One of the most popular dishes of Malaysian cuisine is the specialty related to Malay culture: Nasi Lemak, a course of rice cooked in coconut milk, enriched with various side dishes. Considered by many to be Malaysia’s national dish.
“Nasi” in the Malay language means “rice”, while “lemak” is to be considered in this case as “rich” or “creamy” … although the literal translation would be “fat” or “oily”.
The taste is unique and delicious, the coconut give flavor to the rice that is cooked in the pandan leaves (an exotic plant) making it really special and rich.
To the white deliciously cooked rice is added a series of side dishes that in the original concept, linked to the Malay tradition, consist of: small dried anchovies, sambal (a spicy sauce typical of the area), cucumber, toasted peanuts and an egg.
If you want, to complete the meal and make it more substantial, you can order cuttlefish with sambal, fried chicken (ayam goreng), rendang beef (another typical and spicy sauce), grilled fish and many other variations of chicken, beef, fish cooked in the typical style of the area.
Nasi lemak is not just a Malaysian specialty but can also be found in neighboring states such as Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei and Southern Thailand.
Traditionally it is eaten for breakfast, but it’s also found for lunch or dinner in restaurants.
The various influences of the cultures present in the area have been reinterpreted the Malay traditional nasi lemak in few different versions such as Indian (usually served with curry and never beef), Chinese (containing pork, not allowed in the original version as part of the Muslim culture), Indonesian and Singaporean.
A delight that can be appreciated by everyone as it doesn’t have particularly strong tastes (except for the sambal sauce that can be spicy) and that has several variations without meat or fish that can be perfect for vegetarians.
