It’s no big secret that I love my food whether it’s taking photos of food or eating them or cooking them (or trying to!) or trying to find the best places serving oh-so-delicious food! So here’s my post about it for the #LocalGuidesLove challenge that runs throughout the rest of February! Come join in the fun! Details are at the end of this post.
So, for those who don’t know me, let me recap some of the Local Guides stuff that I’ve done in the past that’s related to my love affair with food. Not too long ago, I spent 6 months with my parents during the peak of COVID in 2020 which got me posting about my hometown Kuching and the immensely famous dish, Sarawak laksa 
. It was also during that period that we put together #CommunityLive2020 which gave birth to the fun #CommunityChefChallenge and voila, I shared my dish with no name.Buon appetito! 
When I returned to the UK at the beginning of 2021, I realised that whilst I was with my parents, I absolutely missed having my own kitchen and cooking up a storm whenever I was stressed. So I started with a couple of simple posts on making soufflé pancakes and banana bread. That got me thinking and not long after, #LocalGuidesKitchen popped out of the idea oven and into the spotlight with 7 super fun episodes cooking with Local Guides from all over the world.
Following the breadcrumbs has brought us to this post in which I will share some of my favourite Malaysian dishes that I’ve been super lucky to savour in the past few months since moving back! It’s lucky because I don’t have a car so it’s not easy for me to move about. Honestly, every time I get the chance to travel out and eat, there’s an audible sigh of pleasure with each bite! Oh, the things I took for granted in the past!
Bak Kut Teh
This is a traditional Chinese dish (Wikipedia link) that’s popular in both Malaysia and Singapore. It’s essentially a pork rib dish cooked in a herbal broth. I love, love, love the herbal taste (some don’t) and it’s normally served with a selection of side dishes ranging from vegetables, char kway (deep fried dough strips that’s then cut into more bite-sized pieces), extra tofu etc, And you can also customise your broth with additions of mushrooms, tofu strips etc. I absolutely have to eat this meal with copious amounts of chopped garlic and chillies! That photo was taken at Ban Lee Bak Kut Teh restaurant.
Ais Kacang
Ais Kacang (Wikipedia link) literally translates to ice beans. It’s a popular dessert made up of shaved ice, red beans, sweet corn, cendol (green jellies), drizzled with syrup, palm sugar, evaporated milk and then covered in a healthy sprinkle of crushed peanuts. It’s just lovely and sweet and such a welcomed delight on a hot sweaty afternoon. This dish actually ranks #3 in my personal list of shaved ice desserts!
Rojak
It’s usually described as an Asian version of a fruit salad. But personally the flavours are just so different that I don’t see it a salad! It’s just a lovely snack to have. The Wikipedia article has actually reminded me of the huge varieties available throughout this region. It’s both a blessing and a curse because I love the version with the spicy-sweet-tangy sauce that I can’t seem to find where I am. The version that you see in the photo above is just sweet with sliced cucumbers, jicama, fried tofu and pineapple. I also love the version with tangy unripe mangoes. I actually have a massive craving for this dish since coming back and am constantly on the look out for it! Both the Ais Kacang and the Rojak were had at Penang Chendul.
Cendol
Yet another shaved ice dessert (Wikipedia link)! This one ranks #2 in my all-time personal favourite list of shaved ice desserts. It’s got a slightly different set of ingredients in different proportions. Cendol has more of those green jellies, less evaporated milk and more palm sugar syrup. It’s got more of that palm sugar sweetness to it. Yummy!! I had this dish at TOG Kulai. It’s not the best that I’ve had and I’ve actually not tasted a good one in a while! It’s all about getting the proportions right!
Side note: my #1 shaved ice dessert is called the Matterhorn (well, that’s what it’s called in Kuching). It’s a very simple dish: shaved ice, longans (a local fruit), sugary syrup and a good measure of lemon juice… then topped with a sliced lemon. Sometimes comes with jelly as well. So simple yet soooooo good.
Chee Cheong Fun
It’s basically steamed rolled flat noodles served as a snack (Wikipedia link). You can have them plain or with fillings (shrimp, roast pork or both). Usually comes drizzled with soy sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds. There are many varieties to this dish. The globally popular variety is the Hong Kong style but I actually don’t really like that version. I do love the local Kuala Lumpur version (as per the photo above) which has a thicker, sweeter sauce, and topped with fried shallots. It’s got no fillings and it usually comes with chilli sauce/sambal (spicy prawn paste thingy) on the side too. Growing up, whenever I visited KL on holiday, my parents would take me to a popular shop to have it so this dish comes with many good memories!
Sarawak Laksa
This dish should not need any introduction 
but in case you’re not familiar with it, it’s a vermicelli type noodle in a spicy shrimpy coconut milk curry broth. I would describe the spiciness as somewhat spicy. It’s not meant to be super spicy! You can read more about it in a previous post. Laksa lovers are usually very picky as well and can discern the differences in the broth. They will debate on what the proportion of the ingredients should be and they usually all have their own favourite places to have them! I’m thankful that I just like them all! The photo was taken at Choon Hui cafe, my mum’s favourite laksa shop!
Wantan Mee
Gosh… who knew there were multiple ways to spell this dish: wonton, wanton, wantan (Wikipedia link). This is another Cantonese dish popular in Hong Kong (and probably globally as well). Many versions available as well but I love the local version which has a darker and sweeter sauce. @StephenAbraham took me to Restoran 168 Wan Tan Mee (where the photo was taken) which is the exact style that I like! It’s very similar to my childhood memories so massive brownie points earned by Steve! Wantan mee, chee cheong fun and yong tau fu (unfortunately not mentioned in this post as I don’t have any recent photos) are all from my childhood trips to KL so they are my absolute favourites for sure.
Anyway, I hope you’ve enjoyed this post on my favourite Malaysian dishes. I’ve chosen them because I’ve managed to have them all since August 2021 when I moved back to Malaysia so the photos and the memories are all still very fresh. And the cravings are still there! There are many other dishes that I love too but these are the ones that I constantly try to hunt down!
So foodies…let’s celebrate your #LocalGuidesLove affair with food!! I know you’re itching to post that last food photo of yours so come and share your passion for food and drinks with the Local Guides community! Describe your favourite dishes, what makes them special and why you’re in love with them! Don’t forget to add #LocalGuidesLove in your title or post and tag me too (@adrianlunsong) so that I can find out more about food cravings too! And do also add links to Google Maps (I love saving places into my Foodie list) 
I’m trying my best to resume some level of activity on Connect especially when I have ideas/plans that I want to do for the rest of the year.
Oh, any food is acceptable! It’s always great to explore global cuisine and learn about dishes that I would not normally come across!