Malaysian Cuisine offers a great variety like the Korean cuisine and like Indian Cuisine it is very spicy and also incorporates a lot of herbs. The dishes in Malaysian cuisine have an ethic touch and the staple foods of Malaysia are rice and noodles. The Malaysians have all the dishes in the same platter in small bowls, unlike the foods eaten in Western and Chinese dining.
A traditional Malaysian meal consists of rice, various dishes of chicken and fish made in different styles, Ulam made of raw or steamed vegetables, dipped into ‘sambal belacan’-made up of belacan (shrimp paste) blended with fresh chillies (the hotter the better), and/or with some anchovies and tamarind juice.
The main herbs used in Malaysian Cuisine are daun kemangi (a type of basil), daun kesum (polygonum or laksa leaf), nutmeg, kunyit (turmeric) and bunga kantan (wild ginger buds). The seasonings used in the Malaysian cuisine are not dried spices but freshly ground turmeric, galangal, fresh chili paste, onions, and garlic. Fresh coconut milk is often added with fish and meats to give it a creamy flavor. Seafood such as shrimp and cuttlefish is the favorite in Malaysian Cuisine. The meats used are chicken, beef and mutton. Pork is not eaten as it is against the religion.
