In this episode, Dalin, our FoodBuzz content editor, and Dr. Su-Lin Tan, our Malaysian guest, are back on set to try more Malaysian and Cambodian food. This time around, they will be trying two very common dishes which are the Mee Char and Lod Char and the Malaysian version of it.

The Lod Char and the Malaysian version of it which is called Lou Shu Fun are very similar. They are both fried rice pin noodles. In the Lod Char, you will normally find ingredients such as pork or beef, vegetables and many will choose to top it with a fried egg and also pate. In Malaysia, it is commonly known as ‘Lou Shu Fun’ in Cantonese which directly translates to ‘rat noodle’. Rest assured there are no rats in it, but the name is given because the shape of the noodle resembles a rat’s tail. There are many ways of preparing it such as soup, clay pot, or stir-fried. The one that we tried is stir-fried with minced pork, lard and topped with an egg yolk to give it a creamier texture.

Next, our hosts tried the Mee Char and Mee Goreng Mamak. Mee Char is basically a Mee version of the Lod Char with ingredients that are almost exactly the same. Normally, it is made with yellow noodles or instant noodles. The Malaysian version is called Mee Goreng Mamak, which means Mamak-style fried noodles. In Malaysia, Mamak restaurants are very common and it refers to restaurants & eateries run by the Indian Muslim community. The Mee Goreng Mamak is fried with ingredients like chicken, tofu, potato cubes, tomatoes, and vegetables with the restaurant’s specialty sauce. Don’t forget to squeeze some lime juice on it before eating. 

And last but not least, we ended with something sweet. We had assorted Cambodian desserts (Nom) and Malaysian Kuih. Our Malaysian host tried Nom Ansom Khnor (Sticky Rice Cake dessert), Nom Tnoat (Palm Fruit Cake), Nom Kom (Dessert made from glutinous rice flour with sweet coconut filling), and Nom Jek (Fried banana pastry). Our Malaysian host, Su-Lin, loved Nom Kom as it reminded her of a Malaysian dessert called Kuih Koci that is very similar. For the Malaysian Kuih, there is the Kuih Ketayap (soft crepe with sweet coconut filling), Onde Onde (chewy glutinous rice ball with palm sugar filling), Kuih Seri Muka (steamed glutinous rice with pandan flavored custard layer on top), and a savory option called Cucur Udang (Prawn Fritters). These are famous traditional Malaysian desserts or tea-time snacks. Both Cambodian and Malaysian desserts use common ingredients like coconut, glutinous rice flour as well as palm sugar. Definitely worth a try!

Home Away from Home series is all about food from your home country that is available in Cambodia. This series is brought to you by Maybank Cambodia. Follow Maybank Cambodia on Facebook to find out more about their latest promotions. 

This series is supported by the Embassy of Malaysia, Phnom Penh. All videos are shot using Sony 7RIV with 24-70mm f2.8 and Sony A7Riii with 85mm f1.4