There are a large number of Chinese in Malaysia, but apart from Chinese, the third largest ethnic group in Malaysia is Indian. Therefore, you can see a very interesting scene on the streets of Malaysia. On one side of a street, there are Chinese pharmacies, tea rooms and clubs. On one side are Indian temples, spice shops and stalls.

Malaysia is a multi-ethnic country, and the largest ethnic group is Malays. The second largest is Chinese. In addition to these two ethnic groups, the most populous ethnic group is Indian.

The relationship between India and Malay is deeper than that of Chinese. In more than 2 BC, King Ashoka of India began to conquer Southeast Asia, which lasted until after 335 AD. For hundreds of years, Indians' sea expansion never stopped, so Indians came to Malaysia with the pace of expansion before the start of the AD calendar.

But it happened after the second half of the 19th century that Indians really migrated to Malaysia on a large scale.

there are many reasons. One, Malaysia was being colonized by Britain at that time. At the same time, the British planted a large number of rubber trees in Malaysia, and also found a large number of tin mines, which urgently needed labor to engage in the mining and planting of tin mines. It was then that a large number of Indians, together with Chinese, poured into Malaysia? Gold rush? . It is said to be gold panning, but it is actually imported as cheap labor. This is very similar to the influx of Chinese into the United States? Gold rush? Gold panning is just a beautiful fantasy, but actually it is hard work.

One more thing, at about the same time that Malaysia was colonized by Britain, India was also colonized by Britain, so there is a saying of British India in history. That belongs to the Commonwealth, so the migration between Malaysia and India is not so much, and tourism and immigration are more convenient.

In addition, there is the population base of the two countries. India is a populous country, and the Malay population is not as large as that of India. At the time of being colonized by Britain, it needs a lot of labor. Therefore, there are people in India who can export, and Malaysia is in urgent need of labor input. These reasons hit it off, and let us see the huge Indian group formed in Malaysia today.

Later, although Malaysia and India got rid of British control one after another and achieved independence, a large number of Indians returned to their hometown. However, these people who returned to India were mainly Aryan Indians of high caste, and a large number of Tamil people of low caste stayed in Malaysia because they were poor and had no travel expenses or no place to settle down when they returned to their motherland.

Indians, like China, have their own distinctive eating habits and culture. As immigrants entered Malaysia, they also brought their own national diet to Malaysia.

In Penang, we tried many Indian files mentioned just now. Some people don't know, what is the file, actually? Well? It's Malaysia's name for Tamil Muslims. A stall is a food stall on both sides of the road. Yes, it's similar to our roadside food stalls or fast food restaurants.

the food provided by the stall depends on the size of the pavement, which can be rich or simple. The big stall can provide all kinds of pancakes, fried rice, stews, curries, sauces and so on. The cooked food is packed in iron plates and displayed in front of the store, so customers can choose directly. It's like a fast food restaurant that used to be common on the streets of China.

In the streets of Malaysia, especially in Penang and Malacca, Indian-run stalls can be seen everywhere. Why? Because when the British colonized Southeast Asia, the three cities of Penang, Malacca and Singapore in Malaysia became the three major towns of the British colony in the Straits of Malacca because of their geographical location, and they were also the places where the British first opened ports. There were more job opportunities here, it was easier to earn money, and a large number of laborers flocked to these cities to look for opportunities. So we can now see that today, Malaysia, Malacca and Penang are cities where Indians gather more.

Penang has a Little India, that is, an Indian community, which is equivalent to Chinatown for Chinese. Little India still maintains the traditional Indian architecture and customs of life, that is, as soon as you walk into Little India, you will feel completely different from other neighborhoods. The whole street is full of red, green and green colors. There are loud Indian songs in the shops on both sides. Small supermarkets sell Indian food and daily necessities. Traditional Indian clothing stores and spice shops have a very strong fragrance. We walked into the spice shop out of curiosity and suddenly the fragrance came at us like a wall, and we were almost suffocated by it.

Is it the first time to file something here, in Penang? Little India? That's a very interesting memory. At that time, it was really awkward. Because the iron plates in the stalls are not dishes, but all kinds of curries. White, red, yellow, green, lighter red and darker yellow? There are more than ten kinds, but the colors and shapes are the same, which is hard to describe.

Then I was a little at a loss. I just looked at how the Indians on the side ordered food, that is, I took several kinds of curry with my fingers and packed it in a bag, and then some sauces were all put in a bag, and some were packed separately. After choosing the sauce, put a bag of white rice to take away. Some people will choose some fried chicken and fried eggs piled up beside curry to take with them, but they are less, and most of them just buy curry and rice.

So for Indians, a variety of curries with rice is a fast food.

My mother later met the biggest Diwali festival in Hinduism. The store where we sat just happened to see their float parade. A beautifully decorated float decorated with flowers and lights was pulled forward by many strong Indian men. Every few meters, we have to stop and do a bunch of complicated ceremonies. There is still a fire on the car to burn. Maybe we are burning some spices, because the whole street smells of spices. The car, the sides of the car and the back are all surrounded by people. Men are naked and wear garlands, and women are wearing gorgeous Sally, singing and dancing. When I first saw Diwali, I was stunned. On both sides of the road and at the crossroads, there are several policemen who are obviously Malays, who help to maintain order and direct traffic.

Then, at the other end of this street, there is a Chinese guild hall. On that day, red lanterns were hung high and the lights were brightly lit. Many Chinese people in formal clothes shook hands and greeted each other at the door and entered the guild hall one after another. I was curious, because there was no important Chinese festival that day, so I went in to have a look. Oh, it was a gathering of Chinese associations. The hall was very large, with at least dozens of tables of banquets, and guests were coming to the table one after another to prepare for dinner.

I think this scene is magical for the first time. The same street is less than 1 meters apart. At one end, it is smoky and fragrant, singing and dancing are doing religious ceremonies, at the other end, it is a suit and tie, eating around a big round table, and in the middle of the road, police who are completely different from these two nationalities are helping to guard the traffic. It is really very interesting. I looked at the Indian fried rice, curry and Malay white coffee on the table in front of me, and the image of a multi-ethnic country was vividly unfolded before my eyes.

apart from the food itself, it is also worth mentioning that Indian people's behavior art is displayed in their diet.

in a traditional Indian restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, food is served on the top of banana leaves. Rice, pancakes, curry, vegetables, chicken, fish, shrimp, crabs and so on can all be served, and then their waiters, who are also amazing, are holding soft leaves in their hands and moving around the middle of the table. The food does not come loose or fall, and the pace is light.

There is also a diet that can reflect the performance art of Indians in catering, which is teh tarik, that is, milk tea. Teh tarik is to put the boiled milk tea in two cups, with both hands high and low, to form a big gap as far as possible, and then pour the milk tea in the cups. The higher the cup is pulled, the more air is mixed into the milk tea, and the more bubbles there are, the better the taste.

Then why do you have to mention this teh tarik in Malay? Because at the earliest, there was no teh tarik in India, but it was invented by these Indians who immigrated to Malaysia. In a good Indian hotel, a special young man will be invited to perform teh tarik. After proficiency, the gap between the two cups will be larger, and the body will change angles as if performing acrobatics.

Indian people's work and rest are completely different from Chinese people's. Chinese restaurants open early in the morning, and breakfast will be available around 6 o'clock. At this time, Indian restaurants are still closed. But by 3 or 4 pm, Chinese restaurants were closing one after another. At this time, the Indians became lively. Until 1 o'clock in the evening, they could still see Indians sitting in the stalls, eating, drinking, watching TV and chatting.

So basically, it can be said that the two major ethnic groups, Chinese and Indians, support the magical style of Malaysian cuisine.