Malaysian Food

For years Malaysia have been the hot spot for tourists all over the world who crave the hot and spicy cooking. It is also the ultimate food destination worldwide and steps have been taken by the government to make it a global HALAL hub.

Learn about Malaysia

Malaysian Restaurants in Houston

People who long for gourmet foods in Malaysia need not grumble, they can easily find it everywhere as long as they've the urged to do so. The famous source for inspired Malaysian cooking is non-other than Chef Wan, our own Malaysian food ambassador

For years now he has been making Malaysian proud with his creative cooking tours and promotions abroad. Today Chef Wan is one of the committee members of The Flavour of Life World Media Festival which is the premier cookery groups on the planet. He single handedly transformed the traditional Malaysian cooking into international icons recognized by foreigners through the many accolades, including the Gourmand Media World Award.

Now people all over the world can access Chef Wan and other Malaysian chef celebrities in numerous Malaysian award winning recipe books like 'Chef Wan Mengelilingi Dunia' (Chef Wan Around the World) and Betty Saw's 'Semuanya Tauhu! Lebih Dari 100 Resipi Kreatif' (All Beancurds, More Than 100 Creative Recipes) available at leading bookstores and the internet.

The internet revolution has also revolutionized Malaysian cooking. Now people just need to click to download Malaysian cooking on the web. Apart from that people can also watch the Malaysian chef and Malaysian cooking in action on television through the many Malaysian cooking programs available abroad and locally.

With the newly formed Asian Food Channel (AFC) where Malaysian Chef Wan at the helm, people can expect the ultimate resource in Malaysian food. Even the Famous Martha Stewart had decided to promote Malaysian cooking on her show on February 2006, which goes to show the appeal of Malaysian foods.

Nowadays many hotels abroad have opted to adopt Malaysian recipes in their menus such as the Shangri-La and JWW Marriott, which goes to show the global impact of Malaysian cooking.

Even the Malaysian embassies often organize food events to promote Malaysian foods abroad in support of the Malaysian food fest which is gaining popularity with the foreigners. The embassies also hold 'Open House' during Eid and other Malaysian festivals to celebrate their foreign dignitaries with great Malaysian cooking thus introducing Malaysian foods to the guests.

The introduction of Malaysian food can also be traced in Malaysian weddings held occasionally in the various Malaysian embassies which attracted a fair number of foreigners. The Malaysian culture centre worldwide through the Malaysian Tourism Board frequently organize tea parties and dinner functions in an effort to promote extensively Malaysian cooking overseas. The gatherings always gather exceptional responses from the public as they learn of the good foods on the offering.

Nowadays Malaysian restaurants are mushrooming overseas, like in New York, Melbourne and London. 'Satay' one of the most popular Malaysian dishes is a must in their menu. 'Satay' is marinated chicken, beef or mutton are skewered onto bamboo sticks and grilled over hot charcoal and is served with ketupat (rice boiled in coconut leave) and served with sliced cucumber, onions and peanut sauce for dipping.

The 'Satay Kajang' franchise has opened up several branches overseas, mainly in Australia and England over the years and has become a one stop centre for Malaysian foods in these countries, especially the Malaysian traditional cuisines, rivaling those of Chinese, Indian and Thai foods, traditionally the foreigner's favourite. Generally it's not hard to find gourmet foods in Malaysia. Locals and foreigners only need the right resource to find the right stuffing.

Houston Asian Restaurants Guide >> Malaysian Food

Kinds of Malaysia Gourmet Foods

1. Nasi Lemak-
rice cooked in coconut milk and eaten with a range of side dishes and condiments. (click on photo to enlarge)

2. Satay- pieces of meat skewered on thin sticks, grilled over a charcoal fire and dipped in a spicy peanut sauce that's somewhat thicker than rojak gravy. The town of Kajang in Selangor is famous for its satay, and many of its townsfolk have set up branches in other parts of the country. (click on photo to enlarge)

3. Banana Leaf Rice- Another type of meal that has crossed over from its ethnic origins (South Indian) to become a national favorite is banana leaf rice, rice that's eaten off a banana leaf with an accompaniment of meats, curries, vegetables, pickles and crispy pappadoms. (click on photo to enlarge)

4. Nasi Kandar
Originated in Penang, consists of rice, curry and vegetables. although the Indian Muslim vendors who originated it would just have a few dishes to go with the rice, today's nasi kandar shops boast everything from curries to freshly fried meat and fish to seafood in elaborate, bountiful spreads. (click on photo to enlarge)