Taste Malaysia’s gastronomy

A melting pot of ingredients and influences at taste of London 2012 ot try a recipe yourself.

Malaysian cuisine is as diverse as the nation itself, fusing the culinary traditions and flavours of Asian, Arabian and European cooking, making it an appetising destination to visit for food lovers and Channel 4 Food has named Malaysian cuisine as a top trend for 2012. British Travellers also site gastronomy in their top 5 reasons to choose a holiday destination.

Each state in Malaysia has something different to offer in terms of culinary delights, with the capital Kuala Lumpur offering the most diverse range of food from all over the world. Areas such as Ipoh and Penang receive many tourists who visit specifically to savour local favourites, such as asam laksa, which is a delicious combination of rice noodles and spicy fish gravy and the aromatic char koay teow made from flat rice noodles stir fried with soy sauce, prawns, cockles, chilli, bean sprouts and Chinese chives. The Kelantan region is a true celebration of Malay culture, serving exotic Malay food rich in flavour, whilst the town of Kajang in the Selangor region is reputed to serve the best satay (skewers of thick, succulent meat barbecued over charcoal embers) in the country. Malacca, in the southern region, is home to delicious Baba Nyonya food, much of it served in quaint cafés in historical shophouses.

Andrea Loddo, Head of Product at Hayes & Jarvis said: “Food for the gods…with Chinese, Malay and Indian influences, food is a feast for the eye and even the flavour is superb! Chicken satay is Malaysia’s famous speciality but locals dine buffet style, nasi campur with steamed rice and a choice of meat and vegetables.”

Malaysia’s culinary tradition has resulted in the country producing some of its own world renowned chefs. Chef Wan (Redzuawan Ismail) is the ‘Food Ambassador of Malaysia’ who has successfully travelled the world introducing the culinary art of Malaysian Cuisine. Penang born, but now Manchester based, Norman Musa is a rising star as a chef proprietor of the new Ning Restaurant in York, whilst Caroline Mi Li Artiss is another up and coming Malaysian chef. Caroline is half Malaysian and half English, specialising in Malaysian and Asian cuisine, producing healthy recipes and meal plans.

Caroline and Norman both campaign on behalf of ‘Malaysia Kitchen’, a Malaysian Government initiative that aims to educate and inform British consumers about the inspiring world of Malaysian cuisine and inspire British Tourists to visit Malaysia. Visit www.malaysiakitchen.co.uk for more information, to locate one of the 50+ UK Malaysian restaurants near you, try the 12 recipes and find details on where to find their ingredients. The initiative has recently seen Chef Norman and Chef Caroline cooking and distributing fresh Malaysian cuisine on the ‘Malaysia Kitchen Street Food Tour’ that took in 5 UK cities and this will be repeated at Taste of London on 21–24 June 2012. Alternatively, visit Malaysia during Fabulous Food 1Malaysia – Malaysia’s own International Gourmet Festival taking place throughout October. Master Chef winner Tim Anderson is the 2011/12 official Malaysia Kitchen Ambassador and Tim has demonstrated how to cook the perfect Malaysian dish at events throughout the UK, following in Gary Rhodes and Rick Stein’s footsteps.

Tim Anderson, 2011/2012 official Malaysia Kitchen Ambassador talks of his culinary travels to Malaysia: “Whenever I travel to a new country, I make a point to visit at least one grocery store while I’m there. They’re like living museums; collections of objects that comprise and nourish a culture and Malaysia is no different”.

To become the real envy of the dinner party circuit, share your Malaysian holiday experiences as well as tastes. A great way for holiday makers to sample truly traditional cuisine is to visit Malaysia on a homestay programme. Malaysia ‘s communities have opened up their homes to allow foreign guests to taste the village lifestyle. During the homestay, guests can receive cooking lessons, learn how to gather and prepare a meal with the host family.

Follow TravelDailyNews Asia-Pacific in Google News

Theodore Koumelis

Co-Founder & Managing Editor - TravelDailyNews Media Network | + Articles

Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.