As with most Southeast Asian countries, Malaysia has an extraordinary food culture. Hungry tourists can genuinely eat their way around this majestic country, sampling dish after extraordinary dish. What makes this country so grand for the gastronome is the intense passion behind the cookery and the uniquely multicultural clash of the flavours.
Chances are, once you've chowed down in a few Malaysian eateries you will quickly be making your own list of dishes that everybody must try. For the record, however, here are our top three must-eats.
Nasi Dagang
The king of the Malaysian convenience food is Nasi Dagang. This wonderfully, deeply tasty dish comprises rice steamed in coconut milk, rich fish curry and hard boiled eggs, often served with pickled vegetables and fried coconut.
In some parts of the country it will be served for breakfast, in others only at lunch. Either way, it is a truly magnificent meal that you will find nowhere else.
Bakuteh
Bakuteh is a delicious broth that translates literally as ‘meat bone tea' and consists of pork ribs simmered with cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds, garlic, star anise and dong guai. Depending on the place you are eating, you might also find it served with offal, mushroom or tofu.
It can be found country-wide but the best place we ever tasted Bakuteh was in Restaurant Yik See Ho in the Pudu Wet Market in Kuala Lumpur. Loved by locals and tourists alike, it's a lively little spot and they specialise in this delicious dish.
Charsiew Rice
This Malaysian version of barbequed pork brings a uniquely south east Asian flavour to the dish beloved across the world. Boneless pork comes skewered with long forks, richly seasoned and grilled over a fire. It's incredibly tasty, often infused with honey, five-spice powder, tofu, soy sauce and hoison sauce.
The meat comes out dark red due to the mixture of sugar and seasoning on the skin, while the inside is beautifully, juicily, richly soft and textured. Expect to be seduced by the gorgeous waft of sweet pork before you bite into the succulent, soft inside.