Indian Culture In Malaysia: Cuisine

Indian influence in Malaysian cuisine started in the 19th century when large arrivals of Indian migrants were brought into the country as contract laborers to work in rubber estates and on the railways. Some did take the opportunity to set up trade in the textile and food industry. These traders have come and gone over the centuries bringing with them Hindu influences, seen in the customs and rituals of local rulers.

Indian cuisine can be divided into two mainstreams, Northern and Southern Indian cuisine. The specialty of Indian cuisine is that, most of the dishes are basically based on spices. So it is not something weird if there are spices being also included in their dessert.However, I would focus first for famous Indian Cuisine in Malaysia. Below are the lists of Indian Cuisine that are very famous in Malaysia and most of the dishes are based on spices that are very mouth watering.

Nasi Beriyani (Beriani,Biryani)
Is a set of rice-based foods made with spices, rice (usually basmati). The name is derived from the Persian word beryā(n) mean roasted. Actually, Biryani rice is quite similar to a pilaf. It is cooked by adding a large amount of spices, some meat and rice in one pot. But here, we called it Briyani rice. Our local Briyani rice is rice cooked with ghee or butter, some spices and saffron and it's cooked separately with the meat. It is very common that Malaysian serving briyani rice with Kurma Chicken or lamb and some pickled vegetables for side dish.

Tandoori Chicken

Roasted chicken prepared with yogurt and spices. The name comes from the type of cylindrical clay oven, a tandoor, in which the dish is traditionally prepared. Cayenne pepper, red chilli powder or Kashmiri red chilli powder is used to give it a fiery red hue in the original version. It is traditionally cooked at high temperatures in a tandoor (clay oven), but can also be prepared on a traditional barbecue grill.

Fish Head Curry

In Malaysia, fish head curry has a Chinese and Indian roots cooks. It is a dish where the head of Ikan Merah (red snapper, literally "Red fish"), is semi-stewed in a Kerala-style curry with assorted vegetables such as okra and brinjal and usually served with either rice or bread.

Roti Canai

Is a piece of dough is kneaded,thrown, and flattened oiled and cooked on a flat iron skillet. It is known as rotiprata in Southern Malaysia and Singapore, and is similar to the Indian Kerala porotta.Roti Canai taste best when taken for breakfast or morning tea accompanied by curry or dhal and washed down with strong, hot, sweet kopi-O (Malaysian style coffee). Roti canai or roti chennai is a dish unique to Malaysia, which has its origins lost in the Indian community of those countries. Roti means bread in Hindi and Malay).The term 'canai' comes from 'channa', a mixture of boiled chickpeas in a spicy gravy from Northern India which it was traditionally served with.

Thosai

It is an Indian crepe or pancake-like made from rice and lentils that has a tint of Souris or tangy taste from the fermentation process.. A typical south Indian cuisine or called as Kerala. Thosai can be eaten for breakfast and dinner in Malaysia that serve together with chutney, dhal or chickpea curry.

Naan

Naan is a flatbread that is a staple food in Southeast and Central Asia. It was baked in the Tandoor oven until hot, but still delicately soft and fluffy. Sometimes the naan is stuffed with vegetables like a paneer kulcha, stuffed with cheese, herbs and spices, or garlic, or ground lamb, fresh ginger and cilantro, as in keema naan.

Chapati

Chapati is an unleavened flatbread that is also a common staple of cuisine in South Asia. The dough is rolled into flat circles before being cooked on a hot skillet. During the cooking process, the chapati expands through air bubbles that form between the two sides of the bread with the hot air cooking the bread from the inside.

Actually there are a lot more breads that are originally comes from the Indian recipe. Below are the lists of Indian bread that I had found but there are no more explanations for each of them since I have exceeded the limit.

Aloo Paratha	Aloo Ki Puri	Palak Paratha
Butter Roti	Luchi	PaneerParatha
Besan Ki Roti	Matar Paratha	Rumali Roti
Egg Paratha	Makki Ki Roti	Puri
Gobhi Paratha	Methi Paratha	Chapati
Khameeri Roti	Missi Roti	Mix Vegetable Paratha
Lachha Paratha	Naan	Tandoori Roti
Tamatar Puri	Pudina Puri