Malaysian and Indonesian cuisines: Food served in Malay restaurants around Singapore is influenced by methods that arrived with migrants from the Malay peninsula, as well as from the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra.
Malaysian cuisine reflects the multi racial aspects of Malaysia. Various ethnic groups in Malaysia have their own dishes but many dishes in Malaysia are derived from multiple ethnic influences.
Like in other East Asian cuisines, rice and noodles are the base for every meal and they come in an array of tastes, shapes and different cooking methods.
Local ingredients are commonly used, especially coconut and its byproducts, as well as peanut sauce and a large variety of spices.
The Malay cuisine is reputed for being spicy and even hot. It somewhat resembles the cuisines of South India though it maintains its own "culinary independence".
One of the most notable dishes is Satay; mouthwatering pieces of grilled meat on bamboo skewers that are served with various spicy seasoning. Satay is a classic street-snack and makes a perfect light meal. It can be found in many food centers and market stalls and it comes with various types of meat, such as chicken, mutton, lamb, beef, pork, fish, prawns, etc...
Nasi goreng is an Indonesian and Malaysian version of fried rice - that is what it means in both languages. The main difference compared to fried rice is that it is cooked with sweet soy sauce. It is often accompanied by additional items such as a fried egg, fried chicken, satay, or krupuk (fried crackers / chips made of shrimp or vegetables).
Bakmi Goreng (Fried Noodles) served with eggs, sometimes chicken, beef or seafood, with assorted vegetables such as thinly sliced carrots (bok choi) or Chinese cabbage.
Gado-gado is a traditional Indonesian dish that comprises a vegetable salad served with a peanut sauce dressing. It contains lettuce, bean sprouts and many other vegetables...
Soto ayam is a dish of spicy chicken soup with vermicelli, commonly found in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. The soup is yellow in colour due to the use of turmeric as one of its ingredients. Besides chicken, the soup is served with hard-boiled eggs, slices of fried potatoes, celery leaves, and fried shallots.
Nasi Padang is a general name for a series of curry dishes originated from Padang region in Sumatra, Indonesia where most of the food involves coconut milk and heavy taste of chili.
Ketupat is a type of rice dumpling that has been wrapped in a woven palm leaf pouch which is then boiled. As the rice cooks, the grains begin to expand to fill the pouch and the rice becomes compressed. This method of cooking gives the ketupat its characteristic form and texture of a rice dumpling. It is usually served as an accompaniment to satay but, more commonly, it is eaten with Rendang, a type of beef curry slowly cooked in coconut milk and spices for several hours until almost all the liquid is gone, leaving the meat coated in the spicy condiments.
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You may also want to read about other Asian cuisines in Singapore...
Indian cuisines
Peranakan (Nonya) cuisine
Thai and Vietnamese cuisines
Japanese and Korean cuisines
