Australians have always loved Thai food, one of the most influential cuisines in the world. With more than 3,000 Thai eateries nationwide, it’s officially the third most popular cuisine behind Chinese and Italian. In fact, outside of Thailand, Australia has more Thai restaurants per capita than any other country.
But wait a minute! Australians are lining up for Malaysian food, too – or so says Asian Inspirations, a leading F&B consultant based in Melbourne. And it is Malaysian cuisine that has been proclaimed this year’s “hottest culinary trend” by these experts.
In naming five reasons for their findings, Asian Inspirations describes Malaysian street food, in particular, as sexy. Yes, sexy, as in trendy – a good adjective to describe the exciting fusion from the multicultural melting pot that is Malaysia.
For these experts, two cuisines stand out thanks to their uniqueness: the blend of Malay and Indian dishes known as mamak, and the Chinese-Malay inspired Peranakan fare.
From Hawker Hall in Melbourne to Mamak in Sydney and Brisbane, Malaysian restaurants have been among the hottest openings in Australia of late, Asian Inspirations notes. “We can’t get enough of the bold flavours, spices, and intriguing ingredients that pepper our favourite Malaysian dishes, such as laksa, char kuay teow, and roti canai.”
And the queues are real: customers can often be seen waiting in line outside the award-winning Mamak in Sydney, a cult favourite among Sydneysiders – once a humble market stall before opening its first brick-and-mortar outlet in Chinatown in 2007.
The street-food brand is today also in Melbourne and Brisbane, the latter having just opened in the heart of the CBD this year.
It could be said that Malaysian delicacies have become increasingly popular among Australians thanks to the initiative and boldness of Malaysian entrepreneurs who dared to venture outside their country of origin.
With Mamak, it’s the story of three friends in New South Wales who dreamed of opening such a restaurant because they “missed eating freshly made roti canai, sipping frothy teh tarik, and snacking on smoky satay skewers”.
And then there’s Ho Jiak, a Penang street-food restaurant founded by head chef Junda Khoo and his business partner, William Xie. Ho Jiak promises to deliver food “bursting with modern Malaysian flavours, and packed with heart, soul, and a whole lot of spice”, and it does – its laksa is rated among the best in Sydney.
More sophisticated palates
The popularity of mamak attests to how Indian-Malay street food today enjoys new levels of sophistication outside Malaysia.
Being ethnic and authentic is trendy. In the past, chefs would have to think hard about adapting Malaysian food for the Australian palate; now they want to be as authentic as possible. The key is to stay faithful to traditional recipes but dial down the fieriness of a spicy dish to cater to a consumer market with more delicate taste buds.
The popularity of Asian dishes is also a reflection of how the Australian palate has evolved to consume more international foods than before. It was in the 1960s that Sydney got its first taste of Malaysian food at The Malaya, where laksa, chicken rice, and satay were sold.
And back in the ’70s, before huge numbers of Vietnamese refugees arrived, the typical Australian eater’s understanding of Asian food was limited to Cantonese fried rice and chicken rice.
Just as how Vietnamese food is ubiquitous in Australian cities, Malaysian cuisine is now a go-to for those seeking a break from the monotony of sandwiches and burgers. And certainly, with increased global connectedness, gourmands and gourmets alike can now readily enjoy foods from all corners of the world, with some becoming foodies worth following on social media.
The ready availability of ingredients and sauces has also helped. As highlighted by Asian Inspirations, Asian marts have sprouted up everywhere, making it easier than ever to cook up authentic dishes at home.
For Malaysians in Australia who crave homecooked food, the Australian Good Food & Travel Guide’s website promotes various cuisines. Among their list of 20 Best Malaysian Restaurants is none other than PappaRich, which serves up a mean nasi lemak with curry chicken that is second to none.
Truly, it’s wonderful to see Malaysian food up there with the best of world cuisines.
Irene Leong is a Malaysian writer based in Brisbane.