Page 195 - Westport Guide To Malaysia

THE GUIDE TO MALAYSIA 187
FOOD FROM AROUND THE STATES
A dish that transcends Malaysian borders is laksa, a fusion-style dish with Peranakan origins which exists in different varieties in different states. The
thick rice noodle delight is served in a coconut curry broth, or a sour, fish-based sauce.
Also available nationwide are light snacks like keropok lekor (fish fritters) and pisang goreng (banana fritters).
The east coast states
are renowned for their special rice dishes, such as nasi dagang, normal and glutinous rice mixed together and enjoyed with a creamy fish curry; and nasi kerabu, blue fragrant rice served with fried chicken or fish.
In the northwestern states, culinary highlights are gado gado (salad served with peanut sauce), chee cheong fun (flat rice noodles in thick sauce) and mee sua, rice vermicelli cooked in red wine.
In southern Malaysia, you will find mee bandung,
Nasi Kerabu, blue-tinged fragrant rice served with spicy side dishes, is a popular dinner choice in the East Coast states of Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan.
yellow noodles in dried- prawn-and-sweet-potato gravy, and lontong, which
is compressed rice, tofu
and other accompaniments served in a flavourful soup. Other standouts include ikan assam pedas (fish in spicy gravy), and the popular chicken rice balls of Melaka. The Peranakan (Baba Nyonya) culture originates from pre-colonial intermarriage between Chinese and Malays. This fusion is reflected in their cuisine, which includes incredibly rich curries as
well as otak-otak, grilled fish paste wrapped in banana leaf.
Malaysian Borneo offers even more diversity, with a top dish being Sabah’s nasi kuning, a turmeric-added version of the nasi lemak. Also famous is Sarawak’s manok pansoh (chicken steamed in bamboo tubes), kolo mee, and kek lapis (layer cakes). Other must- tries are lemang (glutinous rice cooked in bamboo); and fermented rice wrapped in leaves called tapai.
Linopot, a traditional wrapped hill rice dish from the Kadazandusun people of Sabah. It is traditionally served with hinava, a raw fish salad, and various side dishes.
Manok pansoh, chicken pieces steamed in bamboo tubes heated over an open fire, is the delicious signature dish of the Iban people of Sarawak.