Today, not many people feel the taste of traditional Perak food as it is more forgotten.
Perak has a variety of traditional foods that you can enjoy until today. If you visit some areas around the state of Perak, you will be able to enjoy a variety of traditions of local people. Among the menu you can try in the state of Perak are as listed here:
- Lemuni Rice
Lemuni Rice can be found around Kuala Kangsar and Lenggong especially during Ramadan. It is cooked with water and lemuni leaves blended. It tastes a bit spicy and is eaten with coconut flakes.
It is also delicious to eat with hot spiced salted fish. It is also often used as a dish for women who postpone after delivery.
2. Gulai Tempoyak
Gulai tempoyak Perak uses different types of fish such as catfish, cuttle fish and bloated fish. It also easy for prepare the materials.
It consists of tempoyak, red chili, lemonade, turmeric powder, cucumber, fish, salt and sugar. If the tempoyak is not sour enough, it can be added to a few slabs. Gulai tempoyak is also often served as a meal during feasts in the villages.
3. Gulai Kemahang
Kemahang is a plant originating from a family of yam. It is a wild yam tree that can give it a sense of itching if it does not work properly. The trunk or stem leather should be removed before being cut along three inches.
It should be boiled or soaked with salt water, stuck before cooking to reduce itching. Flowering fringe should not be taken as it is usually a panacea. Gulai Kemahang was once a meal of the Sultan who had been polluted when visiting one of the villages in Lenggong.
4. Ikan Pindang Daun Seniar
The use of this artistic leaf can provide a very different and delicious taste with fish. It’s a complicated process that takes a long time to make it. No everyone are willing to waste time on this dish. The result of this artar leaf chopper is quite satisfying because of its delicious fish taste, and its softer bones can be eaten easily.
5. Rendang Tok
The beef used to produce this rendang is to cut in cubes with a size of about 1 x 1 inch. Its preparation also takes quite long time. In addition to being a side dish during the feast, rendang tok is also a delicious feast day eat with lemang and ketupat.
6. Pais Ikan Keramat
Pais Fish (fine-sized fish) is among the popular dishes of Malay Lenggong that near the Sungai Perak area. This dish is usually provided by fishermen while they were in the river or sea any time. However, now this cherry fish’s shrimp dish has been a daily lunch at breakfast or lunch.
It is often a choice because the fish can be long lasting. In additional, this menu also uses bamboo baskets as one of the ingredients that makes it more delicious.
7. Kuala Laksa (Tepung Gandum)
Laksa Kuala looks like a Penang laksa or Kedah laksa, but it has its own distinctive and special.
The noodles is made by whole wheat flour and is not mixed with rice flour. Therefore, the color is slightly yellowish compared to other laksa. The broth is also slightly liquid compared to other laksa broth.
Although the broth is different, the sweetness of the fish in the broth remains intact. This Kuala laksa dish is eaten with sliced shallots, cucumber, salad, chili and chilli for those who love spicy.
8. Daging Masak Hitam
This is a traditional Malay cuisine of Lenggong in Hulu Perak. Previously, this dish was often used as a menu during weddings or served to specialists and special guests. This dish usually uses beef, but it can also be replaced with buffalo, goat or chicken.
9. Ikan Masak Belotak
The Potato Fish is among the popular dishes among the farmers. It uses groundwater sources obtained in paddy fields such as catfish, haruan and puyu. This dish is derived from the idea of the previous community to prevent the partially damaged or drained fish. These fishes will be washed using bebuas leaf or leafy leaves to remove stinking smell. After that, boiled and collect it. Other mixed ingredients such as lemongrass, red onion and fine chilli are finely grounded, coconut milk, gelatin, turmeric slices and salt mixed together. Then it is cooked with medium heat until it is fully cooked.
10. Penja Ubi Kayu
The ubi of the tub sounds quite peculiar. However, if you are curious, this dish is among forget by everyone in Perak, this was the traditional dishes in Perak. Previously, this dish is often eaten in the evening.Perfect match of this dishes was coffee. It is very easy to prepare. Using tapioca, brown sugar, corn flour, pandanus and water leaves are enough to boost the flavor of this dish. Wooden casserole is boiled before mixing with other ingredients.
11. Kuih Kandas
This Kandas kuih shape looks like coyi. It is one of the most popular legacies in Perak, but it difficult to found this nowadays. This Kandas kuih is often for breakfast dish rather than kuih cakoi which is eaten in the morning and evening.
The preparation of this kuih is also quite different where the coyi is mixed with eggs or margarine, but it does not. This Kandas kuih eaten with red beans. These can be found around Karai, Padang Rengas, Kuala Kangsar and nearby areas.
12. Kuih Limas
This Limas cake has two layers, white on top and pandan green on the bottom. This cake is made using banana leaves that are shaped like square sheaths. The taste of this cake is quite sweet. It was uses coconut milk, wheat flour, salt and sugar and pandan leaf water. It is steamed only. Limas kuih is often a popular choice during the Ramadan month because of its so-called beauty.
13. Kuih Kalakatar
Kalakatar kuih is a traditional cake of Banjar people. The community not only in Perak, besides Selangor and several other states. This cake is not only a favorite of the Banjar community, but also a favorite of other societies. Kalakatar kuih is produced using young coconuts taken by water and its contents. It also mixes other ingredients. Kalakatar means ‘hot’ the combination of the word ‘kala’ means when and ‘katar’ is hot. So, no wonder, it is very good to eat when the heat is either burned with coconut fiber or oven.
14. Kelamai
Kelamai is a traditional food of the Rawa community and is a hereditary heritage. This cake can be found in Batang Padang Gopeng Perak area, most of which are local communities. It looks like dodol where it uses ingredients such as glutinous flour, brown sugar, coconut milk, kerisik, oil and white sugar. Its manufacturing method is as sweet as it is also cooked in bamboo and then baked.
The preparation process takes up to 3 days for the ingredients to be absorbed before it is inserted into the bamboo to burn. The appropriate bamboo selection is also very important to produce a really delicious cocktail.