Malaysian Food Malaysia is one of the south-east Asian countries.

It is divided into two parts, West Malaysia and East Malaysia. West Malaysia or Peninsula Malaysia is attached to the Asian continent, whereas East Malaysia is appended with the Borneo Island and separated from West Malaysia by the South China Sea. Malaysia, better known as Tanah Melayu, was conquered by each Britain, Holland and Japan once before 1957. One of the reasons why Tanah Melayu had remained conquered for five decades was because of its geographical placement. During the conquest of Malaysia pressed by Britain, thousands of immigrants from India and China were taken into Tanah Melayu. After a while, some of the immigrants seemed to have decided to take back to their homelands. The other part of refugees didn't go back to their homes remaining still and became the citizens of Tanah Melayu instead. As a result, not only the number of inhabitants of Tanah Melayu increased, but new customs and cultures were also introduced. One of the important aspects of customs and cultures is food. To these days Malaysia is well known as a multicultural country. There are more than a hundred of various races in Malaysia and each one has its own sort of food to be symbolised with. Some of the main ethnic groups or races in Malaysia are Malay, Chinese and Indian. In Kelantan, one of the states of West Malaysia, Nasi Kerabu is very famous amongst the native folk. In Malay, Nasi means rice. Kerabu is not much different from the salad resembling a mixture of salt, onion, slices of cucumbers and other ingredients. Nasi Kerabu is special because the rice is coloured with blue. Terengganu is one of the East Coast States of Peninsula Malaysia. If Kelantan is very popular with Nasi Kerabu, Terengganu is very popular with Nasi Dagang. In Malay, the word dagang means business or something that is related to it. It is called Nasi Dagang because in the ancient times, the native people used to sell it from one place to another. Pulau Pinang (also Penang), Pahang and Johor are other states of West Malaysia. Penang is located in the north, Johor is situated in the south and Pahang in the east. In spite of these three states existing separately they have actually got something in common. They are popular with Laksa. We have Laksa Penang, Laksa Johor and Laksa Pahang. Laksa looks like spaghetti or noodle and is white because it is made of rice flour. Laksa is eaten with its special sauce made from fish. Laksa Penang is sour, Laksa Pahang is sweet and Laksa Johor is a little bit spicy. Another instance of Malaysian food is curry which is originated from the Indians. Curry is very spicy and, usually, we eat it with rice or Roti Canai. Roti is a Malay word for bread. It is all about abundance of many kinds of food that makes Malaysia distinctive from other countries. Hereby, it becomes one of the attractions of Malaysia and therefore encourages growing of Malaysia economy towards the increase.

Malaysian Food Malaysian Food is not one particular distinction of food but a culinary diversity originating from it's multi-ethnic population of Malay, Indian, Eurasian, Chinese, Nyonya and the Indigenous peoples of Borneo. A brief look into the past and how this multi-ethnic country came to be, is essential in order to comprehend how such a cosmic array of food, has now come to be known all over the world as 'Malaysian Food'. Presented here are some of the various delicious and popular dishes from this rainbow of gastronomic spectrum, with pictures and detailed recipes, from each unique ethnic kitchen. When people in the west speak of Chinese food, they probably mean Cantonese food. It's the best known and most popular variety of Chinese food. Cantonese food is noted for the variety and the freshness of it's ingredients. The food are usually stir-fried with just a touch of oil to ensure that the result is crisp and fresh. All those best known 'western Chinese' dishes fit into this category - sweet and sour dishes, won ton, chow mein, spring rolls. Indian influence in Malaysian cuisine started in the 19th century when large arrivals of Indian migrants were brought into the country as contract laborers to work in rubber estates and on the railways. Some did take the opportunity to set up trade in the textile and food industry. Indian cuisine can be divided into two mainstreams, Northern and Southern Indian cuisine. North Indian cuisine boasts of a diet rich in meat and uses spices and ingredients such as yogurt and ghee in dishes that are elaborate without being overly spicy. Here, bread and chapati (wheat-flour pancakes) replaces rice, which is the center of most South Indian meals. Coconut milk, mustard seeds, and chilies are also widely used in the Southern province. Nasi Kerabu or Nasi Ulam, is a regional specialty from the state of Kelantan on the east coast of Malaysia. Traditionally, the rice is tinted bright blue from petals of flowers called bunga telang [clitoria in English]. For a family size serving of rice, hundreds of these petals have to be sun-dried and boiled in water. There are several varieties of local herbs; daun kentut, daun kudu, cekur, seven types of daun larak and kucing seduduk, which is used to tint the rice in different colors; red, black or blue. The most used variety for Nasi Kerabu is the 'blue color' variety of petals. This naturally tinted 'blue rice' is served with Ulam. Ulam is combination of fresh aromatic herbs; local mint, basil, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, turmeric leaves and raw vegetables; bean sprouts, long green beans, shallots, cucumber, are combined together with strong flavored ingredients such as salted fish, dried prawns, fish crackers, kerisik [fried grated coconut] and other savory garnishing. One of the most unique Malay culinary creation is Roti Jala ['net' bread] which is a sort of crepe or thin pancake. It is made from a crepe-like batter of plain flour, eggs, butter and coconut milk with a dash of turmeric for coloring. A special mould or cup with small holes is used to make a 'lacy' crepe, cooked briefly over a hot greased griddle. Roti Jala is an ideal accompaniment to dishes with lots of rich curry sauces or gravy, and is usually served during special occasions. Desserts are often served after a meal or an an afternoon snack; many are home-made although most are easily available from local hawker stalls and restaurants especially during Ramadan, the religious fasting period. Malay desserts are quite exceptional, using ingredients such as Santan [coconut milk], fresh grated coconut, palm sugar and a unique plant leave called pandan or pandanus [screwpine]. This locally grown plant leave is used often in dessert making. It lends essence rather than a taste, much like the ubiquitous vanilla bean. During the Malay New Year [Hari Raya or Eid], the variety of cakes and dessert are endless; many are unique creations made by home chefs, not found anywhere in the culinary circle of the dessert world!