Teh tarik

Teh tarik ("pulled tea" or 拉茶 in Mandarin) is a type of tea which can be bought in restaurants and outdoor stalls in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. It is often compared to cappuccino because of its frothy top. The main ingredients are tea and condensed milk. Ginger water may also be added to form teh halia, or ginger tea. It has become the de facto national drink of Malaysia. In Malaysia, there are also occasions where "teh tarik" brewers gather for competitions and performances to show their skills in making this drink.

This tea is special in that it is prepared using a unique technique. The tea is poured from a hand held high into a container held in a hand below. The tea is poured back and forth in this manner to create a thick froth. It is believed that this method mixes the tea with the condensed milk more thoroughly than other methods. It is also believed that this action cools down the tea to an optimum temperature for consumption.

However, the most appropriate reason as to why Indian hawkers prefer this method of preparing teh tarik would probably be for the purpose of showmanship; the ability to drag a long stream of tea well over their heads was an amusing novelty for the locals and thus attract patrons

The same technique can be used to make kopi tarik, the coffee equivalent of teh tarik.

Rojak

Rojak (Chinese: 囉喏; pinyin: luōrĕ) is a fruit and vegetable salad dish commonly found in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia (where it is called Rujak). The term "Rojak" is Malay for mixture, is also used as a colloquial expression for an eclectic mix, and in particular is often used to describe the multi-ethnic character of Malaysian and Singaporean society.

Malaysian and Singaporean rojak

In Malaysia, mamak rojak (or Indian rojak) contains fried dough fritters, bean curds, boiled potatoes, prawn fritters, hard boiled eggs, bean sprouts and cucumber mixed with a thick, spicy peanut sauce. Traditionally, Indian Muslim (Mamak) rojak vendors use modified sidecar motorcycles as preparation counters and to peddle their rojak. These mobile vendors now use modified mini trucks. The Indian rojak available in Singapore is an assortment of potatoes, eggs, beancurds and prawns fried in batter served with a sweet and spicy chili sauce.

Indonesian rujak

In Indonesia, especially among Javanese, rujak is an essential part of the traditional prenatal ceremony called "Nujuh Bulanan" (literally: seventh month). Special rujak is made for this occasion, and later served to the mother to be and her guests (mostly her female friends). It is widely known that the sweet, spicy and sour tastes of rujak are adored by pregnant women. The recipe of rujak for this ceremony is similar to typical Indonesian fruit rujak, with the exceptions that the fruits are roughly shredded instead of thinly sliced, and the jeruk bali (grapefruit) is an essential ingredient. It is believed that if the rujak overall tastes sweet, the unborn would be a girl, and if it is spicy, the unborn baby is a boy.

Indonesian Fruit Rujak

The typical Indonesian fruit rujak consists of slices of assorted tropical fruits such as jambu air (water apple), pineapple, raw mangoes, bangkoang (jicama), cucumber, kedondong, and raw red ubi jalar (sweet potato). Sometimes Malang variants of green apple, belimbing (star fruit), and jeruk Bali (grapefruit) are added. The sweet and spicy-hot bumbu rujak (dressing) is made up of water, gula jawa (coconut sugar), asem jawa (tamarind), grinded sauted peanuts, terasi (shrimp paste), salt, cabe rawit, and red chili. All of the fruits are sliced to bite-size, and put in the dish. The bumbu rujak or thick sweet spicy rujak dressing is poured on the fruit slices. An addition of sambal garam powder (simple mixture of salt and grinded red chilli) is put on side as the alternative for those who love a salty taste for their rujak.

Rujak Tumbuk (Rujak Bèbèk)

Another variant of Indonesian fruit rujak. The ingredients are almost the same as typical Indonesian fruit rujak, with the exception that all the ingredients, fruits and dressing are mashed together (tumbuk or bèbèk in Indonesian) in a wooden mortar. The dressing is not poured on the fruit, but already mixed together with all the ingredients. Rujak tumbuk is served in individual smaller portions on banana leaf plates called "pincuk".

Rujak Serut

Literary means "shredded rujak". Another variant of Indonesian fruit rujak. Like rujak tumbuk, the ingridients are almost the same as typical Indonesian fruit rujak, with the exceptions that the fruits is not sliced in biteable size, but shredded into rough almost paste like consistency.

Rujak Cingur

Literary "cingur" means mouth in Javanese, varient of rujak specialty of Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia. Contains slices of cooked buffalo's or cow's lips (mouth), bangkuang, young raw mango, pineapple, cucumber, kangkung, lontong (glutinous rice cake), tofu, tempe, served in black sauce made from petis (black fermented shrimp paste, similar to terasi), and grinded peanuts, topped with sprinkle of fried shallots and kerupuk (Indonesian cracker). This special rujak from East Java has "meaty" taste.

Roti canai

Roti canai (pronounced "chanai," not "kanai") is a type of flatbread found in Malaysia. It is nearly identical to Singaporean roti prata and a close descendant of Kerala porotta.

Roti means bread in Hindi, Urdu, most other North Indian languages, and Malay. The term "canai" derives either from:

i) "Chennai" the original name for the city of Madras. Roti canai is presumed to have been introduced by immigrant labour from the Madras region where a similar combination of paratha and dalcha - the accompanying lentil curry - is served. Jaffrey, Madhur (2003). Madhur Jaffrey's Curry Bible. Ebury Press, 283-4. ISBN 0091874157.

ii) "channa", a mixture of boiled chickpeas in a spicy gravy from Northern India which it was traditionally served with.

In English, roti canai is sometimes referred to as "flying bread," a term that evokes the process of tossing and spinning by which it is made.

The dish is composed of dough containing copious amounts of fat, egg, flour and water. The form of fat used is usually ghee (clarified butter). The entire mixture is kneaded thoroughly, flattened, oiled and folded repeatedly. It is then allowed to proof and rise, and the process is repeated. The final round of preparation consists of flattening the dough ball, coating it with oil and then cooking on a flat iron skillet with a lot of oil. The ideal roti is flat, fluffy on the inside but crispy and flaky on the outside.

One of the characteristics of roti canai and its derivatives is that it can be eaten with the hands, without the need for utensils. This makes it a convenient dish to consume, while being filling. This characteristic makes it a dish of choice as breakfast or as supper (the fourth meal of the day, generally eaten after nightfall).

Traditionally, it is served with dal or 'dhal' (lentil) curry, which in North India is prepared with chana dal. It can sometimes be taken with sugar or condensed milk. More recently, various improvements on plain roti have been devised to suit the more adventurous tastes of more affluent Malaysians . Generally the newer forms of roti are denoted by using a prefix of roti attached to the additional ingredient used. Variations include:

roti telur, with fried eggs (telur being the Malay word for egg)
roti tisu (tissue bread, a paper thin and flaky roti, also called roomali roti, where roomal means "handkerchief" in Hindi)
roti bawang (onion bread)
roti bom (bomb bread, a smaller but thicker roti)
roti planta, stuffed with margarine and sugar.
roti sardin, stuffed with sardine and sometimes mixed with ketchup or sambal
Most plain roti are round while those with fillings are square in shape due to the folding of the roti.

Roti canai is very affordable (standard price is RM0.80 a piece in Malaysia), making it extremely popular.

Popularity of mamak stalls

A local university's research on the popularity of mamak stalls over other types of Muslim restaurants have shown that mamak restaurants or stalls are the local equivalent of fast food restaurants[citation needed]. The results have shown that despite having different owners, these restaurants offer similar choices of food as well as waiter service. They also operate at convenient hours at strategic locations, and tend to be cheap.

Newer mamak stalls have more of a cafe aspect, being well lit and furnished with stainless steel tables. Some are outfitted with large flat screen televisions, or even projectors, so that patrons can catch the latest programs or live football (soccer) matches as they dine.Some mamak stalls also provides free wi-fi service. Interestingly, most modern mamak stalls attempt to retain the charm of open air dining of its predecessors by setting up tables on a patio, the shoplot's walkway or even on the street. Nevertheless, all mamak stalls provide a casual ambiance and affordable food to locals who need a place to unwind or socialise.

Criticisms against mamak eateries

One of these criticisms are long working hours and poor working conditions of mamak stalls' employees. Many mamak restaurants are open 24 hours 7 days a week. They only close for Friday noon time congregational prayers and during the two Eid celebrations. Due to this, hygiene in mamak stalls is usually bad as the 24 hour operating times make cleaning a difficult task. Remunerations at these mamak restaurants are low. Most of the workers are foreign Indian nationals, since local workers would not be attracted to the pay and working conditions at these restaurants.

These mamak restaurants serve food and drinks which are high in fat and sugar. For example, teh tarik is strong tea with large doses of sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk. There are also several ways to prepare or embellish the basic roti canai, some of which involve large amounts of margarine.

The mamak stall roadside dining original concept is still maintained despite the restaurants themselves becoming bigger and more spacious. Dining areas commonly extend onto five foot pathways and busy intersections. This practice is illegal and hazardous to customers as well as road users. There have been cases of patrons being involved in road traffic accidents while dining at the road sides and getting killed in the process[citation needed]. Despite on and off raids by local authorities to get rid of illegal roadside dining, the trend still persists as mamak restaurant operators continue to blatantly flout the law by having their dining areas overflow on to walkways, roads and carparks.

Mamak fare

A standard mamak stall's menu would contain teh tarik and Milo and different varieties of roti canai. Most mamak stalls also serve several varieties of rice, such as nasi lemak and nasi goreng, as well as noodle dishes such as mee goreng (fried noodles). Extended menus would also include satay and at certain restaurants, Western food.

A typical Mamak stall will offer the following choices of food, though this may differ for different stalls:

-Roti Canai (Chennai bread)
-Roti Telur
-Teh Tarik
-Half-Boiled Eggs
-Goat Milk
-Murtabak
-Thosai
-Chapati
-Nasi Kandar
-Nasi Briyani
-Nasi Lemak
-Maggi Goreng
-Mee Goreng (Fried noodles)
-IndoMie Mi Goreng
-Pasembur
-Mamak Rojak
-Sup Kambing
-Sup Ayam
-Roti Tissue
-Roti Bakar
-Roti Bom
-Murtabak
-Roti Naan & Tandoori Chicken
-Poori

History

Certain Mamak stalls, such as this example in Kuala Lumpur, may remain open 24 hours a day.

The Malaysian Mamak (commonly known as Mamak) are Tamil Muslims of Malaysian nationality, whose forefathers mostly migrated from South India to the Malay Peninsula and various locations in Southeast Asia centuries ago. They are regarded as part of the Malaysian Indian community. Indian Muslims were believed to first arrive at Samudera (now Aceh in Sumatra, Indonesia) back in the early 10th century, and later settled down in Peninsular Malaysia. Although the origins of the word are perfectly benign, it is often used as a derogatory term for the Indian Muslim community in Malaysia.

The word 'Mamak' is from the Tamil term for maternal uncle, or 'maa-ma'. In the context of Singapore and Malaysia, children of all ethnic groups are taught to refer to adult neighbours, shopkeepers and even strangers as 'uncle' and 'auntie', as a form of respect for and deference towards elders. This term is used even though the adult may not be a member of the child's family, clan or even ethnic group/'race'. The origin of the term 'mamak stall' is likely from the practice of children addressing the shopkeeper as 'uncle', or 'mamak', in his native Tamil language, as a form of respect when interacting with him, and patronising his shop.

Mamak stalls and Hindu stalls are alike except the Mamaks, who are Muslims, do not sell pork, whereas the Hindus do not sell beef. There are also similar stalls run by local Malays, which are not to be confused with the Mamak.

Mamak stall

Picture of traditional Malaysian Mamak and the Mamak Stall.


mamak stall, also referred to as mapley, is a type of food establishment which serves mamak food. In Malaysia, the term mamak refers to Indian Muslims, who generally own and operate them. Although traditionally operated from roadside stalls, some modern mamak stall operators have expanded their businesses into restaurant or cafe-type establishments. Mamak stalls tend to be popular among Malaysian youths as hang out spots, due to cheap food and beverages being served as well as being open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The mamak stall has been etched permanently into Malaysian culture, much in part because of its ubiquitous nature. The mamak stall is very much a melting pot of cultures, a symbol of multiracial harmony. People of all races, religions and ages frequent mamak stalls to gossip or catch a late-night football game while enjoying a cup of hot teh tarik. No other eatery has quite as much cultural significance in Malaysia, save for the kopi tiam.

Mamak food

Mamak (Indian Muslims) dishes have developed a distinctly Malaysian style. One of the most popular kinds of food by the Indian Muslims is called "nasi kandar". Nasi kandar originally came from Penang. Also available throughout the country, the omnipresent Mamak stalls or restaurants are particularly popular among the locals as they offer a wide range of food and some outlets are open 24 hours a day. They're fast, economical and perfect as a meeting place for a drink and snacks.

Roti canai is a thin bread with a flaky crust, fried on a skillet and served with condiments. It is sometimes referred to as roti kosong. In Singapore, it is referred to as prahta.

Roti telur is a roti canai with egg in it. Telur means egg.

Mamak rojak is a variant of rojak consisting of substantial ingredients like boiled potatoes and hard-boiled eggs. Also known as 'pasembur'.

Maggi goreng is a dish of fried Maggi instant noodles with flavouring (usually curry), vegetables, egg, tofu and occasionally chicken.

Nasi Kandar is white rice or briyani rice served with other dishes of curry either with chicken, fish, beef, or mutton and usually with pickled vegetables too. It is usually accompanied by some Papadums.

Nasi Lemak is rice steamed with coconut milk to lend it special fragrance. It is served with anchovies, nuts, cucumber and a chili paste known as 'sambal'. The mamak variety of 'sambal' tends to be a bit more spicy whereas the malay version of 'sambal' in a nasi lemak tends to be on the sweet side.

Teh tarik literally meaning 'pulled tea', is a well-loved drink amongst Malaysians.
Tea is sweetened using condensed milk, and is prepared using out-stretched hands to pour piping hot tea from a mug into a waiting glass, repetitively. The higher the 'pull', the thicker the froth. The 'pulling' of tea also has the effect of cooling down the tea. Teh tarik is a form of art in itself and watching the tea streaming back and forth into the containers can be quite captivating.