How food crosses Malaysia's ethno-religious boundaries

It is 10 p.m., but Nasi Kandar Deen bistro in Kuala Lumpur is buzzing. Young Malay men, some in prayer robes and caps, others in jeans and baseball caps, chat over drinks and a post-Ramadan meal. A young Chinese woman taps a laptop as her companion browses his phone. Three generations of an Indian family are just departing, leaving shining steel serving platters blotted with sauce.

Deen's, as it's known, is just one of thousands of mamak restaurants -- eateries run by Tamil Muslims -- across Malaysia. Cheap, cheerful and serving delicious food, they follow a standard format: the dining area covered by a roof but without walls, fans chopping the tropical air, and easily cleaned steel or plastic tables. They are open 24/7, providing equal succor to security guards leaving night shifts, office workers out for lunch, friends whiling away an evening and drunks stumbling home at 6 a.m.