1.

FOOD

Malaysia has many kinds of restaurants almost everywhere in the cities and towns. There are Malay Restaurants, Chinese restaurants, Indian Restaurants, Thai Restaurants and more. Eating out in Malaysia is a real gastronomic adventure. There is such a great variety; spicy Malay Food, a seemingly endless variety of Chinese food, exotic cuisine from North and South India, as well as Nyonya and Portuguese Food. Popular Malaysian dishes include satay, nasi lemak, rendang, roti canai, murtabak, laksa, chicken rice, and fried noodles. Western cuisine is also easily available. In addition, international fast food chains operate in major towns side by side with thousands of road side stalls and food bazaars.

Malay Food

Variety is the spice in Malay food. The traditional culinary style has been greatly influenced by the long-ago traders from neighboring countries, such as Indonesia, India, the Middle East, and China. Malay food is often described as spicy and flavorful as it utilizes a melting pot of spices and herbs. Malay cooking incorporates ingredients such as lemon grass, pandan (screwpine) leaves, and kaffir lime leaves. Fresh herbs, such as daun kemangi (a type of basil), daun kesum (polygonum or laksa leaf), nutmeg, kunyit (turmeric) and bunga kantan (wild ginger buds) are often used. Traditional spices such as cumin and coriander are used in conjunction with Indian and Chinese spices such as pepper, cardamom, star anise and fenugreek. Seasonings play an important role in Malay cooking as they often enhance the food taste and flavors. Many of the seasonings are not dried spices but are fresh ingredients such as fresh turmeric, galangal, fresh chili paste, onions, and garlic. A combination of fresh seasonings and dried spices are normally pounded together to make a fine paste and cooked in oil. Fresh coconut milk is often added. Rice is the staple diet in any Malay meal. It is often served for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and supper too. Most meals are eaten by using your fingers, and eating utensils are kept to a minimum. All dishes are served at the same time, accompanied by a refreshing drink. Fish is popular in Malay cooking, as with other seafood such as shrimps and cuttlefish. Beef and mutton are very popular choices but never pork as it is against their religious beliefs to eat pork. The other popular white meat is chicken. One of the most unique Malay dishes is the "roti jala" (lacy pancakes), which sometimes replaces the staple rice. Roti jala is an ideal accompaniment to any dish with lots of rich gravy and is often served during special occasions. It is made from a mixture of plain flour and eggs, with a pinch of turmeric powder and butter. Desserts are a must for any Malay meal. Easily available at most local restaurants and roadside stalls, Malay desserts are invariably very sweet and include ingredients such as coconut milk, palm sugar, and flour 2

Popular Malay dishes include : -

Nasi Lemak

Daging Rendang

Satay

Ikan Bakar

Keropok Lekor

Ayam Masak Merah

Roti Jala

Ulam Pegaga 3

Malay Kuih :-

Lemang

Rurry Puff

Onde-Onde

Seri Muka

Kuih Bahlu

Kuih Tepung Pelita

Kuih Penyaram

Kuih Seri Ayu 4

Chinese Food

Chinese dishes are a huge part of the Malaysian food experience. The Chinese have had close relations with the Malay Peninsular for centuries mainly as trading partners. But the main influx of Chinese immigrants happened during the British occupancy during the late 1800s, when they were brought in to work in the tin mines. Their main intention was to work for a couple of years and then return home with their money but many decided to stay on, and introduced Malaysia to the Chinese dishes, culture and language The Chinese dishes derive from the various Chinese dialects which are mainly Cantonese, Hokkien, Hainanese, Teochew and Hakka. Chinese dishes tend to be a lot less spicier than the other Malaysian food and usually contain a limited amount of spices but over the decades, there have been spicy variations invented because of the close relationships between all the races in Malaysia. Cantonese food offers some of the more popular Chinese dishes among Malaysan food choices. While you can order food for a single diner, Cantonese dishes are more appropriate to be eaten in a group where rice or noodles is served as the main dish and a variety of side dishes can be sampled

Popular Chinese dishes include : -

Hainan Chicken Rice

Steam Fish

Bah Kut Teh

Young Tau Fu

Clay Pot Rice

Chicken Herbal soup

Sesame Chicken

Chinese Cuisine 6

Chinese kuih include : -

Zhu Chang Fen

Kuih Ang Ku

Cakoi

Kuih Chang

Kuih Ban Chan

Kuih Bom

Pau

Dim Sam 7

India Food
Indian influence in Malaysian cuisine started in the 19th century when large arrivals of Indian migrants were brought into the country as contract laborers to work in rubber estates and on the railways. Some did take the opportunity to set up trade in the textile and food industry. Indian cuisine can be divided into two mainstreams, Northern and Southern Indian cuisine. North Indian cuisine boasts of a diet rich in meat and uses spices and ingredients such as yogurt and ghee in dishes that are elaborate without being overly spicy. Here, bread and chapati (wheat-flour pancakes) replaces rice, which is the center of most South Indian meals. Coconut milk, mustard seeds, and chilies are also widely used in the Southern province. Spices are the heart and soul of Indian cooking. But the quantity and proportions vary with the geographical boundaries. Curry powder is almost never used. Spices are freshly grounded and added in many different combinations. Spices commonly used are coriander, turmeric, cumin, chilies, fennel, and fenugreek. Other fragrant spices added are cardamom, clove, cinnamon and star aniseed. In Malaysia, there is an abundant of Indian restaurants and food stalls to whet your appetite. They are traditionally served on a thali, a circular metal tray on which a number of small bowls called katori, also made from metal, are placed. Eaten with fingers, rice or bread are placed directly on the thali while curries and other dishes are served in the bowls. For South Indian cuisine, banana leaves are often used as plates where rice is served in the center, followed by various curries and accompaniments around it. These include dried fish, pappadams (lentil wafers), fresh chutneys made from herbs, coconut, and acid fruits among others. Local Indian hawkers have created unique versions of local dishes, which are not found in India. For example, "mee goreng" is a combination of fresh Chinese yellow noodles, tofu, bean-sprouts, and dried shrimp paste. Malaysia also abounds with shops offering "Nasi Kandar", which is basically a combination of Malay and Indian cuisine - hence very Malaysian although the taste is more robust. This concept came about when "nasi" (rice) hawkers would previously "kandar" (balance a pole on the shoulder with two huge containers on both ends) their wares. 8

Bread is the main item in most meals in North Indian cuisine. Therefore, a wide variety of bread is offered at these restaurants. Nann (leavened bread with poppy seeds) is a popular choice. The bread dough is rolled out and then slapped on the inside of the tandoori, near the top where it cooks very quickly in the fierce heat. It is then flavored with onion or garlic. Paratha, meanwhile, is rich, flaky, and flavored with ghee. It can be eaten as an accompaniment or by itself, filled with potatoes and peas. Chapati is another leavened bread. It resembles flat discs and has a delightful flavor and chewy texture. Tandoori dishes are the most popular main courses in North Indian restaurants. Tandoori chicken is always a favorite, where a whole baby chicken or chicken quarters are roasted in the clay oven for several hours in advance and then finished off on the barbecue.

Popular India dishes include : -

Nasi Briyani

India Curry

Tandoori Chicken

Nasi Kandar

Butter Chicken

Dal

India Chutney

India fried noodle 10

India dishes include : -

Roti Canai

Chapati

Muruku

Papadam

Tosai

Vadai

Paratha

Kuih Cincin 11

2. Clothes

Most Malaysians dress as Westerners do but many Muslim women wear long skirts/pants and head scarves. On special occasions, people from each ethnic group wear their traditional clothes. Malays: For Malay women, they wear the baju kurung; Malay men wear the baju melayu with a songkok on the head. Alternatively, the men wear batik shirts with trousers.

Indians: Indian women wear the sari. The salwar kameez or Punjabi suit is popular with northern Indian ladies. The kurta is the traditional attire for men on formal occasions.

Chinese women: The traditional clothes for Chinese women is the cheongsam (literally 'long dress') or qipao.

12

Clothes in Malaysia

Malay clothes Baju Kurung Melayu Kebaya Nyonya

Baju Melayu Lelaki

Baju Batik

India clothes

Saree

Punjabi

13

Sherwani

Kurta Pajama

Chinese clothes Cheong Sam Samfu

Qi Pao

Samfu

14

Cultural Dance

Malay Dance

Zapin Dance

Malay Dance

Chinese Dance

Fan Dance

Ribbon Dance

India Dance

Odisi

Kuchipudi

15

3. FESTIVAL

Malaysia is a country of multi-ethnic society practising multi-culturalism and multi-religion. Each ethnic group practises its own religion and belief which means various festivals are celebrated throughout the year. These festivals are usually celebrated either nationwide or at state level. "Open house" concept is practised almost all the festivals, which means inviting relatives and friends to partake in the food and festivity occasion. Some of these festivals are public holidays.

16

Festival

Hari Raya Aidilfitri

Tahun Baru Cina

Baju Melayu Lelaki

Hari Deepavali

Hari Natal

17

Open House

Majlis Terbuka Tahun Baru Cina

Majlis Rumah Terbuka Tahun Baru Cina di Dewan MCA, Kuala Lumpur

Majlis Rumah Terbuka Raya

Majlis Rumah Terbuka Malaysia Deepavali 2011

18