Cikgu Rachael's Top 5 Malaysian Food/Beverage List

After a year of living and eating in Malaysia, what did Cikgu Rachael vote as her top 5 favorites?

#1 Roti Canai

Fellow ETA and friend, Jonathan, and I
indulging in roti canai!

Roti canai is actually a flatbread with Indian influence. It can be found all over Malaysia in stalls, as well as in Besut. My favorite place to get roti canai in Besut was at Nasi Kandar, which was a little restaurant near my house. In general, it is circular and flat, as well as flaky and soft. It is served with curry and dhal, which is a lentil curry. The process to make roti canai is actually quite difficult because the dough needs to be twirled until it is a thin sheet and then folded into a circular shape. When the fellow Terengganu ETAs and I arrived in our respective state for state-level orientation, we found a stall that sold it. Our friend asked if they could teach us to make it, so the man gave us a small hand cloth to practice twirling. It did not work out so well.

This is how roti canai is typically served. 

When the other Fulbrighters and I first arrived in Malaysia, we ate it practically everyday for the first few months. When our baju karungs and pants became a little tighter, some of us (including me) decided to cut back before we gained the ‘Fulbright 15.

Roti tissue drizzled with sugar, milk
and yummy goodness!

There are many different variations of roti canai, such as:

 Roti tissue (my mom and sister’s favorite) – flatbread with sugar and folded upward

Roti pesang – roti with bananas

Roti telur – roti with egg. Many of us tried to see it as an American omelette with some sort of nutritional value.

#2 Teh Tarik

Hot and yummy teh tarok!

Similar to my obsession with roti canai during my first few months in Malaysia, teh tarik became the replacement to my Starbucks Grande non-fat, no whip Mocha that I always had in America. Without any Starbucks or real coffee in Terengganu (they had instant coffee there), I turned to teh tarik. Like roti canai, teh tarik is an Indian influenced hot milk tea beverage. It can be found in virtually any restaurant or outdoor stall in southeastern Asian countries, especially Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. Teh tarik literally means “pulled tea” because it is made through a process of “pulling” the drink during preparation. All in all, it involves heavily concentrated black tea, condensed milk and evaporated milk. The lady in my school canteen actually taught me how to make teh tarik, and I look forward to putting my skills to the test here in America in the near future!

           

#3 Sate Ayam

Sate ayam at the local food stall in Jerteh, Terengganu!

Similar to kebabs, sate ayam (chicken satay) are thin pieces of seasoned, grilled chicken put onto little skewers. It was served with incredible peanut sauce, as well as sticky, moist rice cakes. My roommate and I always enjoyed getting sate ayam from a stall in a market in Jerteh, the small city about fifteen minutes from us. In fact, the stall owners became quite familiar with us as well.

#4 Nasi Goreng Ayam

The first nasi goreng I had in Malaysia!
Adjacent is a teh tarik!

The running joke at my school was Cikgu Rachael’s love (perhaps obsession) with nasi goreng ayam. Anyone who was ever with me at some point in Malaysia, knew my love for this dish. Nasi goreng ayam is a white, fried rice mixed with red chilis, peppers, onions, spices, sweet soy sauce, garlic and small chicken pieces. It was served with cucumbers on the side to cut the spiciness, and it could be served with an egg on top as well. My favorite place to get nasi goreng ayam was in my very own SMK PNZ canteen (cafeteria). Every teacher and canteen worker knew that nasi goreng ayam was my go-to dish.

#5 Biscuits Hari Raya

Chocolate biscuits!

Biscuits Hari Raya get their name because they are most commonly found during Ramadan and Hari Raya. In short, there are several variations of these cookies. However, my favorite kind are the circular, mini-sized, crumbly cookies. My favorite flavors are chocolate, as well as the peanut flavor, but the list of flavors and variations goes on and on. My favorite place to buy these were in, once again, my school’s Koperarsi (book shop).

Honorable mention:

Jamaliah with her homemade Kek Lapis!

Kek Lapis Sarawak

Kek Lapis Sarawak is a layered cake commonly served and made in Sarawak, Malaysia on special occasions. These cakes must have at least two colors, and it has a high, firm texture with layers that are held together with jam or a sticky sweet substance. I was only able to try this special cake a few times, but it was delicious. In fact, a fellow teacher from KHAS, Jamaliah, was from Sarawak and made a cake especially for me before I left Malaysia. In addition, when I went to Borneo in July 2012, my friends and I ate our way through Kuching, Sarawak sampling every Kek Lepis that we saw!

Kek Lapis Sarawak!

Food photo gallery:

Nasi goreng ayam!

Nasi goreng ayam. There were
many different variations of this dish!

There are many varieties of Biscuits Hari Raya, as seen in
this photo. The biscuits were given to me by one of my students.

The Terengganu ETA family loved to eat, and we especially loved roti canai!
In fact, we made a whole video entitled "Roti Rolls" to demonstrate our love for it!
This is part of our group at a great roti canai shop in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia!

Introduction to Malaysian Food: Halal versus Haraam

Seafood at our local 'pasar malam' (night market)
in Besut.

My readers who personally know me, know that I can be a bit of a picky eater. And, I hate to even mention it, but I am not much a seafood person. I will eat it. However, if I were to get a choice between chicken and fish, it would be chicken every time. - A little ironic that I was placed in a fishing village with an economy that is based heavily on the fishing industry.

This man is preparing fresh sugarcane juice. The way foods
are handled and prepared have to be halal for the Muslim
community. 

Halal is a term in Arabic that describes any object or action as permissible to use or engage in. This is based on Islamic law. The opposite of halal is haraam. In terms of food, halal foods are foods that follow Islamic dietary guidelines and are okay to eat. All in all, halal criteria specifies how foods must be prepared and what foods are allowed. For example, alcohol is forbidden under Islamic law, as well as pork products. Therefore, in Besut, it was not possible to find pork, a cold brew or any haraam products. In bigger Malaysian cities, both halal and haraam products could be found, but they were clearly identified and separated. For example, the grocery stores in Kuala Lumpur have the 'halal section' and a separate ‘haraam section.' Needless to say, because pork is my favorite meat, I missed it tremendously during my time in Besut, Malaysia.

Although Besut's markets and stores sold halal products,
it had no impact on my baking! My cookies were halal and
I often brought them to school for my students. This is last
Valentine's Day when I created sugar cookies for my
roommate and I to celebrate this American (and perhaps
Hallmark) holiday.

Overall, it was an eye-opening experience to live within a culture that was aware of dietary restrictions and limitations. Personally, it was not easy for me as I had never lived with dietary restrictions before. And yes, of course, there were times I craved my mom’s pork roast with a Guinness on the side, as well as nights I laid up dreaming of the cracker crust on my mom's breaded pork tenderloin. However, during my time in Besut, in terms of food, I lived halal. I respected their culture and always took it into consideration, whether it was choosing an American candy to bring into the classroom or deciding which foods to use for my English camps.