Dining on Malaysian delights in Sydney

File photo of the Sydney Opera House in Sydney. A Malaysian Kitchen programme was launched to offer city folk delicious Malaysian hawker fare. Reuters picSYDNEY, Feb 19 A laneway here which has been turned into a colourful hawker food market is attracting hundreds of Sydneysiders to indulge in delicious Malaysian food.It is part of the popular Malaysian Kitchen programme which is being rolled out worldwide to promote Malaysian cuisine.Datuk Chef Wan, who flew to Sydney on a 24-hour round trip as a special guest at the official launch of the programme on Tuesday night, said he marvelled at how an ordinary laneway behind the State Theatre here was transformed into a brilliant venue for guests to enjoy Malaysias culinary delights under the stars.Chef Wan, who was master of ceremony for the night, told the 150 guests that Malaysian cuisine was recognised internationally as unique and was enjoyed by all.Malaysian High Commissioner to Australia Datuk Salman Ahmad, who launched the programme here, said Malaysian cuisine was acknowledged as one of the great cuisines of the world.Its encouraging to see that Australia has more Malaysian restaurants than any other country in the world, and they are quality eateries and well patronised, he noted.The Malaysia Kitchen Australia campaign is an initiative of the Malaysian External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade), and aims to increase Australian awareness of Malaysian cooking and encourages them to experience the diverse tastes of Malaysian cuisine in restaurants across the country.Matrade deputy chief executive Datuk Mohamad Kamarudin Hassan was delighted with the response from Australians to the Malaysian Kitchen programme.He invited Australians to visit the week-long Malaysia Kitchen Food Market to enjoy the delicious range of dishes on offer.Those unable to make it to the event should visit the Malaysia Kitchen Facebook page (facebook.com/MKInside! rs) for information on Malaysian cuisine and restaurants near you.Malaysian-born MasterChef Australia 2010 winner and Malaysia Kitchen ambassador Adam Liaw said: Im excited to be sharing my love for Malaysian food with Australians.Australians knowledge of food and their palates have developed a lot over the past 10 years. This is definitely the start of the hottest new culinary craze Malaysian food.Its great to see Australians going mad over the variety and complexity of Malaysian cuisine, and adding traditional Malaysian dishes to their repertoire of favourites, he said.The event here is a celebration of some of Sydneys finest Malaysian restaurants, including Chinta Ria, Mamak, Sambal, Kuali Malaysian Restaurant, Kaki Lima, Malacca Straits on Broadway, Jimmys Recipe and Jackie.Also present were several other high-profile Australian food personalities, including MasterChef 2010 contestant Malaysian Alvin Quah and journalist, presenter and event director Joanna Savill.Malaysia Kitchen Australia follows the successful roll out of Malaysia Kitchen in London and New York.Tourism Malaysia donated two air tickets to Malaysia for the lucky draw in which the participants had to tell why they like Malaysian cuisine. Bernama