One of my earliest
memories of tasting delicious cendol
was seated, parked in dad’s car by a cendol stall near the Kota Tinggi market.
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| Refreshing cendol |
One of our regular stops in our non-air
conditioned car en route to the waterfalls for a picnic and swim, was to enjoy
icy cool cendol. After dad placed our
order in Tamil, the vendor would pass bowls of shaved, slushy ice topped with
green worm-like jelly, through the open window to us. I was too young to hold the bowl then but
distinctly remember slurping this refreshing dessert on those sunny days.
In tours to Senai,
Kluang and Muar, I discovered that traditional cendol vendors are now third
generation members of Indian-Muslim families. Just as in other popular Malaysian food and
drinks, cendol is now served in most food courts and is also on the menu of kopitiam cafes and Asian restaurants. Having been introduced to this family
favourite at an early age, I can vouch that Indian vendors still serve the
best-tasting original recipe cendol with the right balance of coconut milk,
palm sugar or Gula Melaka and soft,
green worm-like jelly!
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| Cendol served by Indian vendor from mobile stall |
Cendol is as
familiar to us as roti canai, nasi lemak and char kway teow because Malaysians share a common love for good local
food. The various race groups here have
become so socially and culturally integrated that it is now common to see
people of all races sitting in the same restaurant or food court to enjoy a
meal. In fact, if you walked into an
Indian restaurant for a South Indian rice meal, don’t be surprised that the majority
of customers are non-Indians. And notice
that the Chinese are enjoying the spiciest dishes and expertly eating with
their hands from sheets of banana leaves!
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| Typical South Indian rice meal served on banana leaf plate |
It’s interesting
that non-Indian fans of South Indian food are so familiar with the variety of
dishes and meals that they know exactly how and what to order. Don’t be surprised that they know how to
enjoy resam, spicy South Indian soup
and will remind the staff to bring the air-tight drum of crispy papadam around to serve them. And after the meal, these diners even know the
Indian etiquette to fold the sheet of banana leaf inwards as a sign of
gratitude.
As more
restaurants are halal certified, the cuisine they serve are now introduced to a
wider clientele. For instance, the art
of enjoying dim sum in a yum cha (Cantonese for “drink tea”)
Chinese breakfast is now enjoyed by more non-Chinese who can gather to spend a
convivial time together for dim sum brunch or lunch. Also skilled in the art of using chopsticks,
these diners can appreciate a range of handmade sweet and savoury delicacies –
steamed, fried or baked – served in small portions between sips of quality Chinese
tea.
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| A serving of Nasi Lemak at a kopitiam-style cafe |
Just as the Malay
and Indian communities have embraced Chinese cuisine, it’s amazing how the
Chinese have acquired a higher tolerance for spicy food. With taste-buds, probably trained by enjoying
South Indian food, they can also appreciate the spicy dishes served in nasi padang spreads. Maybe it’s because the flavours are in sharp
but agreeable contrast with Chinese food.
But it’s just fascinating that many non-Malays are in favour of eating nasi lemak with a generous portion of
fiery sambal for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even supper!
Halal kopitiam restaurants and cafes now offer
a menu of Chinese street food that include char
kway teow, a popular noodle dish. I
learnt that the fragrant flavour in this simple dish, stir-fried with a
sprinkle of chopped chives, bean sprouts, cockles and a few prawns is better
brought out by adding duck’s egg. Many
chefs have mastered the art of skillfully stir-frying kway teow or flat rice noodles over strong flames with wok hei or when the flames fly into the
wok!
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| Char kway teow or stir-fired flat rice noodles |
The extent of our
social integration is evident from familiar food that are now staples in a typical
Malaysian menu of local food. For
instance, roti canai or prata which was once served by Indian
vendors, is now made and served in Malay restaurants and they often taste just
as good and sometimes, even better than the original. Chicken rice, that earned a reputation for
Hainanese cooks, is now served by Malay stalls and cafes, complete with a side
of chicken soup and spicy garlic-chilli dip.
Another popular
snack, yu cha kway or Chinese
deep-fried dough sticks that are typically eaten at breakfast dipped in black
coffee or congee, now has a Malay version available at most pasar malam or night market stalls. You will also see that tau foo fah, a Chinese beancurd dessert, is also popular with
non-Chinese customers. In recent years,
the benefits of eating chok or
Chinese-style rice porridge, has earned fans from non-Chinese connoisseurs and
now there is also a Malay version of rice porridge to enjoy!
Those who have
lived or travelled abroad, often long for the familiar taste of food from a
favourite stall or restaurant back home because they say, nothing compares to
its original taste. For Johoreans who
live in other states, a hometown visit will inevitably include a satisfying
food binge on comfort food that they feel, are found nowhere else but
here.
Spoiled by such a
wide variety of food available around the clock, we often take a lot of things
for granted. After an extended stay in
India, I remember heading directly from the airport to a familiar noodle stall
instead of going home. At that point, nothing
could compare with that comforting taste of piping hot Teochew soup noodles in a
rich, delicious broth!
We may be so
familiar with food from the various ethnic groups which have long been adopted
and adapted by other communities that it may even be difficult to pin-point
their origin. But you will agree that our
cross-cultural cuisine is a heritage that clearly reflects the integration and unique
harmony in our multi-racial community – one that is dear to our hearts and
stomachs.
A version of this was published in the July 2015 issue of The Iskandarian
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