A Malaysian Food Tour

If there's one thing that Malaysians love, it's food. The greeting 'have you eaten yet?' is as common as asking about the weather in the UK. It's a national obsession.

There are Malay restaurants, Chinese restaurants, Indian restaurants, Thai restaurants and more. In fact, eating out in Malaysia is a real gastronomic adventure and one of the things that many visitors enjoy most.

Popular Malaysian dishes include satay, nasi lemak, rendang, roti canai, murtabak, laksa, chicken rice, and fried noodles. Western cuisine is also easily available. In addition, all the usual fast food chains are here so there's bound to be something to enjoy.

It's not just the range of food, but also the amount of places to eat. There are hundreds of restaurants going from roadside hawker stalls (you ought to do it at least once) to fine dining places that are at least 50% cheaper than the equivalent in Western countries.

It's perfectly safe to eat at the roadside. As long as it's served hot you'll have no bother. And restaurants at the upper end, especially hotel restaurants, are as good as anything you'd find in the West.
Here's a quick rundown of some popular food types:

Malay FoodThe traditional culinary style was greatly influenced many years ago by traders from neighbouring countries. Malay food is often described as spicy and full of flavour. The more chillis they can squeeze in a dish the better!

Chinese Food
Steamed seafood dumplings, steamed crabsticks stuffed with fish paste, deep-fried dumplings with salted eggs and red bean paste... or just sweet and sour pork, like back home!

Indian Food
Spices are the heart and soul of Indian cooking... Plus, more often than not, your curry will be served on a banana leaf which makes it an experience to remember - especially if you do like the locals and eat it with your fingers.

Hawker Food
Hawkers selling food, fruits or drinks in push-carts or from roadside mobile stalls are a common sight. If you're going for the basics it's often where the best food is found too. Give it a try for the experience.

Nyonya Food
Nyonya (said: non-ya) people are descended from early Chinese/Malay mixed marriages, so their dishes combine the best of both cultures.

Snack Food
Nasi lemak is rice cooked in coconut milk and flavoured with cloves and pandan leaves. It's the Malaysian national dish. It's often served for breakfast, look out for the small pyramid-shaped packets if you fancy some as a snack during the day.