What food to eat on your sailing holiday in Malaysia

On a sailing holiday in Malaysia you will experience a great diversity of food, as the multi-ethnic population of Malaysia is reflected in its cuisine. The cuisine tends to be divided into the 3 major ethnic groups; Malay food which tends to be halal so rarely will you find pork dishes; Chinese dishes which often contain pork; and Indian dishes which also have a wide variety of vegetarian dishes.

In Malaysia it is very common to eat out as well as being a big part of the Malaysian culture, thus you will find many food courts in Malaysian towns and cities. Here ‘hawkers’ will prepare and cook your food fresh to order, and you can choose from many of the hawkers in one place, mixing and matching your food to your taste! Typically Malay dishes are not too spicy, so if you want to spice it up more then be sure to tell your hawker as they prepare your meal!

Some well known Malaysian dishes include;

Nasi Lemak – a delicious side of rice cooked in coconut milk, depending on regional specialities it may be accompanied with vegetables or a meat curry or even a hard-boiled egg.

Beef Rendang – a very slow cooked dish involving simmering beef in coconut milk and numerous spices until the liquid is almost completely evaporated. The tender meat is then fried in it’s oil and traditionally served with rice.

Laksa – a spicy noodle soup which is a combination of Chinese and Malay cuisine, it is often made with fish or prawns.

Ikan Bakar – a classic Malay dish comprising of fish with sambal (spice paste) chargrilled with Banana leaves over a charcoal fire.

Goreng Pisang – a popular Malay snack of banana fritters. The fritters are deep fried which caramelizes the natural sugars and have a puffy batter.