Food is important for our survival and the well being of our body. It supplies us with energy and nutrients. Despite the simplicity of the word “food’, choosing what to eat in a particular time could be difficult.

source Street Food Malaysia

People tend to be choosy and it takes them some moment to decide what food they should have. We do not really sure when were our ancestors first create our local cuisines, the foods that we are eating today. Local cuisines that are available at one particular place symbolizes the culture of the people living around that place. Different culture indeed has a variety of cuisines. There are similarities and differences between food in Malaysia and China.

street food.jpg
source Street Food China

First of all, when we talk about food, there are a lot of delicious foods that we can think of. For example in Malaysia we can almost simply buy Nasi Lemak everywhere because it tastes good and can be made easily. There is one food in China called Over Rice which is adjacent to Nasi Lemak in Malaysia. They are both served with rice, vegetables and a little sauce. However, the Over Rice is served with meats and a lot of vegetable which is different from Nasi Lemak that often served chicken, fish or salty fish together with only a few slices of cucumber, half of a hard-boiled egg and considerable amount of peanuts. The sauce that was involved in making Over Rice is usually added together when cooking the Over Rice but the sauce that served together with the Nasi Lemak is what we locally refers as “sambal” is eaten together with the rice.

source Nasi Lemak Most Popular Local Food in Malaysia

Secondly, in comparison to the kebab in China, we have satay in Malaysia. Both of them are made from grilled meats but has different taste. The taste of kebab is spicy and salty; however, the taste of satay is a little bit sweet. The cooking style of kebab is similar to satay. Both of them are meats that similarly grilled or barbecued over a wood or charcoal fire. Moreover, satay can also be made from chicken but kebab only made from meats. Satay is normally served with a combination of soy sauce and peanut sauce to bring out its unique smoky flavor. Kebab, on the other hand are normally not served with sauce.

source Chinese Fried Rice

In contrast to the Chinese glue pudding in China, we have ondeh-ondeh in Malaysia. Chinese glue pudding or “tangyuan” as it is called in Chinese, is made from glutinous rice flour similar to Malaysia’s ondeh-ondeh. Both of these foods are traditional foods that have already been consumed over generations. Unlike ondeh-ondeh, Chinese glue pudding is normally eaten during special occasions especially Latern Festival and Winter Solstice Festival. Even if the pudding was being sold at usual days, only fewer people would buy it. The fillings for these two foods are different. The filling of ondeh-ondeh is only made up “Gula Melaka”or palm sugar and then rolled with fresh grated coconut, while tangyuan can either be filled or unfilled with different types of filling including chocolate paste and red bean paste.

source Onde-Onde Malaysia Traditional Cake

Furthermore, roti canai from Malaysia and Chinese baked pancake from China actually not only has a different taste but also were made differently. Both of these cuisines represent the difference in culture of both countries. Mamak in Malaysia have been using their own authentic recipe for decades which maintains the delicious taste of roti canai from one generation to another. The making of roti canai differs from Chinese baked pancake as the process of making the roti canai involves the spinning and tossing of a readily made dough. The taste of the baked pancake is more like the taste of a cake and usually served alongside of berries; however roti canai has a dry taste but it would be delicious if dipped with chicken curry or any type of curry. The Chinese baked pancake is also delicious when served with vegetables and porridge but roti canai do not.

source Chines Traditional Snack Foods

In conclusion, there are similarities and differences between the food in China and the food in Malaysia in aspect of the taste and the cooking styles. Delicious or not, it is for our tastebuds to decide. We need to travel to other country to discover the uniqueness of its culture by trying their local foods and their cultures. It is up to us keep building bridges to bring the world closer than ever. After all, the differences in our culture reflects our identity and it is what make us unique from each other.