Learn Malaysia before you go

10 phrases to learn

In Malay. Capital letters show the stressed part. Tap the heart to practise a phrase later.

At the table

• Use your right hand to eat, pass food and hand over money or gifts; the left hand is traditionally seen as unclean.
• Most meals are eaten with a spoon in the right hand and a fork in the left, used to push food onto the spoon. If you eat with your hand, as many people do with nasi kandar or banana leaf rice, use only the right.
• At Chinese meals, never stick your chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice: it looks like incense sticks at a funeral.
• Shared dishes sit in the middle of the table; take from them with the serving spoon, and everyone gets their own plate of rice.
• Malay Muslims do not eat pork or drink alcohol, and restaurants marked 'halal' serve neither. During Ramadan, avoid eating or drinking in front of people who are fasting in the daytime.

Local tips

Dishes to try

• Nasi lemak: Rice cooked in coconut milk with a pandan leaf, served with a spicy sambal, crispy fried anchovies, roasted peanuts, cucumber and a boiled or fried egg. It is often wrapped in a banana leaf and eaten for breakfast, and many people add fried chicken or beef rendang. It is widely seen as Malaysia's national dish.
• Roti canai: A flaky, chewy flatbread: the dough is tossed and spread until paper-thin, folded and cooked on a hot griddle. It is served with dal or curry for dipping, usually with a glass of teh tarik, and is a favourite breakfast in mamak cafés.
• Asam laksa (Penang laksa): A sour, spicy fish soup made with mackerel and tamarind, poured over thick rice noodles and topped with cucumber, pineapple, onion, mint and a spoonful of thick, sweet shrimp paste. Its sharp, tangy taste is very different from the creamy coconut laksas of other places.
• Sarawak laksa: Thin rice noodles in a rich soup of sambal belacan, coconut milk, tamarind, garlic, galangal and lemongrass, topped with prawns, strips of omelette, chicken, bean sprouts and coriander, with lime on the side. In Kuching it is eaten for breakfast.
• Satay (sate): Small pieces of chicken or beef marinated with turmeric and lemongrass, threaded on bamboo sticks and grilled over charcoal. Satay is served with a sweet, spicy peanut sauce, cucumber, raw onion and ketupat, rice pressed into little cakes.
• Char kway teow: Flat rice noodles stir-fried over a fierce flame with light and dark soy sauce, chilli, prawns, cockles, Chinese sausage, egg, chives and bean sprouts. A smoky taste from a very hot wok is the sign of a good plate.
• Nasi kandar: Steamed rice with your choice of curries and side dishes, such as fried chicken, fish curry, okra and boiled egg. At the end, the server pours several curry sauces over the rice, which is called 'banjir', or flooded.
• Bak kut teh: Pork ribs simmered for hours in a dark broth of herbs and spices such as star anise, cinnamon, cloves and garlic, served with rice, strips of fried dough and a pot of Chinese tea. In Klang, many people believe the dish was invented there.

Cities to see

• George Town: Street food such as asam laksa and char kway teow, Chinese clan houses and street art, Colonial buildings.
• Kota Bharu: Old royal palaces and museums, Nasi kerabu, The first Japanese landing of 1941.
• Kuala Terengganu: Keropok lekor and nasi dagang, The Crystal Mosque, Redang Island offshore.
• Ipoh: Ipoh white coffee, Cave temples in limestone hills, The old town from the tin boom.
• Kuala Lumpur (capital): The Petronas Twin Towers, Street food in Chinatown and Jalan Alor, Nearby Batu Caves.
• Putrajaya: The pink Putra Mosque, Government buildings and bridges, The lake and parks.

Landmarks and the city map are on the Malaysia trip