Sitting here on my bed with my laptop on my lap and some tea to sip on at 3 in the morning (sorry mum. I'll go to sleep soon), I can't help but to feel hungry for some very specific dishes. Specifically, these are dishes that can be widely found in both Malaysia and Singapore (some of which have stirred some debate over the years) which can never be found anywhere else in the world; they may be Chinese, Indian and Malay but you will never find them anywhere in China, Taiwan, India, and Indonesia. Enough with my lengthy introduction as some of you may be on the morning throne and your legs are about to go numb.
1. Bah Kut Teh ( 肉骨茶/ Meat Bone Tea?)
For my Muslim friends, this is not halal and if you have tried it and liked it (I know some of you city kids who like to have a little fun have ;) heheh), I won't tell anyone but no matter who you are, you know it is so so so so so so good. It is simply rich in flavor from the herbs that go into making the soup to the juices from the pork bone which acts as a catalyst of flavor for the overall dish. I can still vividly picture the variety I would get like the "大骨" or "小骨" (big bone or small bone) and the dried version as well as the vegetables that you have to order with it and other side dishes like stingray or some fish (OOOHH MYYY GOOOD).
However, our neighbors down south across the Causeway have a different variety of Bah Kut Teh which is made from a peppery soup as opposed to the herbal soup version. This has sparked some debate on which is best and to be honest, I don't care because they are unique in different ways. (To my friends from China, you guys are missing out). It is so good in fact that the queue to get a table can last up to an hour and sometimes more (usually at the Teluk Pulai one in Klang and some in Singapore).
2. Nasi Lemak (椰浆饭/ fat rice?)
Okay I'm just kidding its not called fat rice but I'm guessing it is called coconut milk rice. This is undoubtedly the most popular dish in Malaysia which millions of people of all ages and social status enjoy on a daily basis. You can find it anywhere from the streets at residential areas and outside office buildings to upscale malls. They are unique as there is simply no limit to this dish in terms of the choices of ingredients you can add to it on top of the basic Nasi Lemak. I'm going to lose the attention of my western friends here but dishes range from Fried Chicken (Berempah), Ayam or Daging rendang to sambal cuttlefish and whatever you want. There are simply no limits so much so that I have seen people adding durian but sorry guys and gals, I find that utterly disgusting.
3.Roti Canai/ Prata (Paratha)
Believed to be from the Indian dish "Paratha", this Malay variant of it can be found around South East Asia. As far as my research went, the ones in Thailand and Indonesia are boring (sorry not sorry). In Malaysia and Singapore, we have them as standard (of course) with other variations of it filled with egg, sugar, butter, bananas, anchovies, Milo, cheese, garlic, margarine, mutton, beef, chicken, instant noodles, and the list goes on and on and on and on. The best part is it is available 24/7 all year long along with a glass of Teh Tarik and for some of you, Premier League football (soccer). Besides the basic roti canai, you also have different ways it can be made like roti tissue (which is not made of tissue), murtabak, tossai, and many more. Dipped in fish curry and some dahl, you will know why so many people in Malaysia are rather plump.
4. Char Kueh Teow (炒粿條/ fried Kueh Teow noodles)
As some of my Chinese friends may be confused by the spelling compared to the Chinese words, it is actually read in the hokkien (福建) dialect. Again, this can not be found anywhere in China and if you do, please take the next flight out to Malaysia. As spicy as the dish is, so are the debates to who does it best. It's always a rivalry between the north and south which does include Singapore. If our countries ever go to war, it would probably be a cook-off. The ingredients of the dish are made up of the noodles, spring onions, bean sprouts, fish cake, sometimes fishball, and for some people, a lot of cockles (see hum). Other ingredients can be found as well but man are they good no matter where you go.
(BONUS) 5. LAKSA
As Malaysians/Singaporeans, we are very aware of Laksa and frankly, I believe this is the most debated dish throughout the region as we are talking about Northern (Penang), Southern (Johor and Singapore) as well as our eastern peninsular in Sarawak. It's always a debate on who's best especially when CNN places Singapore Laksa on the 44th spot and Penang Asam Laksa on the 26th spot on the world's 50 best foods list. One thing we can all agree on is Indonesian rendang does not deserve the number 1 spot. The Laksa dish itself is a spicy seafood noodle soup where different regions use different noodles and different soup mixtures for its recipe. But hey, they are all different and once again, you can't find them anywhere else.
Thanks for bearing with me through my midnight hunger and cravings. I may have tortured some of you but when this virus has died down, let's head back and indulge in all this "gao-gao" (to the max- direct translation: enough enough). Stay safe out there everyone! We are all in this together.
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