Try Malaysian food

While everybody seem to like Japanese and Thai food, Malaysian cooking doesn't share the same popularity.

Although Vancouverites have been sampling Malaysian for years at restaurants like Tropika and Banana Leaf, it's still a food that few people talk about.

I, for one, was confused by it because it's neither typically Chinese nor Indian nor Thai, yet it tastes similar to all three. The curries are much denser than those from Thailand. Malaysian fried rice, called nasi goreng, is muddier and saucier than simple Cantonese fried rice.

And their samosas and barbecued snacks are not really South Asian even though they include ample quantities of cumin and turmeric, like Indian snacks.

Malaysian food gradually grew on me. It's cooking born from economic survival and immigrant cultures—primarily Chinese, Indonesians, South Indians—and from the ethnic Malays.

At Kaya Malay Bistro (1063 West Broadway), there's a selection of easy-to-understand tapas. Novice diners of Malaysian food might want to sample the roti canai. It's a buttery flatbread that resembles Punjabi paratha.

It's torn into pieces and served with a coconut curry dipping sauce. Really, it was brought to Malaysia by working-class Tamil immigrants who sold it on the street as parathas.

Apparently, the dough has to be made overnight and it requires egg. Roti canai is so famous that even Madhur Jaffrey had a recipe in one of her books.

I recommend sticking with the tapas as a meal before launching into Kaya's curries and other adventurous dishes.

Kaya also makes the best hot and sour soup in town at $7 per serving!