Today, nasi lemak in both countries can come with a myriad of side dishes, such as squid, cockles, beef, fried chicken as well as processed items, like fishcake and sausages, which are more commonly found at stalls in Singapore.
For Damian D’Silva, the Singaporean chef-partner of Rempapa restaurant who specialises in heritage cuisine, there is no question about which country does the side dishes better: “Malaysian nasi lemak is better because nothing is processed, everything is cooked from scratch.”
CENDOL
There is a reason Malaysians had also been riled by CNN’s 2018 article that called cendol a dessert from Singapore.
A crucial ingredient in the icy concoction, besides pandan jelly and coconut milk, is a type of palm sugar called gula melaka. And Jonker Street in Malacca, Malaysia’s oldest city, is lined with shops selling cendol and gula melaka.
WATCH: Origins of cendol — Singaporean, Malaysian or Javanese? (22:43)
Source: CNA
