Malaysian cuisine primarily consisting of Malay, Chinese and Indian food,and also comprises hybrid classes of food derived from cross-cultural influences such as Mamak (Indian-Muslim) and Nyonya (Malay-Chinese) cuisine. Hawker stalls are a favourite haunt of Malaysians from all walks of life. All over Malaysia you can find them along the roadside or at hawker centres in the marketplace or shopping complexes. Roadside stalls usually open until midnight and make a great place for meeting up for a chat with friends.

Malay Many centuries ago, when traders from Indonesia, India, China, and the Middle East came to barter their wares on our shores, they also brought along their home grown spices. Since then, these spices have scattered all the way to our tabletops, giving rise to the distinctive spicy flavour in found in Malay cuisine. Chili, lemon grass, pandan (screwpine) leaves, daun kesum (polygonum or laksa leaf), kunyit (tumeric), bunga kantan (wild ginger buds) are spices used in Malay dishes, just to name a few.

Popular Malay Food		Descriptions
Nasi Lemak		Popularly eaten among locals at any time of the day, this dish consists of rice cooked with coconut milk served with condiments such as sambal ikan bilis (fried anchovies in hot chilli paste), slices of boiled egg, peanuts and cucumber. Larger portions can include curry chicken, beef or squid.
Satay		Marinated beef or chicken pieces in skewers barbecued over charcoal and eaten after dipping into a sweet and spicy peanut sauce. It is also served with ketupat (rice cubes wrapped in palm leaves) and cucumber.
Nasi Dagang		Originating from the state of Terengganu, this glutinous rice dish steamed with coconut milk comes with side dishes of tuna fish curry and vegetable pickle.
Roti Jala		These "lacy pancakes" are made from flour, eggs, a pinch of tumeric and a bit of butter served with any curry based dish.
Rendang		A meat dish cooked with coconut milk, chillies, onions, cinnamon, cloves, coriander and nutmeg. Eaten with rice, ketupat or lemang (glutinous rice cubes in coconut milk).
Ice Kacang		A delightfully colourful concoction of jelly cubes, red beans, creamed corn and peanuts topped with shaved ice, rose syrup and evaporated milk. A scoop of ice-cream can be added upon request.

Chinese The variety of local Chinese food stems from the individual culinary heritage of the different provinces of China from which the early immigrants originated. For instance, Dim Sum originated from Canton while Szechwan is known for its hot, peppery dishes. A number of fine Chineserestaurants can be found in major hotels around the country serving delectable cuisine of impeccable quality. A table of ten people can delight in an eight or nine-course meal featuring exotic dishes such as Shark's Fin Soup, Monk Jumps Over The Wall and Peking Duck. Outlined below are one-person dishes from the range of popular hawker fare found around the country.

Popular Chinese Food		Descriptions
Hainanese Chicken Rice		Rice cooked in chicken stock and topped with steamed or roasted chicken.
Hokkien Mee		Originated from KL, this rice noodle is fried with fried pork fat, prawns, sliced pork, cabbage and turns black and expands as it soaks up all the sauces and grease. It is eaten with freshly blended chilli sauce mixed with dried shrimp and belacan.
Assam Laksa		A speciality from Penang consisting of thick rice noodles in a spicy and sour fish based soup with pineapple, cucumber and onions. A sweet, thick prawn paste may be added for extra flavour.
Char Kuey Teow		Stir-fried flat rice noodles with prawn, cockles, egg and bean sprouts.
Dim Sum		Delicate morsels of specialities with over 30 varieties served in round bamboo baskets. Includes steamed prawn dumplings, Char Siew Pau (steamed bun with sweet roast pork filling), chicken feet in collagen, radish cake and egg custard tart.

Indian Travellers will be pleased to know that they do not have to go all the way to India to revel in a spicy and sumptuous Indian meal. Since the large arrival of Indian migrants in the 19th century, fiery curries and piping hot breads have made their presence in the Malaysian food scene. Local Indian cuisine can be divided into Northern Indian, Southern Indian and Indian Muslim cuisine. Northern Indian dishes are mostly meat based and cooked in yoghurt and ghee. Southern Indian cooking contains a liberal dose of coconut, tamarind and curry leaves while Indian Muslim cuisine features rice and vegetables with rich and thick curries.

Popular Indian Food		Descriptions
Roti Canai		A local favourite, this pancake is made out of wheat flour dough which is stretched, layered and fried on a griddle.
Chapati		Flattened bread made from whole wheat flour and enjoyed with any curry of your choice.
Thosai		Fried pancake with sourish taste, eaten with curry. An interesting modification is the Paper Thosai, a paper-thin Thosai served folded into a cone shaped hat.
Banana Leaf Rice		Rice served on a banana leaf accompanied by a choice of dishes such as dried fish, papadams (lentil wafers) and chutney.
Nasi Kandar		Rice eaten with an assortment of dishes, which include curried squid, chicken and fish. Its name is derrived from the shoulder poles used by olden day vendors.

Others
Except Malay, Chinese and Indian cuisine, you are also able to try another type of foods. Nyonya food combines Malay spices such as chilli, spring onion, candle nuts and tumeric with traditional Chinese ingredients. You can even having a Thai, Japanese, Korean and other countries dishes in Malaysia.