ROTI CANAI ( INDIAN FOOD)

A common meal to have for breakfast, roti canai is a flatbread that is first twirled and then
grilled, and is usually served with curry and dhal for dipping. Because of its popularity, roti
canai has a lot of varieties, and depending on which mamak stall you go to, you can order roti
telur (roti canai with an egg inside it) or have it with bananas, aka roti pisang. The possibilities
are endless, which makes it a timeless favourite.

NASI LEMAK ( MALAY FOOD)

Nasi lemak basically translates to fatty rice and it lives up to its name: rice cooked with
coconut milk, and later served with fried anchovies, sambal (spicy sauce), slices of cucumber,
boiled egg and fried ground nuts. It is then either wrapped using a banana leaf into a pyramidlike shape, making it an easy snack to tote around, or in a plate like a usual rice dish. A plate of
this rather sinful dish usually costs less than RM5, but with add-ons like sambal sotong (spicy
squid with gravy) and chicken rendang, it can go up to RM15.

SATAY ( MALAY FOOD)

Satay is simple chunks of meat (chicken, beef or lamb) marinated with a blend of local spices,
skewered and lightly grilled to perfection. You can eat it alone, or dip it into either the spicy nut
sauce or sambal (or even both) for an extra kick, but however way you choose to enjoy it the
juiciness of the meat will have you clamouring for more.

BAK KUT TEH (CHINESE FOOD)

Bak Kut Teh translates roughly to meat bone tea, but there isnt any tea in the ingredients of
this highly popular soup dish! Instead, pork ribs together with mushrooms, garlic, tofu and
herbs are simmered for a couple of hours, and then eaten with either rice or noodles. This
aromatic soup is very filling and is usually had during late nights or rainy days, as some of the
herbs blended have warming-up properties.

NASI KANDAR (INDIAN FOOD)

Another great rice dish, nasi kandar is steamed rice with several Malay-Indian dishes. The
specialty of this dish lies right at the end of the preparation of it, where a mixture of curries is
poured right on top of the rice, making it banjir (roughly translated as flooding the rice). Nasi
kandar purists will tell you to get your fix where the dish originated, in Penang, but if you cant
afford to spare some time to go to the northern state, head to one of the many mamak stalls
around KL, and be amazed with myriad of dishes you can choose to have your rice with!

CENDOL (PERANAKAN FOOD)

Under the hot sweltering sun of Kuala Lumpur, the traditional dessert cendol looks tempting.
Cendol is the green worm-like jelly made of rice flour, and combined with shaved ice, palm
sugar and red beans, and is usually sold along the streets of Kuala Lumpur (although it is not
unusual to find in Malaysian restaurants either), so hunt for a stall when youre walking about
in the city, and opt for this amazingly simple cure for the heat.

ASAM PEDAS ( PERANAKAN FOOD)

Asam pedas is a fish dish that is, like a lot of dishes in Malaysia, usually enjoyed with a plate of
rice. Asam pedas means sour spicy, and it stays true to its name; the main ingredients are dried
chillies, tamarind, belacan and shallots, and when combined with the fish (usually stingray or
Spanish mackerel), it is a tantalizing combination with just the right amount of both flavours,
making it one of the most loved Malaysian dishes of all time.

ROJAK ( INDIAN FOOD)

Rojak is a type of salad with a lot of varieties. If youre at a mamak stall, you may opt for a
serving of rojak mamak, which would consist of hard boiled eggs, fried dough fritters, bean
curds, potatoes, cuttlefish, cucumbers, with spicy peanut sauce on top. Another common
version is the fruit rojak, where some of the ingredients are substituted for fruits such as
pineapple and jicama, and topped off with a special dressing made of belacan, chilli and lime
juice.

BANANA LEAF RICE ( INDIAN FOOD)

If you dont mind eating with your hands, and having them smell strongly of curry afterwards,
then banana leaf is something that you need to roll your sleeves up for. Rice is served on a
banana leaf as opposed to the usual plates together with servings of curries, vegetables, pickles
and papadom, and if you want to show your appreciation towards the finger-licking food, you
may fold the banana leaf inwards after you have finished it, and if youre feeling quite the
opposite, outwards!

RENDANG ( MALAY FOOD)

Now, who doesnt love rendang? Recently voted by readers of CNN International as the
number one dish in Worlds 50 Most Delicious Foods, many recognize rendang as their
favourite and it isnt hard to see why. Rich in spices and slowly cooked to perfection, rendang is

a spicy fare and can usually be seen during religious festivals such as Eid. There are many
variants to rendang, and one can opt to cook rendang with other main ingredients such as
chicken or mutton, but beef remains as the more popular version of this dish.