Most Popular Food and Drinks Ordered at a Mamak

Top Mamak Food And Drinks

Here we get to the most favourite dishes and drinks of all time, courtesy of tabulating the results from a survey conducted within the writer's circle of friends, family members and colleagues.

Food

1) Maggie Mee / Indomie goreng (with or without the telur mata) - RM4.00 to RM5.00

Now, I know what the "mamak nazis" are thinking, "That's not possible! Maggie mee and Indon mee are two completely different noodles!" I am very aware of that fact, but because they seem to have tied with each other for the number one spot, and because they are so similar, I decided to put them together. The name essentially explains itself: wok-tossed noodles using either Maggie mee or Indon mee with vegetables and pieces of chicken. Some people prefer to have an extra sunny side-up egg too. Price ranges from RM4.00 to RM5.00.

2) Roti and its variations - RM1.00 to RM5.00

"Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside" is how many people would describe this delectably ubiquitous food. With the person in charge of making the roti canai in full view of the eatery's customers, many would be admiring his skills in flinging the dough multiple times and deftly folding it till it reaches its final form. It's so versatile that it can be eaten for either breakfast, lunch or dinner (or all three if you fancy!) and some even choose to add other ingredients into it to further enhance its flavours. Price ranges from RM1.00 to RM1.20 for a plain roti and anything from RM2.00 to RM5.00 for the roti that come with extra fillings, such as eggs, cheese, onions or meats.

3) Nasi kandar - from RM6.00

This meal has an interesting background, having originated from North Malaysia. It is said that this dish got its name from the way it was sold back in the olden times, where the hawkers would be balancing a long yoke (the Malay word for that is "kandar") on their shoulders with the baskets of rice and dishes hanging on either side of him. To this day, people who order this immensely satisfying dish will choose their accompaniments from a wide selection and then generously pour various curries on the rice (an act called "banjir") to give the entire meal a decidedly flavourful taste. Expect to pay upwards from RM6.00 for a plate.

4) Nasi lemak - RM1.00 or RM4.00 onwards

I don't think I need to explain further about this dish. It's so "Malaysian", with all the ingredients coming together in a masterful blend to win over the hearts of anyone who is trying it for the first time. White fluffy rice cooked in santan (coconut milk), fried anchovies, peanuts, hard boiled egg, cucumbers and (the best part, in my humble opinion) sambal belacan. Some even add curried chicken, beef or mutton and everything is wrapped securely in banana leaves. Enough said for this masterpiece. Prices are about RM1.00 for the absolute basic ones (usually called "bungkus") but for the ones that are served in a plate, they usually cost RM4.00 onwards.

Drinks

1) Teh ais/Teh o ais - RM1.80 to RM2.50

This drink won hands-down in the survey; it seems like Malaysians love their drinks to be sweet and cold. Well, I wouldn't blame them if the tropical weather is taken into consideration. The first one is an iced milk tea whereas the second one is just tea with some sugar and ice-cubes in it (iced plain tea, perhaps?). Pretty self-explanatory, except sometimes you will find people ordering for a lime or two to be dropped into the latter, to give it more of a zest. People pay anywhere between RM1.80 to RM2.50 for a glass.

2) Milo ais/panas - from RM2.30

Another drink that's cold and just as sweet, if not sweeter, the name is also self-explanatory. Stir up a glass of Milo and condensed milk, put in icecubes and voila! A deliciously cooling drink that takes you back in time to when you were a kid and you drank a cup of it before bed (I still do that every now and then). It's not hard to see why this drink made the list, especially so when certain mamaks include a generous heap of Milo powder on top of the drink! Expect the price to be from RM2.30 above.

3) Teh tarik (with or without the high levels of sugar) - from RM1.50

I actually have vague recollections of my father taking after his father in sharing his morning cup of teh tarik with me when I was still a toddler. If he was successful in peeling me away from the television, that is. Back when the world was a much simpler place, the teh tarik came in a chipped porcelain cup with an equally chipped porcelain saucer. Since I was still young, he would pour some of his teh tarik into the saucer, blow on it a couple of times and hand it to me so I can eagerly sip it. I won't be the only one whose father has done this, for this sweet drink is so famous, not a day goes by without at least one cup being ordered! Called "pulled tea" by the Westerners, it derives its name from the way the man "stretches" the tea to achieve a frothy topping. Price of RM1.50 above.