Does Malaysia have a national dish? No authority or national agency has yet come forward to set things in stone, but by default, that honour would have to go to nasi lemak.
Simply rice cooked in coconut milk (knotted pandanus leaves and even ginger or a stalk of lemon grass may be tossed into the pot to add fragrance), imparting a creamy texture to the grains, nasi lemak is available on almost every street corner and in almost every local-themed restaurant, served with everything from chicken to beef to cuttlefish.
It can be eaten at any time - breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, lunch, tea, dinner, supper, post-boozeup - and the mingling of flavours and textures (creamy, hot & spicy, crunchy, nutty, etc) makes it simply … sheer ambrosia.
Essential condiments:
Fried ikan bilis (anchovies)Fried peanutsCucumber slicesWedges of hardboiled egg (variations: fried eggs, or slices of omelette)Sambal (a kind of cooked chili paste, plain with onions or with ikan bilis too)
Extras:
Chicken curry or rendangBeef curry or rendangMutton curry or rendangCuttlefish sambal or curryChicken liver and gizzard curryFried chickenFried cow lung (paru)Begedil (potato cutlets sometimes mixed with minced meat)Dried prawns sambal (some non-halal outlets cook this with minced pork)Cockles in sambalStewed kangkong (water spinach)
Some of the ways nasi lemak is sold/served:
Nasi lemak bungkus: "Bungkus" is Bahasa Melayu for "pack" or "wrap" and this is exactly what you get here - a simple pre-packed serving of nasi lemak topped with sambal, a sprinkling of fried peanuts and ikan bilis, sliced cucumber and a wedge of hardboiled egg.
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