Every country has its variations on a fruit salad theme. Yet there’s nothing quite like Malaysia’s Rojak Buah Penang. Local fruits like pineapple, mango, jambu (guava), cucumber, and unripened papaya are this salad’s main ingredients. The Penang twist is an appetising sweet-sour sauce made from crushed, roasted peanuts, water, tamarind juice, palm sugar, dried shrimp…
Taufu fah is a popular soybean curd dessert in Ipoh. Its origins date back to the Han dynasty around 200-100 BCE, but the version found in Malaysia has added its own unique spin with toppings such as gula melaka (Malaysian palm sugar). The dessert is a quite simple treat, but the effort that goes into…
Asam laksa is Malaysia in a bowl! This spicy and tangy noodle soup has made its way around the world and is an iconic street food in its state of origin, Penang. Penang asam laksa is considered Nyonya cuisine—a combination of Peranakan (Straits-born Chinese) recipes with Malay cooking styles—and draws its cultural background from both…
Do you enjoy a good laksa? Then travel to the coastal town of Terengganu in North-Eastern Malaysia, where the unique local laksa comes in two colours: red and white! Unlike other Malaysian laksas, Laksa Terengganu Kuah Merah is a noodle dish with gravy-like sauce rather than a broth. “Kuah merah” means “red gravy.” Like its…
One of Malaysia’s favourite drinks is Ipoh White Coffee. Just your regular coffee, right? Don’t be fooled: this style of coffee is a truly Malaysian affair. With its roots in the 19th century tin mines of Perak, Ipoh white coffee sprung from the taste of Chinese tin miner, who found the acidic coffee preferred by…
Curry laksa is one of the best-known Malaysian laksas, at least to someone from outside Malaysia! The origin of the name laksa is unclear, although it’s thought to be derived from the Hindi or Persian “lakhska,” referring to the type of vermicelli. Others speculate the name comes from the Sanskrit word “laksha,” meaning “many”, a…
A steaming bowl of noodle soup is true comfort food to some people. But one Malaysian twist on the theme, Penang Koay Teow Th’ng, may be more challenging than comforting to the uninitiated! Penang has a bounty of Nyonya hawker food stalls, preparing to order a colourful menu of Chinese-Malay dishes, and th’ng is one…
What’s not to love about a dish that can be both savoury and sweet? Pulut Panggang is one of these taste chameleons – its versions may look identical, yet what lies within might partner a curry or a fruit salad! In the Malay language, “pulut” means glutinous rice and “panggang” means grilled or barbecued. Glutinous…
Roti canai is Malaysia’s unofficial national bread! The flaky, buttery treat was brought to this country by Indian-Muslim immigrants, yet now bears no resemblance to breads of its original homeland. “Roti” is the Hindi word for bread, while “canai” is a Malay word meaning to knead or to stretch. Like Indian roti, it’s an unleavened…
Centuries ago, when traders from China and India visited the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, they sought meals that were filling yet easy to transport. They created a combination of rice and fish curry that became known as “nasi dagang,” or “trader’s rice.” Today it’s popular in the regions of Kelantan and Terengganu as a…
