Fans of Masterchef Australia would still remember the nail-biting one-point win of Diana Chan in the 2017 finale of season nine. Chan, who has since gained a following in India too, has also designed the food menu of Wine Villa, a vino-on-tap restaurant in Juhu. The Malaysian-born chef is now on a four-city visit to the country. This includes a food masterclass and a fine dining experience which includes a four-course meal paired with wine from Pernod Ricard, in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Delhi and Bengaluru.
When we ask her what defines Malaysian cuisine, Chan says the key element of Malaysian cuisine is all about flavour and the integration of different cultures. “Malaysians are very spoilt when it comes to the variety of food available. Malaysian food is influenced by predominantly Malay, Indian and Chinese cuisine. There are also other cultures such as Peranakan and Mamak, which is a cross pollination of the different cultures. Malaysia is in a strategic location and during the early days it was used as a port to transport spices and was part of the silk route,” she emphasises.
While several ingredients from different cuisines are common, they are used in varying degrees. For example, Chinese food in Malaysia is spicier as Malaysians generally enjoy eating chillies. “Malaysians make lots of pastes which are used as the base for several curries, stews and sauces, and the flavours tend to be a balance of sweet, salty and sour. The main techniques used are wok cooking, charcoal grills, steaming and deep-frying. There is also a lot of pounding using a pestle and mortar as well as fine chopping,” elaborates Chan.
The Indian influence is probably most strongly experienced at breakfast joints, as rotis, dosas, parathas and idlis are easily available. But if you go to a Chinese coffee shop, you would get half-boiled eggs served with kaya toast (topping of sugar, coconut milk and eggs, pandan, and butter) and local coffee as well as lots of different styles of noodles (wet or dry). “Malay cuisine has many rice-based dishes and Malaysia’s national dish is Nasi Lemak, which is a coconut rice dish cooked with sambal and either a fried protein or curry or rending. Malaysia is also known for its street food culture,” she adds.
Chan lists spices, herbs and aromats is the core ingredients. Belacan (shrimp paste) is liberally used in Malay and Peranakan dishes. Freshly chopped chillies in soy sauce are a common condiment served with Malaysian Chinese food, whereas coconut water and milk are used in Indian dishes. Breads in Malaysia, tend to be white and fluffy. The Chinese have little parcels, either sweet or savoury filled with ingredients like red bean or lotus seed paste or barbequed pork called paos. “I am not so much of a fan of Malaysian/Asian desserts in general. They tend to be too sweet for my liking,” says Chan.
As for contemporary Malaysian food, Chan says she’s witnessing a trend in several Australian restaurants which have adopted Asian flavours (that include Malayan dishes) and paired these with Western techniques.
