NASI DAGANG

Nasi dagang is a Malaysian and Southern Thai dish consisting of rice steamed in coconut milk, fish curry and extra ingredients such as fried shaved coconut, hard-boiled eggs and vegetable pickles. Nasi Dagang literally means "Trading Rice". It is a well-known breakfast food in the states on the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia, such as Terengganu and Kelantan and Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat in Southern Thailand. The most famous Nasi dagang of Terengganu comes from Kampung Ladang, an area within the Kuala Terengganu district. Nasi Dagang can also be considered as a festive dish in Kelantan and Terengganu because it is prepared at home for the morning of Eid ul-Fitr, a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, to be eaten as a breakfast before or after the Eid prayers in the mosque. Apart from the basic combination of rice and curry, Nasi Dagang usually comes with its different components which can be combined to suit the diner's taste. From a simple serving of the steamed rice and tuna curry usually found at roadside stalls, the complete home-made version may include a sliced hard-boiled egg, fried coconut, vegetable pickle and sambal. The Terengganu version uses the normal white rice, while the Kelantan variety uses a type of rice locally called 'beras nasi dagang', which is a type of wild rice that has a light purple colour and a little glutinous. The Terengganu version is also much simpler, eaten only with the fish curry (sometimes with belimbing buluh 'averrhoa bilimbi' added) and pickles.

NASI LEMAK

Nasi lemak is a fragrant rice dish cooked in coconut milk and "pandan" leaf commonly found in Malaysia, where it is considered the national dish; Brunei; Singapore; Riau Islands; and Southern Thailand. It is not to be confused with nasi dagang sold on the east coast of Malaysia or Terengganu and Kelantan although both dishes can usually be found sold side by side for breakfast. However, because of the nasi lemak's versatility in being able to be served in a variety of manners, it is now served and eaten any time of the day. Traditionally, nasi lemak is served with a platter of side dishes wrapped in banana leaves, including cucumber slices, small fried anchovies (ikan bilis), roasted peanuts, hard boiled egg, and hot spicy sauce (sambal). As a more substantial meal, nasi lemak can also come with a variety of other accompaniments such as ayam goreng (fried chicken), sambal sotong (cuttlefish in chilli), cockles, stir fried water convolvulus (kangkong), pickled vegetables (acar), beef rendang (beef stewed in coconut milk and spices) or paru (beef lungs). Traditionally most of these accompaniments are spicy in nature. Nasi lemak is widely eaten in Malaysia, even as a dish served in Malaysian schools. Commonly a breakfast dish in countries, it is normally sold at hawker food centres and roadside stalls in Malaysia. It often comes wrapped in banana leaves, newspaper or brown paper, or it could be served on a plate. However, there are restaurants which serve it as a noon or evening meals, making it possible for the dish to be eaten all day. In Malaysia, nasi lemak comes in many varieties as they are prepared by different chefs in different cultures. The original nasi lemak in Malaysia is arguably a typical Southern and Central Peninsular Malaysia breakfast among Malays. Malaysian Chinese and Indians also partake this dish in their breakfast but not as frequently as Malays. The sambal tends to range from fiery hot to mildly hot with a sweet undertaste. Nasi lemak in the Northern West Peninsular tends to include curry. Nasi lemak is not as popular as the indigenous nasi berlauk, nasi dagang, and nasi kerabu in North East Peninsular Malaysia. Nasi lemak is not a familiar breakfast in Sabah and Sarawak. Hotels usually have nasi lemak on their menu with elaborate dishes, such as beef rendang and the addition of other seafood. Hawker centres in RM 1–7 per pack. Seafood outlets often serve the basic nasi lemak to accompany barbecued seafood. There are Malaysian Chinese and Malaysian Indian versions, and Singaporean Malay and Singaporean Chinese versions. Some people suggest that sambal is the most important part of a nasi lemak meal. If not prepared properly, it could ruin the whole meal, since Malaysians like their food served hot and spicy.

ROTI CANAI

Roti canai  is a type of Indian-influenced flatbread found in Malaysia. It is often sold in mamak stalls in Malaysia. The word 'canai' in Malay means 'to roll out dough'. Roti canai is circular and flat. There are two ways to make roti canai that is either to twirl it until the dough becomes a very thin sheet and then folded into a circular shape or to spread out the dough as thinly as possible before being folded. Then the folded dough is grilled with oil. The first method is more popular and faster than the second. Traditionally, it is served with dal or 'dhal' (lentil) curry. It can sometimes be taken with sugar or condensed milk, or sambal tumis. More recently, various improvements on plain roti have been devised to suit Malaysians. Generally the newer forms of roti canai are denoted by prefixing roti to the additional ingredient used. Most plain roti are round, while those with fillings are square in shape due to the folding of the roti. Due to time saving concerns, the maker usually has a "stock-ready" bucket that keeps pre-made roti. These rotis are usually round in shape and will eventually become cold. Therefore, consumers might insist on a square roti to ensure they get a freshly prepared one. Roti canai is affordable in Malaysia (the standard price is RM 0.90 a piece in Malaysia), making it extremely popular. It is also available in frozen form whereby pre-fried roti canai is processed through a blast-freezing technique to ensure a soft and fluffy texture upon defrosting and refrying.