Foodorama puts spotlight on Malaysian cuisine

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This article was published 17/12/2018 (2789 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If there’s one thing a diverse group of people can all agree on, it’s good food.

Local chef Sean Low knows that first hand.

In 2011, Low moved to Canada from Malaysia to pursue studies at the University of Manitoba. This week, he’ll be cooking meals for over 250 people at Foodorama, a regular community dinner and cultural event hosted by the Manitoba Islamic Association at the Winnipeg Grand Mosque.

“Malaysia, I’m sorry to say this, is divided by race, religion, and beliefs, but we’re always united under one thing: Malaysian gastronomy,” Low said. “We wanted to prove that we can set our differences aside and get together through food.”

The University of Manitoba Malaysian and Singaporean Association is hosting the dinner on Dec. 22. Daniel Chan, president of the UMMSA, said the event is a good opportunity to shine a spotlight on the small but vibrant Malaysian community in Manitoba.

“When we talk about food, it’s basically a language in Malaysia. We communicate with food,” Chan said. “Food, in my opinion as the president of the UMMSA, it is a language to communicate with people around a different place.

“Malaysia is also a multicultural country — people come together, cook their food together, combine everything together, and that’s our dish.”

The Manitoba Islamic Association has been hosting Foodorama events since 2014, said office manager Tasneem Vali.

Initially, the event was a fundraiser for the association meant to get the diverse Muslim community together and exchanging food and culture. However, the authentic homestyle meals prepared by various ethnic communities and the accompanying cultural presentation soon attracted visitors from further afield, Vali said.

“It’s become a community event now,” Vali said. “We offer a grant to start up with… and all the ticket sales after expenses come back to us, but if nothing comes back to us that’s fine too.”

Vali said the event also brings different faith communities to the mosque and the diversity of hosts and diners reflects Winnipeg at large.

“We have Muslims and other faiths working together, but from the same country,” she said. “The Indian Foodorama brought in the Hindu faith, and with the Malaysian, you can see it’s not just Muslims.

“One of our missions is to help Muslims integrate and identify with and to be included in Canadian society in general,” she added. “This is wonderful because we’re doing that without even trying. Food is amazing that way.”

On the menu, curated and prepared by Low, is national dish Nasi Lemak (coconut scented rice with chili paste, served with fried anchovies, peanuts, and soft boiled eggs), rendang (a slow cooked marinated beef dish), and pandan cake (a traditional pastry featuring one of Malaysia’s staple ingredients: screwpine leaf).

Low, who is currently working towards his red seal, said all the recipes are authentic to Malaysia and originate in the kitchens of his grandparents.

“We don’t learn from school; we all started from observing our grandparents,” he said. “When I came here, away from family, I missed Malaysian food, so I asked my grandmother for recipes, and slowly I improvised and got the hang of it.”

Tickets to the Malaysian Foodorama are $20 in advance. The event often sells out and between 250 and 300 tickets are available for purchase through the MIA office at 204-256-1347. Children 12 and under are $10. Doors open at 5:15 p.m. and the program begins at 5:45 p.m.