Malaysia is famous for its diverse range of multiracial cuisines that everyone loves to indulge in, and it’s safe to say that people from other countries feel the same way, too!
With that in mind, popular foreign food reviewers recently went on a journey on their YouTube channel, Best Food Review Show, to explore and feast on what they’ve dubbed “Malaysia’s worst-rated foods” for a reason.
Stink beans (petai) in a prawn chilli dish
In their video, Sonny, a food expert, shared that the goal was to figure out if these dishes are misunderstood or if they really deserve the title of Malaysia’s “worst-rated foods.”
He said he had asked his audience to vote on what they thought were the absolute worst foods in Malaysia.
Based on the votes, Sonny, along with Calvin, a chef and restaurant owner visiting Malaysia for the first time, kicked things off by trying the 1st dish on the list, which is stink beans (petai) in a prawn chilli dish.
After tasting it, they were surprised by how delicious the petai was, especially when paired with prawns, even giving the dish a 5/5 rating.
“I think this dish has a bad rep, but if they changed the name from stink beans to something else, it would be amazing.”
Fish stomach (perut ikan)
They moved on to their 2nd dish, which featured fish stomach (locally known as perut ikan), a part of the fish that Sonny’s audience described as “the least desirable part.”
The fish stomach was cooked with a generous amount of sambal in hot oil and eaten with rice.
After trying it, Sonny was surprised by the dish’s sweet, sour, and savoury taste, with herbs blending in nicely. He mentioned that the fish’s stomach wasn’t noticeable at all.
“The taste is amazing. You can tell it’s meat, but it’s very soft and flavourful. It just blends in with all the other ingredients.”
The dish was then given a 4/5 star rating.
Nasi Lemak with fried liver (paru goreng)
For their 3rd dish, Sonny explained how Nasi Lemak, Malaysia’s national dish, is basically coconut rice served with sides and protein, usually chicken, which he’s tried before.
This time, Sonny and the team decided to be more adventurous and tried Nasi Lemak paired with fried liver (paru goreng).
After tasting it, they were surprised by how the liver was crunchier and spongier than expected, with layers of flavour that soaked up the other ingredients perfectly.
“People vote liver as one of the worst dishes in Malaysia because some people don’t like certain foods because they’ve never even tried them and are intimidated,” they said.
The dish received a 5/5 star rating.
Pig fallopian tube (Sang cheong)
For the 4th dish, they decided to try pig fallopian tubes (san cheong), which are said to give women “super baby-making abilities.”
When the dish was served, Calvin couldn’t help but comment on its appearance, saying,
“It’s so shiny and glistening. Not only does it look delicious, but it reminds me of chitlins in the South.”
After trying it, Calvin shared that he loved everything about the dish, especially the textures and flavours.
“I never thought you could take an ingredient people normally throw away and make something so delicious out of it.”
The dish got a 4.5/5 star rating.
Durian fish curry (Gulai tempoyak ikan patin)
For the 5th and final dish, they decided to try the smelliest fruit, the durian, which is banned from hotels and even airports, paired with fish.
After trying the gulai tempoyak ikan patin, they were immediately amazed by the broth, even though it was just served with the fish and nothing else.
“It’s spicy, salty, sweet, and fresh all at once. It’s a fascinating mix of flavours pulling in different directions. The smell and aroma of the durian is no longer there.”
The dish got a 4.5/5 star rating.
You can watch the full video down below:
They mentioned in the video that after trying every single dish, they’ve debunked the myths, with each one being outstanding and truly a case of a country’s food being misunderstood.
