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NO OTHER COUNTRY embodies the proverbial melting pot quite like Malaysia. As we know, this is most evident where its culinary diversity is concerned.
Over centuries, communities from India, China, the Malay Archipelago—and other parts of the world— have found their way here, making it their home. And this continues to be the case. The melting pot keeps boiling.
Many food recipes that present-day migrants bring with them are now our favourites. Below is a selection of meals and desserts often prepared by migrant workers and refugees in Malaysia, chosen because they each tell a story about another part of the world.
Talapaw is a thick rice soup based on fish or meat broth, the chef’s choice of vegetables, and thickened with roasted rice flour. Everything is cooked in one pot, and it can be easily adapted with any type of vegetable or meat. Bamboo shoots, readily found in the forest, are often used. No oil or spices are used, so the soup has a clean taste. While the proteins and vegetables take centre-stage, it is the roasted rice flour that provides its signature smoky punch. Talapaw is traditionally eaten with a fiery belacan (fermented shrimp paste). It is said that this dish was created to stretch limited rice stock during times of conflict, and used vegetables foraged from the forest. Today, this dish is cooked during special occasions.
Lay Wah (far left) is an ethnic Karen, from northeastern Myanmar, who fled to Malaysia to escape the generations-long unrest between the Burmese government and ethnic minorities. She met her husband here in Malaysia, and they have two children. She is now part of a group of refugee women who learned sewing and are finding livelihood by creating bespoke clothes, bags and accessories.
