| FOOD PARADISE |: Chinese Food

Hi. Today I would like to share with you guys about Chinese Food. In Malaysia, Chinese are usually simply referred to as "Chinese" and represent the second largest ethnic group in Malaysia after the ethnic Malay majority.

Chinese food is derived from mainland southern Chinese cuisine such as Fujian cuisine and Hakka cuisine but has been influenced by local ingredients and dishes from other cultures though it remains distinctly Chinese. Most Chinese meals have 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 (most Malays are Muslims). Some Chinese food restaurants nowadays can be found serving halal food. Chinese restaurants serving food in halal can introduce a wider range of customers to it.

Below are some list of Chinese food that available in Malaysia:

§ Bak Tut Teh (pork ribs soup) - A soup cooked with herbs, garlic and pork ribs which have been boiled for many hours. The city of Klang is famous for it. In some towns, additional ingredients include sea cucumber and abalone. Bak kut teh is believed to have medicinal properties.

§ Bakkwa - Known also as barbecued pork and it literally means dried meat. This delicacy is sold everywhere throughout Malaysia and is especially popular during the Chinese New Year celebrations period.

§ Bread with curry chicken - chicken cooked in curry with a covering of bread. Found in the town of Kampar.

§ Cantonese Fried Mee - Deep fried thin rice noodles served in a thick egg and cornstarch white sauce. The sauce is cooked with sliced lean pork, prawns, squids and green vegetables such as choy sum. It is one of the common Chinese foods in Malaysia.

§ Chai tow kway - is a common dish in Malaysia and Singapore, also known as fried radish cake, it is made of rice flour and white radish.

§ Char Kway Teow - Stir fried rice noodles with prawns, eggs (duck or chicken), chives and beansprouts. Usually, with an option of cockles as well.

§ Curry Mee - A bowl of thin yellow noodles mixed with beehoon (rice vermicelli) in spicy curry soup with coconut milk with dried tofu, prawns, cuttlefish, chicken, mint leaves and topped with a special sambal.

§ Duck noodle soup - is famous in Penang food stalls, ingredients include duck meat in hot soup with mixed herbals and slim white noodles mee-sua.

§ Ginger Duck Mee - Egg noodles cooked with duck stew. The duck is stewed with ginger in black sauce. This dish is available only from selected restaurants in Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley as the duck stew can be cumbersome to prepare.

§ Kway chap - Teochew dish of rice sheets in dark soya soup, served with pig offal, tofu derivatives and boiled eggs.

§ Loh Mee - A bowl of thick yellow noodles served in a thickened soup made from egg, flour, prawn, pork slices and vegetables.

§ Ngah Choy Kai (Bean sprouts chicken) of Ipoh - is similar to Hainanese chicken rice. The steamed chicken are served with light soya sauce flavoured with oil and with a plate of bean sprouts. This dish is favoured by all Malaysians.

§ Ngah Po Fan Also known as Claypot Rice - is a claypot chicken rice dish. It is basically chicken rice cooked over high heat in copious amount of soy and oyster sauce. Dried salted fish is optional but highly recommended.

§ Sin Chow (Singapore) Fried Meehoon - Rice noodles stir fried with various ingredients such as barbecued pork, fish cake, carrots etc. Some restaurants may use different ingredients but the noodles should have the distinct Sin Chow Fried Rice Noodle taste. Popular in Kuala Lumpur and surrounding areas. The American Chinese version uses curry powder. Interestingly, this dish did not originate from Singapore.

§ Turmeric chicken - is a chicken stew cooked with from a blend of bases mashed into a paste, consisting fresh turmeric, ginger and lemongrass.

§ Tau Foo Fah - is a curdled version of soy bean milk and is flavoured with syrup. It looks much like Tau Foo but it is very tender. Sold in many places. It is a popular dessert among Malaysians and Singaporeans.

§ Tong Sui- Chinese dessert with a lot of variety. Basically a sweet drink with different ingredients such as black beans, sea coconut, yam, sweet potato, longan and others.

§ Wonton Mee - Chinese noodles with Chinese dumplings, chooi sam and BBQ pork. Dumpling is usually made of Pork and/or prawns. The noodles may be served either in a bowl of soup with dumplings or on a plate with some dark soya sauce flavoured with oil and slices of roast pork and vegetable. For the latter, the dumplings will be served in a separate bowl with soup.

§ Wu Tau Guo - is yam cake that is made of mashed yam and rice flour. It has deep fried onion and shrimp on top, and usually served with red chilli paste.

§ Roasted Duck - A popular Malaysian Delight that is not crispy like the roasted duck in China.

Actually, there are too many dishes but I can share with you guys only some of it. Malaysian usually shared their culture's food with others. For Muslim, it can be eating as long as it is Halal.We shared everything that we can share. Even though we trust to different religion, but we still together in what ever happens. That's make our 58th anniversary of Independent's Day become more valuable. I think that's all for my second post. Thank you for reading.