A trip to Melaka would be wasted if you do not savour the local specialities. With a melting pot culture of Malay, Chinese, Indian, Portuguese, Dutch and English influence, it is no wonder that the food in Melaka makes people keep coming back for more. The clever fusion of spices and ingredients used by the various communities have made Melaka food evolved into something unique which you might not find elsewhere. Of note would be the Nyonya cuisine which is a mix between the Malay and Chinese cuisine.
Rice Ball Chicken Rice
Sold by the Chinese community, you are essentially served with aromatic rice cooked with garlic, ginger and chicken stock which cooked rice is subsequently compressed into a ball slightly larger than a marble. A plate of steamed chicken dressed with light soya sauce and sesame oil is served together with the rice balls thus making this dish thoroughly unique and delicious.
Fried Oyster Omelette
As Melaka is situated along the Straits of Melaka, oysters are abound and what better way than to cook them as omelettes. Cooked with garlic and rice flour, the fried oyster omelette is a great appetiser or even as an accompaniment to steamed white rice. Make sure you dip it into the tangy chilli sauce.
Enche Kabin
What’s so great about another fried chicken recipe? Well, this is Nyonya style and with that, expect a riot of taste as you sink your teeth into these deliciously fried and piping hot chicken pieces. Marinated in soy sauce, five-spice powder, black pepper, oyster sauce and ginger and subsequently dipped in egg and flour and deep fried, the Enche Kabin is a great snack to accompany your mugful of beer.
Ayam or Babi Pongteh
Another famous Nyonya dish, the Ayam (chicken) or Babi (pork) Pongteh is a dish wherein the meat is cooked with dark soya sauce, sugar, preserved soy beans and spices to give a slightly sweetish and aromatic dish. This dish is recommended to be taken together with steamed white rice.
Beef Slices Steamboat
Head on to the Golden Mansion Restaurant for a steamboat treat. The steamboat is served with a wide variety of seafood, eggs, rice vermicelli, fresh greens and the ultimate marinated beef slices. The beef slices have been marinated with a secret blend of spices and tastes absolutely tender and delicious to the bite. The soup, after all the cooking, will turn out to be one of the most flavourful soup you will ever taste in your lifetime!
