Rice
A popular dish based on rice in Malaysia is nasi lemak: rice steamed with coconut milk to give it a rich fragrance, and served with fried anchovies, peanuts, sliced cucumber, hard boiled eggs and a spicy chilli paste known as sambal. For a more substantial meal, nasi lemak can also be served with a choice of curries, or a spicy meat stew called rendang. Of Malay origin, nasi lemak is often called the national dish. Although it is traditionally a breakfast dish, because of the versatility of nasi lemak in being able to be served in a variety of ways, it is now often eaten at any time of the day. The Malaysian Indian variety of the sambal tends to be a bit more spicy, and the Malay sambal in a nasi lemak tends to be a bit sweeter. Nasi lemak should not be confused with nasi dagang, which is sold on the east coast of Malaysia — Terengganu and Kelantan — although both nasi lemak and nasi dagang can usually be found sold side-by-side for breakfast.
Noodles
Noodles are another popular food, particularly in Malaysian Chinese cuisine, but used by other groups as well. Noodles such as bi hoon (米粉, Hokkien: bí-hún, Malay: bihun; rice vermicelli), kuay teow (粿條, Hokkien: kóe-tiâu) or ho fun (河粉, Cantonese: ho4 fan2; flat rice noodles), mee (麵 or 面, Hokkien: mī, Malay: mi; yellow noodles), mee suah (麵線 or 面线, Hokkien: mī-sòaⁿ;wheat vermicelli), yee meen (伊麵 or 伊面, Cantonese: ji1 min6; golden wheat noodles), langka (冬粉, Hokkien: tang-hún, Cantonese: dung1 fan2; transparent noodles made from mung beans), and others provide a source of carbohydrate besides the ubiquitous serving of rice that accompanies every meal.
Bread
Indian style bread such as roti canai, dhosai (Tamil: தோசை tōcai /t̪oːsaj/), idli (Tamil: இட்லி iṭli /ɪɖlɪ/) and puri (Tamil: பூரி pūri /puːɾɪ/) are commonly eaten by most Malaysians as part of breakfast. Western style bread is a relatively new addition to the Malaysian diet, having gained acceptance in the last generation.
Meat
Poultry
Malaysian poultry is handled according to Halal standards, to conform with the country's dominant and official religion, Islam. Imported poultry is available at major hypermarkets, supermarkets & specialty stores especially in the affluent areas of Mont Kiara, Bangsar & Sri Hartamas where a significant expatriate community can be found.
Beef
Beef is common in the Malaysian diet though it is notable that followers of certain religions such as Hinduism and some followers of Buddhism such as monks forbid the consumption of beef, while some Buddhists say people can eat beef and other meat. Beef can be commonly found cooked in curries, stews, roasted, or with noodles. Malays generally eat beef that is halal. Australian fresh beef which is prepared under supervision of the Government Supervised Muslim Slaughter System (AGSMS) is imported into Malaysia and that beef is halal.
- Australian beef can also be found in supermarkets such as Giant.
- Fresh beef can be found in supermarkets and hypermarkets.
Pork
Pork is largely consumed by the non-Muslim community in Malaysia like the Malaysian Chinese, natives like Iban, Kadazan, Orang Asli and expatriates. The majority of Malaysian Malays are Muslim and therefore do not consume pork since Islam forbids it. This does not prohibit others from producing and consuming pork products. Pork can be bought in wet markets, supermarkets and hypermarkets. During the Nipah virus epidemic, over a million pigs were culled in an effort to contain the outbreak.
Mutton
Mutton is also a part of the Malaysian cuisine. It generally refers to goat meat rather than sheep. The meat is used in dishes such as goat soup, curries, or stews. It is a popular ingredient in Malaysian Indian food.
Seafood
Many types of seafood are consumed in Malaysia, including shrimp or prawn, crab, squid, cuttlefish, clams, cockles, snails, sea cucumber and octopus. In general, members of all ethnic communities enjoy seafood, which is considered halal by Malaysian Muslims (and indeed all other Muslims), though some species of crabs are not considered Halal as they can live on both land and sea. Sea cucumbers are considered halal.
Vegetables
Vegetables are usually available year round as Malaysia does not have four seasons. During the rainy season, sometimes vegetable yield decreases but does not stop altogether. Therefore, vegetables can be purchased throughout the year but are slightly more expensive at certain times of the year.
Fruit
Malaysia's climate allows for fruit to be grown all year round. Most tropical fruits are either grown in Malaysia or imported from neighbouring countries. The demand for fruits is generally quite high. Some notable fruits include:
- The durian, a fruit with a spiky outer shell and a characteristic odour is a local tropical fruit that is notable because it provokes strong emotions either of loving it or hating it. It is also known as the "King of the Fruits".
- The rambutan also has a distinctive appearance, being red or yellow in colour (when ripe) and having fleshy pliable spines or 'hairs' on its outer skin.
- The mangosteen, often called the "Queen of the Fruits".
- The lychee, which has a bumpy red skin and sweet, sometimes made with tea to make it sweet. They are sold all year round.
- The mango, a refreshing fruit
- The longan, which name translates to 'Dragon Eye' in Chinese, but not to be confused with mata kucing in Malay (literally 'cat's eye') which have quite similarities except mata kucing is slightly smaller and it's similar to lychee
- The guava, a fruit that comes in two varieties : "jambu air", meaning water guava and "jambu batu", meaning rock guava. It is a crisp and sweet tasting fruit.
Cross-cultural influence
Being a multicultural country, Malaysians have over the years adapted each other's dishes to suit the taste buds of their own culture. For instance, Malaysians of Chinese descent have adapted the Indian curry, and made it more dilute and less spicy to suit their taste.
Chinese noodles have been crossed with Indian and Malay tastes and thus Malay fried noodles and Indian fried noodles were born.
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