Malaysian Mixed Food Cuisines!

I know its been a while since I post something here almost a week d... Well have you had a Malaysian cuisine? Of course we have heard of Western cuisine, Chinese cuisine, Indian cuisine and Malay cuisine. But "Malaysian cuisine"? Well a briefly explanation  Malaysia cuisine is mostly influenced by the various cultures from all around the world. As we know Malaysia is made mostly 3 different race ethnics - Malays, Chinese, and Indians living together mostly in harmony. As a result of historical migration and Malaysia's geographical advantage, Malaysia's culinary style is  mixture of Malays, Chinese, Indians, Thais, and Arabian cuisines. This resulted in a symphony of flavours, and making Malaysian cuisines highly exotic albeit a touch underrated as compared to some our neighbouring counterparts. As we walks the streets of Malaysia, we are lucky to have all sorts of varieties of cuisines served either in their original recipe or modified into a fusion as we know today the norms of local food! I will briefly state the origins of the cuisines found in Malaysia!

Food Types

Malay food

Malay cuisines bears a lot of similarities to Indonesian cuisine, some of the regional traditions from Sumatra. It is also influenced by Chinese, Indian, Thai and many other cultures throughout history, producing a distinct cuisine of their own. Many of Malay dishes revolves around a rempah, which is a spice paste. Rempahs are created by grinding up fresh and/or dried spices and herbs to create a spice paste which is then sauteed in oil to bring out the aromas. Hmm.. now that is what you call a little of spice makes a difference.
Food example: Nasi Lemak!

Malaysian Indian Food

Malaysian Indian cuisine of the ethnic Indians in Malaysia is very similar to its roots in India, especially South India although there some with North India influences too. Before meal its a customary to wash hands, reason being food is often eaten using hand, there is also a serving spoon for each respective dish. This cuisine consists of curries which uses a lot of spices, coconut milk, and curry leaves. Some of the most popular curries include chicken curry, fish curry and squid curry.
Food example: banana leaf rice

Malaysian Chinese Food

Malaysian Chinese food is derived from mainland southern Chinese cuisine such as Fujian cuisine, Cantonese cuisine and Hakka cuisine but has been influenced by local ingredients and dishes from other cultures though it remains distinctly Chinese. Most of Chinese cuisines has pork as their sub-ingredient, but due to the popularity and unique taste of the actual food, there are chicken options available for the local Malays. Now of days it can be seen Chinese restaurant serving halal food.
Food example: Chee Cheong fun (Chinese : 豬腸粉)

Nyonya Food

Nyonya food was developed by the Nyonya known as Straits Chinese and Pernakan mixed Chinese/Malay ancestry of Malaysia and Singapore. It mainly Chinese ingredients but blends them with South-East Asian spices such as coconut milk, lemon grass, turmeric, screwpines leaves, chilles and sambal. It can be considered as a blend of Chinese and Malay cooking with some Thai influences
Food example: Acar

Sarawak Indigenous Cuisine

There is also Sarawakian cuisine which tends to have a distinct cuisine from their Peninsula counterparts. Some of them are part of the traditional cuisine of the natives, while some are influenced by either Chinese or Indian cuisine.
Food example: Sarawak Kolo Mee

Malaysia being a multicultural country, Malaysians have over the years adapted each others dishes to suit the taste buds of their own culture. For instance, Malaysians of Chinese descent have adapted the Indian curry, and made it more dilute and less spicy to suit their taste. Chinese noodles have been crossed with Indian and Malay tastes and thus we have Malay Mee Goreng and Indian Mee Goreng were borned.

So as Malaysians we have to appreciate the unity and the peace God has given us as a nation to live in. We are united not only by the name Malaysia but by the food and culture. As the saying goes food speaks many languages. So you dont have to know the language of the other person to enjoy a meal with them.
Malaysian food source

DeliverEat

NANANA.. BLACK BALL!!

(For those who are wondering what is nanana, its actually an old theme song for batman)

Yummy yam balls!! which is chewy and when served with ice and other topping, makes it so delectable!! Seriously, the yam balls are fragrant and tasty. Its one of the signature topping that makes Blackball stand out from the others. Some more its a healthy dessert, reason being its 100% vege (good news for vegetarians out there and to our muslim counterpart) means there is no meat used in the production of the balls. There are two different types which personally are my favourite, the yam ball and the sweet potato ball. Not to forget leave out the icy cooling sensation of "xian cao" a.k.a grass jelly. This one offers a non-sweet jelly which promotes good health and low in calories!

What is 'Xian Cao" 仙草 ?

The herb Xian Cao is also know as Jiao gu lan (绞股蓝) is nicknames Southern Ginseng.

Properties according to chinese medicine.

It's referred to as southern ginseng because of it's properties are similar to ginseng as far as tonifying the chi, clearing the mind and mental pathways, and boosting the following organs:

Lung (good for your wei qi - defensive qi/immune system)
Kidney (good for your bones, growth, reproductive systems, bowels, knees and lower back - sometimes parralled to our endocrine system)
Spleen (good for transforming the food we eat into energy used daily, as well as transporting it throughout the bodym as well as being chiefly responsible for the maintenance of our muscles).

The main difference between ginseng and xian cao is ginseng is warming in it's nature and has the stronger action in tonifying the body, because of its strong, warming nature which makes it suitable to be take in moderation. But Xian Cao is cooling and is more delicate, thus making it more suitable for regular usage.

Properties according to western medical science

Biomedically, Xian Cao is great for:
Reducing stress
Lowering LDL (low density lipoproteins) and raising HDL (high density lipoproteins) levels, therefore overall lowering cholesterol
Improving fat metabolism
Boosting energy
Strengthening the immune system
Sharpening mental function
More about Jiao gu lan/xian ciao

The importance of Xian Cao and  yam ball to Blackball because its special name was given through the main ingredient, ;Xian Cao', its black jelly goodness and the yam balls in their dessert creations which was originally made by the founder of Black Ball Mr. Tang, an accomplished tour guide and dessert connoisseur in Taiwan- who has traveled far and wide just to taste the best and then creates his own unique Blackball recipe using "Xian Cao", a famous Taiwanese tea and dessert ingredient that is best produced in 'Guan Xi' district. He has the passion of wanting everyone to taste his recipe and dessert creations he started the first Blackball outlet in Taipei in 2006 because he strongly believed in Xian Cao's health benefits and the great taste of his delicious creations. Now, in Malaysia, it began when Mr. Tang met Alex & Endie on the same path, both passionate dessert lovers in search of that special taste for everyone back home to share and savor. They made it possible for us to experience their premium quality desserts.

What makes a good Taiwanese dessert when you cant even enjoy a bowl of it at home? Well now you do because Delivereat is sending them to your house. For the moment the choices may not be a lot, wait!!! dont be disappointed just yet! We are going to add more things soon, so please bear with us for the moment. So do keep in touch with us via Fb or website and be patient with us, we may make your day with the new menu!

Love Good food! Love nature!

Organic food has became very popular, it shows that people today are health conscious.

Delivereat was able to supply for the normal demand for food, but we weren't able to penetrate into the vegetarian market. Not until we discovered Nature's Spoon. They are situated in I-Avenue, pretty hidden because they are in a lane behind Hong Leong Bank. Why should I dine-in/order from them? Let me convince you why should you order from them, regardless your a vegetarian or not! Their main attractive point is the dishes aren't only made from vegetables but are also ORGANIC! which makes it special because if you look at those kopitiam vegetarian stores, there is a highly chance you will find not only vegetables but processed artificial meat. (vegetables that are made to look and taste like meat.) But do you know what goes in them, well I am here not to talk about them.

First of all what is ORGANIC?

The term "organic" referes to the way agricultural products are grown and processed. Specific requirements must be met and maintained to ensure all products are certified and labeled organic. Organic crops must be grown in safe soil, have no modifications, and must remain  separate from conventional products. This farmers are not allowed to use synthetic pesticides, bioengineered genes (GMO's), petroleum-based fertilizers, and sewage sludge-based fertilizers.

That being said so what are the benefits of eating organic food?

-Organic produce contains fewer pesticides, the chemicals are widely used in conventional agriculture and residues remain on (and in) the food we eat!

-Organic food is often fresher, because fresh food tastes better!

For further info on organic food : Help guide

Surprisingly, when I see pictures about Nature Spoon's dishes it make my mouth water. I generally can't believe there is such a restaurant which has delicious food made organically and yet affordable to our pockets. Well its worth the try, because Delivereat is delivering so you dont have to waste money on petrol and car park. Lets eat!
http://delivereat.my/naturesspoonhealthfood/

DeLiverEAT

History of food delivery

Food delivery service offers the most vital assistance to the millions of people especially those in the modern age. People these days are often busy with their projects or has a hectic timetable which leaves them very little time to grab a bite. Essentially food delivery services are an important system for those that want help in ensuring they have a well cooked, prepared meals delivered to their door. But the question is where does the service originated from? And how does it help people on a day to day basis?

We will look to India first, I am sure us Malaysians are familiar with the tiffin box, up till today is still being used by residents as a way of food catering for the family. 

A dabbawala (Marathi) also spelled as dabbawalla  or dabbawallah; literary means "box person", is a person in India, most commonly found in the city of Mumbai, who is employed in a unique service industry whose primary business is collecting freshly cooked food in lunch boxes from the residences of the office workers. Then delivers the food to their respective workplaces and returning the empty boxes back to the customer's residence by using various modes of transport. You got to respect them for their hard work. It is not really not easy to recognize which ones belong to which customer. The concept of the dabbawala originated when India was under British rule. Many British who came to the colony didn't like the local cuisines, so a service was set up to bring lunch to these people at their workplace straight from their home. 

Nowadays, the dabbalawas primary customers are Indian businesspersons, increasingly affluent families employ them instead for lunch delivery to their school-aged children. Even though the service provided might include cooking, it primarily consists of only delivery either home-made or in that latter case, food ordering from a restaurant.

It really reminds me a lot of my childhood days when my grandma would cook a large quantity of food just to cater the needs of residents, the food would be placed in a three tier metal container called a tiffin. Then a man on the motor bike will take this containers and sent it to the resident that orders the food and they would do this every day with one off day. As I walk out in the streets looking for an economy rice stall, I would see the tiffin canisters line up waiting their turn to get the fill of food in them. Those were the days when food was delivered to the house, when your parents aren't home to cook lunch for you after school. Now thats what you call old school Malaysian food delivery service especially in Penang where there are Baba Nyonya culture which influence much of the dishes and the delivery service. 

Delivereat

Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dabbawala

Food, food is every where!!

I am glad to be a Penangnite, you know why?

Because almost every where you turn there is good food and there are plenty!
Besides that, being in Malaysia, you don't generally get bored with the food here, reason is we have a wide range of food from many different cultures, almost everything you can find here in Malaysia.


Whether it can be Japanese, Taiwan, Thailand, Italian, Western, Nepal and etc. Its like living in a bowl of rojak filled with all sorts of fruits.



Back to Penang, I sometimes face this dilemma in Penang is where can i get decent food delivered because most delivery services are only available in KL.
 I have tried searching online, and you know what the results are? You guess it right! FAST FOOD!
There some delivery services which does not deliver at the time I wanted to eat my meal reason the delivery boy is not working or out for another delivery.
 I find it annoying, that the menu for the delivery service is just a picture posted in facebook, and the wording is super small, you got to take a magnifying glass to see it.
Worse of all you have to waste money on phone calls which at times brings you no where! Haiz... (personal experience) Food should be enjoyed and eaten with pleasure not with frustration and burns your pocket with useless calls.


Thats where Delivereat comes into the picture. We will be your solution.
Reason is, everything is done online and there is no hassle in the order placing.
The online platform makes it much more simpler for us Penangnites who just feels lazy to eat out, gets to eat in instead. I am glad to be able to find out about this wonderful service.
We at Delivereat, provide a wide variety of food, feeling Japanese, you could just dress up your house or yourself and enjoy hot Japanese food delivered. Haha...


Well who said good food are only for the ones who are able to dine in the restaurant!

What took you so long!!!

Hungry for food?

Don't worry we got the solution!

MAde by: Jonathan Ang