Daily Life :: Food
Food in Malaysia reflects its great ethnic diversity. For example,
- (Malay) Satay: Small chunks of meat on a bamboo stick skewer, grilled over a charcoal fire, and dipped in hot peanut sauce served with ketupat, cucumber and onions
- (Malay) Nasi lemak (pronounced NAH-see ler-MAHK): Rice cooked with coconut milk eaten with fried fish and anchovies, peanuts, eggs, cucumber and sambal
- (Chinese) Steamboat: Thinly sliced meat, seafood, pork balls, cuttlefish balls and tofu cooked in a bowl of boiling soup set in the middle of the table
- (Chinese) Ipoh kway teow: Smooth, translucent rice noodles served in a broth and garnished with shredded chicken and prawns
- (Indian) Roti canai (pronounced ROH-tee cha-nye): A crisp and flaky pancake eaten with curry. A ball of dough is flattened, toss and flip repeated to create the flaky pancake. A popular breakfast food complemented with teh tarik.
Teh tarik ("pulled tea") is the de facto national drink of Malaysia. The main ingredients are tea and condensed milk. The drink is prepared using a unique technique ... the tea is poured from a mug held high into another mug held low; it is poured back and forth to create a thick frothy top.Teh tarik = Pulled tea
- Durian: A fruit with edible custard-like flesh housed inside a formidable thorny husk. The fruit emits a smell which is considered putrid to some foreigners but fragrant to many locals. The taste of the flesh has been described as nutty and sweet.