5-Day Malaysia
Itinerary

Nasi Lemak

Malaysia's national dish — coconut milk-enriched rice steamed with pandan leaves to fragrance, served with sambal (a slow-cooked dried chilli and shrimp paste condiment of enormous complexity), crispy fried anchovies, toasted peanuts, half a hard-boiled egg and cucumber slices; wrapped in banana leaf for the street version, served on a plate in a banana leaf with fried chicken for the restaurant edition.

Char Kway Teow

Penang's most iconic hawker dish — flat rice noodles stir-fried in a screaming hot wok with lard and pork fat, dark soy sauce, cockles, lap cheong (Chinese sausage), bean sprouts and chives; the charred, smoky wok hei (breath of the wok) from a experienced hawker's flame cannot be replicated at home; Penang's char kway teow hawkers are listed on the Penang Heritage Trail.

Penang Asam Laksa

Malaysia's most internationally acclaimed noodle soup — thick rice noodles in a sharp, fishy-sour broth of mackerel, tamarind, torch ginger flower and Vietnamese mint; topped with sliced pineapple, cucumber, red onion and a dollop of thick prawn paste (hae ko); ranked 7th in CNN's 50 best foods; the sourness should make you squint.

Rendang

Malaysia's most celebrated meat dish — beef slow-cooked in a paste of shallots, lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, fresh and dried chillies and coconut milk for hours until the liquid fully evaporates and the meat fries in its own rendered coconut oils; drier and more caramelised than Indonesian versions; eaten at every Hari Raya celebration.

Bak Kut Teh

Malaysia's Chinese-heritage pork rib soup — meaty spare ribs simmered in a clear herbal broth of garlic, star anise, clove, white pepper and Chinese medicinal herbs for three hours until the meat falls from the bone; Klang's version (the original) is deeply herbed; Singapore's version is peppery and clear; eaten with rice, you tiao (fried dough) and a clay pot of strong Chinese tea.