The Cuisine

TERENGGANU CUISINE 

With its overwhelming Malay majority, the cuisine of Terengganu on Malaysia's northeast coast does not have as much Chinese or Indian influence as some other states. There is however a noticeable influence from nearby Thailand, and in this state strongly influenced by Islamic culture, there are discernable Arabic tinges to the food as well.

Rice and fish are the staples on which this cuisine is built, and if you don't like either of those things you'll struggle a little in Terengganu. With that in mind, I relented on my usual vegetarian regimen - to a certain extent anyway. Forgive me, poor chickens and little fishies.

                                                

                                                                 Keropok Lekor

Keropok Lekor – you can’t avoid this stuff, it is absolutely everywhere in Kuala Terengganu; it is made from fish and sago pounded into a paste and formed into a sausage shape. Go to the markets and you’ll see the uncooked varieties, which you may mistake for the penis of some poor creature. They don’t look particularly appetizing. When boiled and/or fried, the keropok lekor turns into a kind of chewy, fishy sausage; not bad at all, actually, if a little too greasy. Served with chili sauce on the side, this is by far and away the most popular local snack food. On one stretch of the highway leading into KT, every second shop was a kerepok lekor vendor. They can be found elsewhere in Malaysia but in Terengganu it is an obsession. The term keropok (krupuk in Indonesian) usually refers to crispy thin-sliced discs (think Chinese prawn crackers or Indian papadams for a point of reference), and you can get these here as well; they are called keropok lekor keping.

                                            Laksam

Laksam – the local variant of laksa. It uses an interesting variety of noodle, something like a broader kway teow noodle which has been rolled up and then sliced. These swim in a gravy of coconut milk, herbs and fish stock. A dish which has potential to be nice I’m sure, but the version we tried (at Pantai Batu Buruk) was underwhelming.

                                                               Nasi Dagang

Nasi Dagang – one of the trademark dishes of Terengganu and neighbouring Kelantan. Commonly eaten for breakfast, it is the local version of nasi lemak. While it is easy to notice the Thai influence on the cuisine of the region, this dish recalls the Middle-Eastern influence on local tastes. While its basic ingredients are truly SE Asian – a mix of Thai jasmine rice and glutinous rice, with a little coconut milk added – the presence of fenugreek seeds in the rice is an unusual twist, as this spice is virtually absent from all other Malay cuisine. While fenugreek is mostly associated with Indian cuisine, locals refer to it by its Arabic name, halba (rather than the Hindi methi), which is a telling indicator of its origin in Terengganu cuisine. Also containing shallots and shreds of ginger, the rice is flavourful enough to eat on its own, but it is usually accompanied by some kind of achar (lightly pickled vegetable) and a fish curry.

Nasi dagang is primarily a breakfast dish; waking up late on our last morning in Dungun, we drove to a few eateries desperately wanting a last taste of this local specialty, only to be told (in the nicest way possibl) that it was no longer breakfast time and they had run out. This was at 10:45am, mind you. Fortunately not every vendor holds to this principle.

The nasi dagang came from this little shop (below) at the food court at Pasar Payang (Kuala Terengganu's Central Market) which was quiet at lunchtime when we visited. It was run by a nice couple; the auntie sat nearby and watched with a smile as we ate and photographed our food, visibly getting a kick out of us enjoying her cooking.

                                                                      

                                               Pulut Lepa

Made of glutinous rice and fish , this snack food is prepared over a barbecue. Boiled fish mixed with sliced onions and dried chilies and coconut. The mixture is cooked until it is dry. This is then used as a filling for the glutinous rice rolls. Wrappings of banana leaf cover the food before it is cooked over the fire.

                                                        Wrapping of banana leaf cover

                                                 

                                                          Lompat Tikam

 A sweet cold dessert, it consists of two main parts, both left to cool to become jelly. The first, a solution of rice flour - given its green colour by the Pandan leaf is stirred over a fire until it is cooked. The second, a mixture of coconut milk and rice flour, is heated until it thickness. A generous helping a coconut syrup, poured on top of the jellies, completes the dessert.

You must try this all the cuisine in Terengganu, i am very sure that it will satisfied you when you enjoy this cuisine :)