Onion is an important ingredient for making Malay dishes like curry, masak lemak and masak asam pedas. During special occasions such as Eid al-Fitr (in Arabic) or Hari Raya Aidilfitri, the rice is prepared by sautéing onion, garlic, ginger, and other spices and then cooked with water to make nasi minyak or ghee rice.
Sambal (hot sauce) is one of the popular side dishes among the Malay, typically made from dried chilies as the main ingredient which are combined with secondary ingredients such as onion, garlic, and other meat or seafood items, such as beef, chicken, shrimp, and squid.
It can be noted that onion is commonly taken raw or as a decoction for treating infectious diseases. It is also used in a wide variety of preparations for internal and external use to relieve several ailments including digestive problems, skin diseases, metabolic disease, insect bites and others.
Fresh onion juice is used to prevent bacterial and fungal infections. It can be applied to wounds and stings on the skin, used to remove warts, used to stimulate hair growth, and even used to reduce unwanted skin blemishes.
Onion in Malay traditions
