Turmeric

Fresh and powdered turmiric

Turmeric: Used in Malay kitchen frequently especially for frying, be it fish frying or chicken. What needed to be done was just, add a dash of turmeric powder and some salt and voila, it's ready to be fried.
It gives a welcoming aroma especially when a fresh fish is being fried.
This method of marinating was just like western cooking using salt and pepper for meat preparation.