Favourite Malaysian Sweets

There can sometimes be a world of difference between the Malaysian idea of sweets and the Western tradition. Take the durian fruit for example. The durian is considered the "king of fruits" in Southeast Asia and is sold on street corners and used in tarts and ice creams. But I don't get it. It is not my idea of fun. The following passage from Wikipedia describes the extreme clash of opinions when it comes to the delights of durian. I quote this because it tastes the way it smells:

The edible flesh [of the durian] emits a distinctive odour, that is strong and penetrating... Some people regard the durian as pleasantly fragrant; others find the aroma overpowering and revolting. The smell evokes reactions from deep appreciation to intense disgust, and has been described variously as almonds, rotten onions, turpentine and gym socks. The odours has led to the fruit's banishment from certain hotels and public transportation in Southeast Asia.

My Mum is a durian fanatic and her eyes will light up and her mouth will water at the word "durian", let alone the sight of the actual fruit. Her snacking upon durian in the living room of our Australian home would always lead to heated arguments within the family over the putrid smell. There were calls to banish her and the durian from the house during those times. The durian ban in hotel rooms and certain restaurants in Malaysia saw my mother eating it in random places in the street including at outdoor bubble tea bars.

My mother is a true Malaysian who enjoys all the traditional Malaysian flavours. Whilst I too enjoy noodles and rice, her opinions on desserts have clashed with mine. She will tell you that the best sweets are the durian and ice kacang (or ais kacang) - a traditional dessert made of shaved ice served with red beans, sweet corn, grass jelly and sweet syrup. Beans and corn in a dessert does not sit well with my Western palate and while it wasn't disgusting, it's not my kind of thing.

So that is my precursor to the following review I have written about my favourite Malaysian sweets. By all means, go ahead and taste the durian and ice kacang. But here are my top Malaysian desserts which may be a bit more friendly on the Western tongue.

1. Ban chang kuih

A fluffy pancake sandwich with moist peanut and sesame seed filling. I bought mine from a street stall in Petaling Street, the main marketplace in Kuala Lumpur. It was freshly made and so warm that it melted in my mouth!

2. Nyonya Pineapple tarts/ Pineapple rolls

As the home of Nyonya cuisine, Melaka on the south-western coast of Peninsular Malaysia, is the best place to find authentic Nyonya pineapple tarts and pineapple rolls. The best part of a pineapple tart is the creamy home-made pineapple jam that is encased within the buttery pastry. These are an especially popular celebration food around Chinese New Year, but are widely enjoyed all year round.

3. Swiss Rolls

The Chinese swiss roll is much lighter in taste than its Western counterpart. Whenever I am eating one, I feel like I could go on to eat another 500 metres of swiss roll. The sponge cake is delicately rolled in the traditional way over a creamy filling. Some of the interesting flavours I tried in Malaysia were a mango roll with mango filling, and a blueberry roll with mango filling. Both were wonderful. You can also try green tea, durian or pandan flavoured rolls if you dare! Bakeries selling swiss rolls can be found in both the streets of Malaysia and in shopping mall outlets, like Bread History.

Note: I do not own these photographs, I found them on Google. I was too eager to eat these desserts that I forgot to take photographs for this blog. Nevertheless, I think these photos represent each dessert well and you will be able to recognise them if and when you visit Malaysia.