Mee goreng mamak fried noodles are a dish that you can easily find on the streets of Malaysia, priced from only 1.6 USD per plate.
Marielle Descalsota, a Singapore-based travel writer, visited Malaysia at the end of May. In the capital Kuala Lumpur, she enjoyed mee goreng mamak, spicy stir-fried noodles originating from the Indian Muslim community.
Mee goreng mamak is CNN as one of the top best Malaysian dishes in 2021. Ingredients include yellow noodles, stir-fried with beef or chicken, shrimp, garlic, green onions, tomato sauce, curry, sweet soy sauce, potatoes boiled potatoes and eggs. To complete the dish, the chef will top it with red peppers, crispy onions and a slice of lemon or kumquat.
"I often eat fried noodles in Singapore, so I'm curious what's different about the Malaysian version. During my trip to Kuala Lumpur, I stopped by a local restaurant to try it," she shared.
Marielle Descalsota was born in the Philippines, living in Singapore. Photo: Insider
Marielle chose a small mamak restaurant called Restoran Yusoof dan Zakhir, just a few minutes walk from the hotel. Mamak are Indian Muslim food stalls that can be easily found in Malaysia and Singapore.
Despite its modest and casual atmosphere, this restaurant is a popular culinary destination in the heart of the city. Diners left more than 900 reviews with an average of 4 stars on Google, most of which commented that the food was both delicious and cheap. With many locals, this is also the best mamak shop in the capital's Chinatown.
The dish is usually served on banana leaves. Photo: Unilever Food Solution
Marielle arrived at the restaurant at 9pm, only a few customers were left to eat. On the wall is a large menu, including dozens of dishes. Mee goreng mamak costs 1.6 USD, much cheaper than the average price 4-6 USD in Singapore.
The plate of Marielle noodles is served full and fragrant. "I ate it wholeheartedly. The noodles were better than the ones I ate in Singapore, because they were less spicy. This is something I will eat again when I come to Malaysia next time," she said.
The restaurant staff told her that mee goreng mamak is so popular with tourists that even though the restaurant doesn't print the name of the dish on the menu, diners still order it.
Restoran Yusoof dan Zakhir, where Descalsota stopped for noodles. Photo: Insider
In addition to the famous noodle dish, the shop also sells other popular Malaysian dishes such as roti canai, a flat bread served with curry or spicy sauce, and nasi goreng - fried rice. "Malaysians love to eat these for dinner. Cheap and delicious food," said a local.
