygonum, Vietnamese mint - rau nam, or long-stemmed mint)

(NOTE FROM JUNE CHUA: If you don't have access to laksa leaves, my mother's recipe uses fresh cilantro leaves, pluck and let your guests put in as much or as little as they want)

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Noodles

Soak bee hoon (rice noodle) in a bowl of hot water

Presentation

In a separate bowl, boil together 1 serving of noodles with rempah soup stock and place in bowl. Add side condiments on top and serve while hot.

Read more at Suite101: Spicy Malaysian Noodle Soup Recipe: A Malaysian/Singaporean recipe for Laksahttp://asiancuisine.suite101.com/article.cfm/spicy_noodle_soup_recipe#ixzz0naHxc1Gl

Malaysia favourite drinks

There is great variety in Malaysian particularly non alcoholic cocktails which is great and refreshing.

One of the first drinks I had was Old Town coffee, I was told that it was famous but unfortunately I can’t see why. I was really let down because it seriously tasted worse that then the instant stuff in the UK

I really loved this ice tea I got from the side street. I was cool refreshing, sweet, full of intense tea flavors with a silk smooth texture. Wish we can get it in the UK

The non alcoholic cocktails are comparable to those in HK. The are amazing colourful, fruity and refreshing.


Durian is acknowledged as the “king of fruits” in Asia, and for good reason – apart from its imposing thorns and appearance, it is delicious and creamy and by itself makes for a rich and satisfying meal. If you have any leftovers, this is what you can do to make a 100% pure Durian ice-cream!


Rice forms the staple part of almost all food and coconut milk is a basic ingredient of all the curries served in Malaysia. Travellers will not have any problem finding a cuisine of their choice. However, the restaurants and food stalls are known for preparing excellent south Indian, Thai and Chinese dishes. Satay, Rojak and Nasi Lemak are some of the famous local preparations. Soup and coffee are the popular drinks in Malaysia. Alcohol is expensive and not available easily.

cita rasa 1MALAYSIA

What is Roti Canai?

Roti Canai is arguably Malaysia's most favourite breakfast meal. A piece of dough is kneaded, thrown, flattened, oiled and cooked on a flat iron skillet. Eaten hot with either lentil, fish or chicken curry; or even with sugar or condensed milk.

Roti Canai with Fish Curry

But what does it actually mean?

Well, "roti" in the malay language means "bread". if you enter a grocery store or market in malaysia and ask for "roti" you would get a loaf of western bread.

Opinions differ, but some say "canai" comes from the word "Chennai" which is of course the original name of the city of Madras in India (and which is of course the name it is called now again). So roti canai literally means "bread from chennai".

It was said that the dish was brought over from India by the Indian Muslims, also known as "mamaks" in malaysia. It has become synonymous with malaysia that some say it is easier to find the dish in malaysia then it is in India.

The other school of thought says that the dish is of malaysian origin. Created by the mamaks in malaysia to adapt to local tastes, people who subscribe to this story say this is why it is difficult to find this dish in india i.e. because it is not an indian dish. "Canai" they say. is the malay word for "grinding", alluding to some process in the making of the dough.

Irrespective of which theory you subscribe to, you can't deny that roti canai is heaven to eat!

Traditionally, it is a breakfast dish, best taken with that other favourite "teh tarik" or stretched/pulled tea, a sweet milky and frothy tea served in a glass.

The easiest and most authentic places to find it are in "mamak shops". These places are typically open 24-hours, so what was once a breakfast dish, you can usually now get around the clock.

If you ask for just "Roti" in a mamak shop, it will be understood to mean "Roti Canai". Or ask for "Roti Kosong" (Empty bread) and you will get the same thing. If you want your roti canai crispy, ask it to be done "garing". If you ask for "Roti Banjir" (flooded bread!), the roti canai will be shredded up into bite-size pieces and drenched with a mixture of fish curry and dhall.

Roti Banjir

There are numerous variations of the Roti Canai:

Roti Pisang (with bananas)

Roti Telur (with egg)

Roti Sardin (with sardines)

Roti Bawang (with onions)

Roti Telur Bawang (with egg and onions)

Roti Planta (with ghee margarine)

Roti Boom (similar to roti planta but smaller size and thicker)

Roti Tisu (paper thin and conical)

Malaysian delicious food

One of the hidden restaurant secrets around is Nasi Lemak. It serves indonesian/malaysian/singaporean food that is authentic. I had previously enjoyed their food and wanted to test its authenticity by bringing some guests who were from singapore. Nasi Lemak easily passed the test and they mentioned it had good standards. I was also happy that I brought them there as they introduced me to a number of fine tasting dishes that I otherwise wouldn't have ever thought of trying. There were a number of appetizers that were really good, but I can't recall the names. My other favorites include the Malaysian Chicken Curry. the tofu dishes, Kang Kong, and Broccoli seafood. The Honey spare ribs, on the other hand, are very tender. For rice, the Nasi Goreng is both well made and isn't oily. Then for variety you can have the reliable Char Kway Teow and Hainanese Chicken.



Malaysian Recipes.....

Asian Beef with Snow Peas
Asian Orange Chicken
Balinese Vegetable Soup
Chaembu Pulingari
Chicken Javana
Coconut Crab Curry
Coconut Tofu Curry
Dry Masala Crabs
Fish Head Curry

Indian Dalcha
Indian Mee Goreng

Lamb Cashew Korma
Malaysian Food-Chicken Rice

Mee Rebus
Murtabak

Mutton Dhall Curry
Mutton in Spinach Paste

Mutton Ribs Soup
Nasi Biryani

Nyonya Cake
Pagoda

Pineapple Shrimp Curry
Putu Mayam

Roti Canai
Roti Telur

Steamed Pomfret In Sauce