Blue rice! Surely that’s the stuff of children’s storybooks? Not in Malaysia! Nasi kerabu is rice dyed blue with butterfly pea flowers (bunga telang), which are used as a natural food colouring in sweet and savoury dishes. Nasi kerabu means “rice with salad” in Malay, referring not to the unusual, pale-blue rice but the pairing…
Ikan Bakar requires little explanation: in Malay, “ikan” means fish and “bakar” means to grill. Yet there’s more to it than throwing a fish onto a barbecue! There are ikan bakar stalls throughout the Malaysian archipelago, each with its own seafood specialties and signature marinades. The customer has their choice of fish marinated in a…
When a dish has a popular abbreviation, that’s a sure sign it is beloved by locals! ICT, aka Ikan Celup Tepung, is a deep-fried fish treat that the people of Terengganu queue for – and visitors should follow their lead. World travellers may recognise the method of ICT as reminiscent of British or Australian fish…
If you know a little about Indian food, the sight of roti jala may puzzle you. Surely these lacy pancakes are Indian string hoppers? These delicate snacks are believed to have come to Malaysia via Indian immigrants, yet centuries of tweaking and adapting have made roti jala definitively Malaysian. The name translates as “net bread,”…
Any foodie knows that a bowl of steamed rice is simply a support act to a meal. Yet transform that rice into compressed logs and you have lontong – not just a tasty dish but a food culture. The origins of lontong are claimed by both Malaysia and Indonesia, though the cooks of Penang and…
Assam prawns, or tamarind fried prawns, is one of the simplest dishes to make in the vast Malaysian menu. Yet fans of this sweet-and-sour seafood dish declare it the country’s best! Known as “assam hae” in Hokkien, this Nyonya dish draws from both Chinese and Malay influences. It was created by descendants of early Chinese…
Imagine a snack that’s savoury and sweet, crunchy and chewy, made from fish and flour… Thanks to the fishers of Terengganu, such a thing exists: it’s called keropok lekor, and it’s one of the most popular snacks in Malaysia. Terengganu is the base of Malaysia’s South China Sea fishing industry, and it’s said local villagers…
Mention “kuih” to sweet-toothed foodies and eyes will light up. The fame of these snacks is sweeping the world, and Malaysians are rightly proud of them. Yet of the country’s many kuih, the east coast version – kuih akok – is quite different and, of course, delicious. Kuih akok, or simply akok, a traditional dessert…
Klebang Coconut Shake If you’re seeking a refreshing drink to cool down during a hot and humid Malaysian day, look no further than the iconic Klebang Coconut Shake. Coming from its namesake, the town of Klebang in Melaka, this coconut shake has been served by roadside vendors since the 1960s and has become an integral…
Chef Dato’ Ismail Ahmad is a household name not just in Malaysia but among his many fans throughout Europe, thanks to his tireless promotion of Malaysian cuisine throughout continental Europe over the years. He joins us as the official ambassador of #MYFlavoursEurope.
