Often mixed with chilli paste, these herbs and spices are
sautéed in oil to bring out rich flavours and aroma. Other crucial flavour
enhancers that are must-haves in the Malay kitchen are tamarind paste, belacan
(dry shrimp paste) and coconut milk. A typical Malay meal comprises of white
rice, eaten with an assortment of lauk or dishes. Chicken, beef or fish, is
often cooked as asam pedas (spicy, tangy gravy); curry; sambal (fried chilli
paste); or lemak (coconut milk gravy). The vegetables, on the other hand, are
usually flavoured with belacan or dry shrimp; cooked with coconut milk; or
eaten raw or blanched as ulam, which is typically dipped into the ubiquitous
sambal belacan.
Made of finely-ground fresh chillies, belacan
and other ingredients, sambal belacan is a hot and pungent paste that is
well-loved by Malays. It is such an integral part of Malay cuisine that recipes
vary from state to state, village to village, and family to family, with each
one having its own special blend. Not quite content with all the flavours
mentioned above, Malays often enhance their meals further with the use of
strong-tasting condiments, such as budu (fermented fish sauce), pekasam (salted
and fermented fish), cencaluk (salted krill) and tempoyak (fermented durian).
While white rice is a daily staple, it
is not uncommon for Malays to add flavour to the rice itself. Take nasi lemak,
for example, which is particularly popular at breakfast. It consists of rice
cooked in coconut milk, and served with sambal, fried anchovies, toasted
peanuts, a fried or boiled egg and a few slices of cucumber. Then, there is
nasi kerabu from Kelantan and Terengganu, which is served with toasted grated
coconut, thinly-chopped raw vegetables, a paste made of fresh chillies, budu
and a salted duck egg. Another favourite from the East Coast, is nasi dagang,
which is rice cooked with coconut milk and fenugreek, served with tuna curry
and acar jelatah (pickled cucumber, carrots and pineapple).
As Malays are Muslim, they eat only
halal foods, which are foods deemed permissible under Islamic law. For example,
Malays cannot consume pork and alcohol, and the meat and poultry used in Malay
cooking must be slaughtered and prepared by a Muslim butcher in the Islamic way
During important Islamic festivals, such as Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Hari Raya
Aidiladha, the Malays prepare a range of special dishes, such as rendang (spicy meat stew), ketupat (rice cake cooked in coconut leaves),
lemang (glutinous rice cake cooked in bamboo), satay (marinated meat on skewers, grilled
over charcoal), kuah kacang (peanut sauce), sayur lodeh (vegetable stew in
coconut milk) and serunding (dry meat floss), among other festive delicacies..
At Malay weddings, the main feature is nasi minyak, which is long-grained rice
cooked with ghee and spices. It is usually served with ayam masak merah
(chicken in spicy tomato sauce), daging masak hitam (beef in dark gravy), dalca
sayur (mild vegetable curry) and acar jelatah.
While rice takes centre stage, there are
also a number of Malay noodle dishes. Consisting mainly of wheat of rice
noodles, served in different types of gravy or broth, such as mee soto, mee
Bandung, mee rebus (thick, sweet gravy) and mee goreng (fried noodles). Other
popular Malay one-dish meals are lontong and soto, which are rice cakes served
in coconut milk and broth, respectively. Be it a humble meal cooked at home, or
a lavish feast presented at a fancy restaurant, all forms of Malay food are
united by the same elements – rich flavours, delightful tastes and striking
aromas!
Example :
1.Nasi Lemak
2.Mee Rebus
3.Asam Laksa
4. Beef Rendang
5. Roti Jala
by
Syahrul,Izir and Amir
reference:http://www.bestmalaysianfood.com/roti-jala/