I was feeling sentimental about missing home, which was only exacerbated by returning back to classes after a short winter break in Malaysia. Hence, for my cultural post this month, I thought I’d explore an aspect of Malaysian culture that is undeniably essential: the food.
Here are two of the local dishes that I got to taste at home. Both of them, and their variations, have ties back to both Malaysian Malay and Indian culture.
Malay - Rojak
The word ‘rojak’ is Malay for mixture/mixed. It’s typically used informally; ‘campur’ is the word more commonly used to describe it. Part of this is due to the fact that rojak also refers to this local salad dish. It is often described as a complex combination of sweet, savoury, and spicy flavors. The beauty of rojak is the flexibility of ingredients; you can add anything, and it counts as rojak, hence the name. It truly is a representation of Malaysia, one with diverse regional variations.
Typically, rojak is recognisable by its distinct dark sauce, made of tamarind paste, prawn paste, molasses, palm sugar, and chilli. When tasting this dish back in the day, I remember experiencing a mix of textures, from the soft, squishy pineapples to the grit of the young unripe mango, and of course, the crispiness of the fritters, added at the end to ensure it doesn’t soften with the fruits. Back then, however, I wasn’t the most fond of the taste of rojak; it was too overpowering for me.
The above picture isn’t the “authentic” rojak that is a part of Malay, specifically Javanese culture. This picture is of an Indian variation: pasembur. In principle, they are the same dish, made with a mixture of fruits and vegetables. While having similar flavor profiles, they differ in the sauce, with pasembur having a sweet potato sauce and also having a hard-boiled egg.
Indian - Roti Canai
The picture above is a variation of the staple Indian-Muslim dish, roti canai. Before I get into the variation, I’ll discuss the original dish.
When one thinks of Malaysian food, nasi lemak comes to mind. However, another staple Malaysian breakfast item that I feel is neglected in conversation is roti canai. It is an Indian flatbread dish, simply made with flour, water, and a type of fat. The beauty of roti canai, however, isn’t in the flatbread itself, but in its role as a vessel for more flavors. Given the simplicity of the dish, which I’ll add is very tasty on its own, it is elevated by a variety of different sauces. The classic is the dal, a popular lentil stew from Indian cuisine with a deeply savory taste. To add a Malaysian twist, some stores add sambal, a form of chilli sauce/paste, to the dal. Many people eat roti canai with various types of curry, from kari ayam (chicken curry) to kari ketam (crab curry). The most popular sauce is kari ikan, or fish curry. Some people choose to eat roti canai with white sugar. While some people question its authenticity, it is undeniable that it tastes good, even with sugar or curry.
The image above depicts a new variation that I recently got to try while visiting my mom’s hometown, Taiping, Perak. Roti sarang burung directly translates to bird’s nest bread. Don’t be alarmed, however, it isn’t an actual bird's nest! It is simply roti canai, with two half-boiled eggs in the middle, mimicking the look of a bird's nest. This is an example of a variation that is tied more closely to Malay culture. Given the simplicity of roti canai, there are many variations available: from the classic staples of roti tisu, roti planta, and roti telur, to more complex interpretations like roti ular (shaped like a snake), roti milo, and roti banjir (flooded with sauces).
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