A lot of Americans tend to think that there’s only one kind of Chinese food, probably the same way most Malaysians think there’s only one kind of American food (which is burgers and fries from McDonald’s at one end of the price spectrumand at the other, Chilli’s).
You may be surprised to know that most authentic Chinese dishes do not involve breaded meats (the kind you find in almost every American Chinese restaurant) and General Tsao chicken is actually an American dish (no such dish exists outside of the USA). You may also be shocked, even, to know that people do not usually eat noodles as a side dish to rice, or rice as a side dish to noodles. If you order noodles, you often don’t order rice (to be eaten with side dishes of meats and/or vegetables) and vice versa. You just don’t.
If I were to give an analogy for Malaysian food in terms of American cuisine (as far as being “different” goes), I would approximate it asexotic as perhaps Cajun or Creole cuisine, as distinct in flavor and ingredients as Mexican, and sometimes, even as comforting and decadent as Southern cooking.
In terms of taste, Malaysian food is not unlike Thai cuisine, especially in the Northern states. If you have sampled Indonesian cuisine, we’re closer. Malaysian food also includes in large Chinese derivatives like dim sum and dumpling soup like won ton, as well as Northern and Southern Indian cuisine like naan bread, dosa,all the lovely curriesand roti prata (think pan-fried egg pancakes made with “ghee” aka clarifiedbutter). Because we’re a melting pot of Malays (an indigenous race descended from Indians and/or natives who are Muslims), Chinese, Indians and other races, our cuisine can vary very widely. Yet, there are quite a few dishes, contributed by each culture and race, that we as Malaysians collectively enjoy, that can be rounded up into a category called “Malaysian food”.
As far as I know, there are only two(mainly)Malaysian restaurants in Seattle. One is called the Malay Satay Hut (two branches, one in Bellevue and one in Seattle – IMHO, not very good), and the other is Salina(have not tried it yet). When I say “mainly”, it means they declare themselves to be Malaysian and the word “Malaysian” appears more than twice on the menu. This also means much of the menu center around authentic Malaysian cuisine – dishes I can find back home – and only a small portion catering to what American patrons are used to, such as some Vietnamese and Thai dishes. After all, Malaysian cuisine is not as popular as these two.
I must say this: as far as Malaysian Indian cuisine goes, much of it you can sample in a regular Indian restaurant. Indian restaurants and eateries in Malaysia have managed to keep much of their authenticity compared to what’s available in India with only a few derivatives such as their “mee mamak”, a noodle stir-fry that you won’t find in India but only in Indian stalls and coffee shops in Malaysia.
Which leads me to Malaysian Chinese cuisine, which has become so uniquely Malaysian because of how the Chinese came to populate Malaya, that you will never find Malaysian Chinese cuisine in any Chinese restaurant in the world (except for Malaysia of course – not even in Singapore, no way).
From our spicy stir-fries to our double-boiled soups and ESPECIALLY to our unique “nyonya” (pronounced “neon-yeah”) or “peranakan” (pronounced “purr-anuck-un”) dishes (a distinct Malaysian subculture with roots that trace back to the forming of Malaya), Malaysian Chinese cuisine is more Malaysian sometimes than it is Chinese, so much so that anyone from any part of China or Taiwan visiting here will not recognise it.
So what can you expect when dining in a Malaysian restaurant? Spice, spice and more spice. Of course, here in America, waiters in any Southeast Asian restaurant (Thai, Vietnamese, Singaporean, Indonesian, Cambodian, Indian) are trained to ask “how hot? One to Five?” and I reckon so will those in a Malaysian one.
What dishes should you order? Try for abeef “rendang“, a uniquely Malaysian dry curry (low on fluids), to eat with “nasi lemak“, rice cooked in coconut milk and essence of pandan (an aromatic leaf that smells a little like vanilla). Order, if available, also a “sambal“, preferably one made from anchovies, as it is a sweet and savory spicy chilli paste that’s used to stew with the anchovies into a lovely side dish.
For a fish dish, try the “curry fish head” (which, I promise you, is NOT a “uniquely Singaporean” dish), which I promise is not as iffy as it sounds. Ask them to discard the head if you like, and to give you more of the preferred parts of the fish, but this soupy delicacy made with okra, eggplant and a few other vegetables is sure to tantalize your tastebuds that you’ll return for more. And afterthis wonderfully simple meal (washed down, without a doubt,jugs of iced water), ask for a dessertof “nyonya kuih-muih“, which are little cakes not unlike the Thai sweet treats, or perhaps a bowl of congee-like Chinese “tong sui“, literally “sugar water”, which are bowls of hot or cold desserts. You can try something tame, such as a bowl ofbean curd in a sweet syrup (Chinese caramel) or perhaps you’re brave enough for something with sweet glutinuous rice. And if you’re truly fearless, try durian – a Southeast Asian fruit with spikes on the outside to protect the “gold” within, a sweet but aggressively-scented meat which has most of us Malaysians all dubbing it the “king of fruits”.
So the next time you’re dining out, why not give Malaysian cuisinea whirl? And if you happen to love it, try making some with recipes from sites such as Recipezaar’s, which has100+ Malaysian recipes(although I’ve not tried them so I’m not sure how authentic they are). And email me anytime for any “newbie” recipes you might like to try out.
All this talk about Malaysian food is making me hungry. My mother-in-law is frying up some Ayam Belacan (chicken in prawn paste) and she’s also whipping up some “joo hoo char”, a Nyonya vegetable dish that’s a big favorite in our house. Enjoy and *jom makan!
*Malaysian for “let’s eat!”
Read more of Jennifer Tais writing at The I’mPerfect Mom. If you have questions, anecdotes, or topics for Tea Leaf Journals, email jenn[at]theimperfectmom[dot]com.
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