BANGKOK (eTN) – This could have been a very funny story in Malaysia if the polemics developing around a national Malay dish did not exude hints of racism. Nasi Lemak is one of Malaysia’s tastiest dishes. It is widely available, sold in any good Malay restaurant or food stall. It consists of fragrant rice flavored with coconut milk accompanied by a fried egg, beef or chicken marinated in deliciously-spicy gravy, and accompanied by dried fish, peanuts, and a kind of onion dumpling (called “begadel”).
A couple of years ago, Kampung Bahru district in Kuala Lumpur – probably the last old-style Malay enclave in the city center – used to have one of the best places for nasi lemak (I personally used to go there often). People were queuing all night long to savor the delicacy at a small restaurant called “Nasi Lemak Antarabangsa” (“Nasi lemak International”). Since then, the owner changed, and the recipe sadly changed as well.
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Thailand
China
Kuala-lumpur
Malaysia
Kampung-bahru
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