My Top 5 Eats in Malaysia

It’s been a tough month on my waistline. Malaysia is packed with variety, in part down to a greater number of migrant settlers (as Malaysia Tourism put it, ‘the land of many faces and races’) bringing with them their recipes as well as their heirlooms. Here’s a list of the best things I ate in Malaysia.

1. Dim Sum, Malacca

They say Penang has great dim sum. I tried three different places in Penang and wasn’t won. The dim sum joint we found in Malacca however was one of the best discoveries of my life. I have forgotten the name, but as one of about three places open before 9am in the UNESCO core site it’s easy to find. The line waiting amongst stacks of bamboo steamer baskets is your cue. The dumplings are juicy, fresh, and packed with flavour. I’m a har gao enthusiast and I wasn’t disappointed. Glistening in the early morning light, the translucent, pliable skin gave away sneaky glimpses of the juicy prawn stuffing. But the highlight were the bao. Shredded barbecued pork, still moist and saucy, enveloped in a velvety soft steamed bread. Best char siu bao of my life so far. 

He didn't stand a chance

2. Chicken Rice, Aladdin’s Cafe, Kuching

I was a bit disappointed with the Chinese food in Penang, considering the reputation. I had been looking forward to chicken rice for weeks, but like the dim sum, it was sub-par. My faith was restored in Kuching. We left at 8am to visit the orang utan sanctuary, gone for a walk, gotten lost, been found, and were driven back in Kuching. We stumbled hungrily into the first open eatery and were rewarded greatly. Chicken Rice comprises steamed or roasted chicken served with soup, chilli sauce, and the highlight of any good chicken rice, rice cooked in fatty chicken stock. Aladdin’s cafe uses only chicken legs, and the resulting rice is all the better for it.

Roast chicken rice

3. Chilli crab, Pulau Ketam (Crab Island)

A couple of hours outside of Kuala Lumpur is the elegantly named Crab Island. My partner had been to Crab Island some 10 years ago and won me over with a story about fishing village on stilts, specialising in crab served with a hammer. The journey was tedious, 90 minutes of local train through urban jungle followed by a windowless boat shaped like a dildo. But the freshly cooked crab is worth it. Buttery white meat cased in a hard shell, coated in a dry chilli sauce. We paired ours with butter prawns and simple veggies and spent the rest of the afternoon cracking claws. 

It might not look like much but it was delish.

4. Lychee flavoured mochi with peanut crumb, Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur

There’s a stall which appears every day in Chinatown, sandwiched between the pork congee and the chestnuts baking over burnt coffee beans. Ma Chee is the name. Asian sweets are polarising. Our drinks are tooth shatteringly sweet, but our sweets are more subtle and have ‘odd’ textures. Ma Chee specialises in mochi, a sweet made from glutenous rice flour. You choose your flavour, lychee, Ribena, black sesame, pandan, original or a mix. The pieces are then sliced away from a larger brick, chopped, and tossed in peanut crumbs. The mochi is chewy like a marshmallow, vaguely sweet and complimented by the peanut crunch. 

Just try it, please, for me?

5. Thosai, Penang

I’ve already denounced many Chinese style foods you find in Penang but one thing they have right is Indian food. Home to one of the better Little India’s of Malaysia, Penang has a lot of Indian fare, making it a safe haven for the often neglected vegetarians. A simple breakfast of Roti Canai, a flakey buttery flat bread cooked on a griddle and served with curry sauce, is a brilliant way to start the day. But the real winner for me had to be thosai. I have had a few in the UK, (I think they’re romanised as dosa), but none like this. A light pancake made from lentil and rice, it arrived puffed up with hot air accompanied by a trio of curry sauces. 

(I'm sorry, I forgot my camera that day!)

You might ask, where is the chicken curry, the rendang, the nasi lemak?! I actually really enjoy nasi lemak, especially served with ikan bilis (tiny fried anchovies). But oddly I never really found a nasi lemak to rival the one I have had at home. That may seem odd, but nasi lemak is such a cheap food here. I haven’t tasted a really awesome one, probably because there’s little profit in making it. 

Good... but not my fav

Other good eats worth a wee mention: 

This coffee, Kota Kinabalu (Cats make coffee)

Arabesque, KL (Cause sometimes KFC doesn't cut it for non Asian feeds)

Sarawak laksa, Kuching (tasty and vibrant, but not really my thing)

Top 5 foods of Indonesia

Obviously I didn't eat everything. I made an effort, but backpackers can't afford to buy new clothes every time the buttons start to pop. Here’s a list of the best things I ate in Indonesia. 

Suckling pig Balinese style

I know that the internet is full of everyone’s two pennies over Iku Oba’s suckling pork. I’m not an expert. But of a possible 21 meals, two were spent at Iku Oba. The business has responded to the mounting queues by carving in advance, but the product is still delicious. Moist flakes of roast meat, perfect square wafers of crackling, and spicy veggie sides served with rice on a banana leaf. Nothing goes to waste as the blood and offal are transformed into a primitive black pudding. As spit roasted pig goes, you might not get your meat fix, but you’re here for the flavours. Easily my favourite meal in Bali. 

Eat first. Photo afterthought.

Barbecued fresh lake fish at Lake Toba, Sumatra

I am mad keen for fish, keep it simple, fresh, and whole, please. Lake Toba tapped into my heart when every menu offered fresh fish from the lake. The first fish we tried was at Jenny’s (couldn’t resist). It was steamed, stained neon yellow from a giant root of turmeric, and swimming in the juices of at least six more spices. Divine. On the second day however, our twelve year old chef cooked up their speciality of barbecued fish. A couple of beers later an enormous, crisp skinned, white fleshed, juicy fish arrived, accompanied by Batak ‘spesial sos’. Each restaurant makes their sauce differently, this one was vibrantly zesty. So good, we ate it every day. 

Don't let the teeth put you off.

Nasi campur, throughout Indonesia

This is a bit of a cop out. Nasi campur, or ‘champur’, is basically the house dish. You’re never sure of what you’re going to get; you only know it will be awesome. The first one we had was a complete accident. I was becoming hungry angry, and without a Snickers to chew on we had to stop at the first place we found. The server told us all we could have was nasi campur or nasi campur spesial. What arrived was pretty simple in essence, chicken with rice. But the accompanying sides make the dish. In Bali there might be stir fried Asian spinach with coconut. In Java there might be gudeg, a sweet young jackfruit curry. In Sumatera there was often a sort of cabbage pakora. Just relax and enjoy the surprise.

Nasi campur; rice, beansprouts, tempeh, mackerel fishcake, fried shredded chicken,
peanuts, anchovies, satay chicken, boiled egg, crackers and sambal, all on one plate.

Sambal

It’s not a dish in itself. But all across Indonesia you will find your food comes crowned with a healthy serve of sambal, a chilli based condiment. This might not sound exciting, but each patch of Indonesia prepares theirs differently. In Bali they preferred a more raw product, usually chillies and shallots are marinaded and served raw. In Java, the preferred sambal is a sauce. Pulverised chillis and shallots, combined with vinegar, garlic, sugar, salt, and often fermented shrimp paste. Sambal in Lake Toba was similar, but tangier from the addition of citrus, usually calamansi.

Barbecued chicken with three types of sambal

Soto Ayam

Chicken soup, bit not as you know it. Again it is subject to regional variation. In Bali it was a clear broth served with root vegetables and shredded chicken. In Sumatra it became much more exciting. Sumatrans tend to serve their soto ayam as a slightly curried, coconut chicken broth. Both styles are warming and wholesome, though personally I preferred the simpler soto ayam in Bali, with plenty of sambal. Do it like the locals and dunk your rice in the soup.