Malaysia

Pull up a plastic stool at a mamak stall near midnight and watch teh tarik — 'pulled tea' — thrown in long ribbons between two jugs until it froths, served with a plate of flaky roti canai to tear and drag through dhal. Malaysia is the great crossroads where Malay, Chinese and Indian cooking met, mingled and, in the Nyonya kitchen, married outright — and where almost every dish is claimed, fiercely, by a particular town.

The morning belongs to nasi lemak: coconut rice with a slick of fierce sambal, crisp anchovies, peanuts and a boiled egg, the plate the whole country wakes up to. From there the map opens out — Penang's smoky char kway teow and sour assam laksa, the grilled skewers of Kajang, and rendang, beef simmered in coconut and spice paste for hours until it turns dark and glossy. Regional pride runs deep: a Sarawak laksa and a Penang one are barely on speaking terms. Finish, if there's room, under a cool avalanche of shaved-ice cendol.