Malaysia has a rich food history, offering exotic delights with a touch of spice. Try these simple recipes to bring a taste of Asia to your dining table. Malaysian cuisine is a tempting potpourri of Malay, Indonesian, Indian, Chinese and Sri Lankan foods. The style of cooking is similar to Indonesian where spices are ground to a paste with a pestle and mortar and stir-fried to bring out the flavor. In addition, Portuguese explorers brought their own ingredients and cooking techniques to Malaysia in the 16th century, adding further appeal to a range of exotic dishes.

Traditionally, a Malaysian everyday dinner consists of rice, one meat or seafood dish and a vegetable dish. There is no set number of dishes served but it can vary from three to six. Malaysian meals are not served as separate courses all dishes are served together and eaten with rice. Chilli-based sambals add extra zing.

Unlike many Asian countries where desserts are often not served, Malays love rich sweet desserts often based on glutinous rice, sago, mung beans and bean flour. Coconut milk provides the richness, palm sugar adds sweetness and the pandanus leaf adds flavour. The latter is used in a similar way we use vanilla beans. Sweet spices such as cinnamon, cardamom and cloves flavor many desserts.

By Jan Bilton. Read more of this article.