The kitchen of Malaysia: the cuisine, the best street food and exotic dishes of Kuala Lumpur

Satay (or sate)

A local speciality and one of the most popular dishes of Malaysia is satay. In Indonesia sate is even considered the national dish. Satay consists of seasoned or marinated meat which is skewered on a bamboo or coconut palm stick. It’s usually eaten with warm peanut sauce, giving it a distinct flavour. Sate makes excellent barbeque food so it’s traditionally grilled on the spot.

In a CNN poll satay was considered one the most delicious dishes of the world. At Meet The Cities we can attest this claim. When you are in Kuala Lumpur and you see a stand with skewered meat then you know it’s time to fill your belly. In Malaysia this dish is often served together with ketupat rice dumplings.

Nasi lemak

Nasi lemak is often considered the national dish of Malaysia, which makes it one of the best foods to eat during your stay in Malaysia. Nasi lemak is white rice which is cooked and steamed in coconut milk. To give it extra flavour it’s often cooked and served in banana leaves. It’s usually eaten as breakfast, but can be eaten with dishes throughout the day. You can find many variations of what it’s served with, but prefered combinations with it are fried chicken, cucumber, anchovies, egg, peanuts and spicy sambal. So if you want to enjoy an exotic breakfast then Kuala Lumpur has got you covered.

Asam Laksa

A lot of Chinese migrants have moved to Malaysia, which has resulted in the mixing of Chinese and Malay cuisine. Laksa is the beautiful result of this mix. Laska is a noodle soup that comes in a couple variations. Asam Laksa is a sour and strongly flavoured version of a noodle with shrimp paste soup with a mix of spices and it can include fish, cucumber, chili pepper, onions, mint, ginger, pineapple and possible other ingredients depending on who’s making it. It’s a nice treat for people who enjoy a tasty fish noodle soup.

Ketupat

Ketupat are rice cakes made in a very distinct fashion. The rice is wrapped into coconut or palm leaves and then boiled for hours. As the rice expands the palm leaves will compress the rice giving the food it’s unique texture. The packed rice looks quite nice and it’s often eaten alongside other dishes like satay. In various regions Ketupat is considered a festive food, although it can be eaten on other occasions as well. Historically carrying rice in these pouches also ensured the food could be kept clean and dry during travels. Variations also exist with banana leaves, which is called Lontong.

Char Kway Teow

Malaysia has a rich cuisine and is a paradise for food lovers. As a multicultural society they combine the best of their own local foods with those of other cultures. Char Kway Teow is a typical Malay dish that is the result of such a cultural mixture. Char kway teow can be translated as “stir-fried rice cake strips” and is an appealing noodle-based dish.

It is prepared with flat rice noodles stir-fried in very high temperatures together with a complex mixture of both different soy sauces, prawns, cockles, belachan, Chinese chives and bean sprouts. In most cases, you will find char kway teow stir-fried along with fish cake, Chinese sausage and eggs, although less traditional versions can include practically anything, from meatballs to vegetables. Pork oil is usually used for stir-frying, and the dish is usually served on a banana leaf with toppings of pork lard croutons. For cultural reasons you will find many locals give the dish a twist by replacing the pork based ingredients with tasty beef and chicken.

Cendol

There are a wide variety of foods that a visitor may try in Malaysia. Adventurous sorts who have a sweet tooth would enjoy the dessert known as Cendol. This is a sweet, coconut milk-based dessert has many different variations; though the most popular version includes a green jelly made of rice flour, shaved ice and sugar. Occasionally, pieces of fruit -usually Jackfruit- are included in the dish; though diners can request variations that include sweet red beans or sweet corn.

Cendol can be served in a bowl or a tall glass and is usually drank through a wide straw. Purchasers can request the addition of other ingredients or variations as well, if they are so inclined. With just enough exotic appeal to make it different than what most tourists are accustomed to and extremely popular in Malaysia, Cendol can be purchased in numerous restaurants or coffee shops and is sold by many roadside vendors.

Tempoyak

Tempoyak is a dish made from the popular Malaysian fruit known as durian, which came about from the need to preserve the durian fruit long after its season. The flesh of the durian fruit is taken and mixed with salt. This combination is allowed to ferment for a couple days. The result is either mixed with coconut curry or a pepper dip.

This interesting dish can be eaten on its own but is more popular as a side dish or as a cooking ingredient which is readily found in shops as well as many rural Malay households as it can be stored for up to six months. Tempoyak can be found in most restaurants throughout the country, but it’s especially considered a local favorite in the Perak and Pahang regions. It adds extra flavour to your dish when used as a paste with chicken, fish or prawns.

As this is such a distinct dish it’s certainly something we at Meet The Cities recommend during your trip to Malaysia. If you wish to try the amazing local cuisine then your trip won’t be complete without having tried Tempoyak. So try it out, you will not be disappointed.

Sirap bandung (air bandung)

After all these delicious meals you’re probably looking for something sweet to drink. In Malaysia they have just the thing for you. Condensed milk with rose syrup on ice. This sweet and sugary drink is a local favourite called air bandung, also known as sirap bandung. This exotic milkshake pleases the visual senses with it’s bright pink color. If you enjoy sweet milkshakes then the rosy bandung is a must try.

Bak kut teh

Bak kut teh is a nutritious dish that is often eaten in the morning and during lunch. It is a pork rib soup combined with a myriad of ingredients. The main ingredients of Bak kut teh include pork ribs in a broth or soup of mixed spices and herbs, with popular ingredients being cinnamon, garlic, star anise, cloves and fennel seeds. Often enriched with onions and shallots. But you will find variants alternative and vegetarian ingredients as well.

As it’s a soup it’s often served alongside other things. For the more hungry among us it can be served with bread sticks called You char kueh and soy sauce. And perhaps a nice refreshing cup of tea to match the soup.

Durian

Durian is a unique, incredibly nutritious tropical fruit. In Southeast Asia it’s often considered one of the best fruits to have laying around. It’s sizable spiky shell contains custard-like flesh with large edible seeds. Compared to most fruits, it is very high in nutrients and vitamins, fiber and healthy fats. However it has intensive smell and taste and is filled with sugar. The flesh flavor resembles that of a mixture of almond, caramel and cheese and is used in both sweet and savory dishes.

Durian is often used as an ingredient of other dishes, but if you enjoy exotic fruits then you can also try this fruit by itself. It can be a bit of an acquired taste as the smell can scare some people away, but once you take a bite you will understand why it’s a local favorite, as it has quite a pleasant taste.

Kuih

Malaysians love to indulge themselves in sweetness. Kuih is a broad term referring to small Malaysian rice based pastries for people with a sweet tooth. These colourful and tasty snacks have a playful look to them, as if the cook had fun day off and spend his day creating all kinds of lovely treats for himself. Kuih comes in a wide range of flavours and textures, but coconut and pandan are undoubtedly very popular.

As many of these treats are steamed they tend to have a fairly distinct texture. These treats can be eaten at any time of the day, in between meals, as a fancy dessert or whenever someone comes to visit for a cup of coffee.

A personal favorite at Meet The Cities office is the Kuih Lapis, which is a delicious brightly coloured layered cake from rice flour, coconut and sugar. This is mostly eaten during festivities as it takes a while to make such a beautiful layered cake. Another delicious kuih is the Seri Muka, which is considered one of Malaysia’s cultural heritage foods. It has one half made from glutinous rice and one half made from a pandan flavoured custard, with coconut milk being used for it’s flavour and texture.

Nasi goreng kampung

Nasi goreng is one of the most popular dishes in the Malaysian and Indonesian cuisine. As you spend several days in Kuala Lumpur you will inevitably have to give it a try. The term actually covers a wide array of fried rice based dishes, including ones with prawns, chicken, eggs, onions, paprika, nutmeg, chilli and more. It’s often served in sweet soy sauce and with cucumbers and crispy krupuk. A popular variation is nasi goreng kampung, which is made with anchovies. This fulfilling warm meal can be eaten both for dinner and breakfast.

Beef Rendang

Beef Rendang is a traditional Indonesian dish, but it’s also an integral part of the Malay cuisine. And it certainly a must try for anyone traveling there. Traditionally, Rendang was a special dish used for honoring guests at ceremonies. Today you can find it at nearly every restaurant in Malaysia. For good reason because it’s quite delicious.

Rendang is a meat dish slowly cooked in a coconut curry mixture. It is spicy, delicious, and may be prepared using chicken or beef. There are variations that can contain seafood and vegetables as well. Rendang meat is intensely flavorful and stays moist due its preparation with coconut milk giving it it’s unique flavour. The outside is crisp and brown thanks to a special braising process. The large number of spices in rendang give it a complex flavor with notes of ginger, turmeric, and lemongrass. It is commonly served with various forms of rice.

Rendang is often considered one of the tastiests foods around, so if you haven’t tried rendang before then your stay in Kuala Lumpur will provide an excellent opportunity for you to give it a go.

Roti canai

Malaysian people often eat Roti canai for breakfast. The dish has Indian origins but the Malay people have made it their own. For a good reason as it’s quite tasty. Roti canai is a flatbread that’s often eaten while dipping it in curry. As a flatbread it’s of course also possible to eat it with different fillings, such as banana, cheese, eggs, onions and even coconut jam. There are enough variations to make it a treat for everyone.

Rojak

Rojak is a fruit and vegetables salad often covered in a lovely sauce. As often seen in the rich Malaysian cuisine there are many variations, but the dish gets its distinctiveness from the sauce that contains a mix of sugar, lime, shrimp paste and chili ensuring the dish can have a sweet, sour and spicy taste. A popular variant also has peanut sprinkles. Fruit rojak is a dish that can be eaten as a snack or as a starter and usually has ingredients like cucumber, tofu, pineapple, bean sprouts and sometimes other ingredients like apples and mangos. Some variations can have egg, cuttlefish and more added into the mix. The fruity and spicy mix is not often seen in the western cuisines so it’s pretty interesting to taste. If you are wondering what to eat in Malaysia then you should try this local delicacy.

Nasi kerabu

Nasi kerabu is a visually appealing dish with Thai influence made using a distinctly blue rice, which derives its colour from butterfly peas petals. The blue rice is often served with fried chicken, fried fish, taugeh, eggs, kerupuk, sambal and is often eaten with a variety of aromatic herbs, which all goes nicely together. People often eat this dish with their hands, but that isn’t a requirement of course.

Otak-otak

Otak-otak is a fish cake which is traditionally grilled and wrapped into banana leaves. Delicious mackerel is used to make a boneless fish paste and mixed with a tapioca starch and spices made from garlic, coconut, onions, peppers, chili, curry powder and other ingredients. The mix is then char grilled in banana leaves to give it a warm earthy flavour. Traditionally the Indonesian version of the dish tends to be white. But in Malaysia the dish tends to have a more reddish or brownish color as it’s spiced with chili and curry powder as well.

Ais Kacang

The Ais Kacang is mouth watering icy Malaysian dessert and an excellent dish to cool yourself down with during the warm Malay summers. It is generally known as Ice Kacang or Air Batu Campur. Made with the mixture of seeds, red beans, coconut milk, rose syrup and sarsaparilla syrup, the Ais Kacang dessert is a dish Malaysia can be proud of. It can be found pretty much at any place that sells ice as a dessert. You can find many variations, such as with freshly added roasted peanuts, durian flavoured ice cream and sweet corn topping which will leave you desiring for another one. Maybe finish it off with thin slices of banana to make the dessert truly shine.

Murtabak

Murtabak is a folded pancake or a crispy stuffed flatbread which is filled with delicious ingredients. The unique flatbread often used in Malaysia is called Roti canai, which is popular for breakfast and usually eaten with curry. Murtabak contains minced beef or chicken meat, eggs, onions and garlic and is usually eaten with some form of curry. Of course many cooks also get creative with this dish leading to tasty variations. It can be found all over Malaysia so it’s if you wish to taste this peculiar meat pancake there is no excuse to skip it.