Malaysian Famous Food (NASI LEMAK)

NASI LEMAK

Nasi lemak is a dish sold in Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore and Southern Thailand. In Kuala Lumpur, it is called the national dish of Malaysia. This dish can usually be found sold side by side for breakfast.With roots in Malay culture, its name is a Malay word that literally means 'rice in cream'. The name is derived from the cooking process whereby rice is soaked in coconut cream and then the mixture steamed. Sometimes knotted screw pine (pandan) leaves are thrown into the rice while steaming to give it more fragrance. Spices such as ginger (common in Malay cuisine) and occasionally herbs like lemon grass may be added for additional fragrance.Traditionally, this comes as a platter with cucumber slices, small dried anchovies, roasted peanuts, hard boiled egg, pickled vegetables such as cucumber and hot spicy sauce (sambal). Nasi lemak can also come with any other accompaniments such as chicken, cuttlefish, cockle, and beef curry (beef stewed in coconut milk and spices). Traditionally most of these accompaniments are spicy in nature.Nasi Lemak is widely eaten in Malaysia, even as a dish served in Malaysian schools. Nasi lemak is a breakfast dish, sold early in the morning at roadside stalls in Malaysia, where it is often sold packed in newspaper, brown paper or banana leaf. However, there are restaurants which serve it on a plate as noon or evening meals, making it possible for the dish to be treated as a delicacy. Nasi lemak panas which means hot nasi lemak is another name given to nasi lemak served with hot cooked rice.