Malaysian Food Guide: 25 Dishes to Try

Malaysian food is the single best reason to plan a trip around your appetite. Three great cooking traditions (Malay, Chinese and Indian) have shared kitchens here for centuries, then picked up Nyonya, Kadazan-Dusun, Iban and Portuguese-Eurasian influences along the way. The result is a country where breakfast might be roti canai at a mamak stall and dinner a smoky plate of char kway teow at a hawker centre. This guide lists 25 dishes to try, what each one is, and the town or region where it tastes best.

Most of these dishes cost little at hawker stalls and kopitiam (traditional coffee shops), and the best versions are rarely found in hotel restaurants. Follow the queues, eat at the hours locals do and do not be shy about sharing tables.

How to eat your way around Malaysia

Malaysians eat often and late. Breakfast stalls open early, lunch peaks around 12.30pm to 1.30pm, and many of the best hawker stalls only open in the evening. Mamak restaurants (Indian Muslim eateries) in the cities often run until the early hours or around the clock, which makes them the default for supper.

Each region has its specialities, so the same dish can taste quite different in Penang, Ipoh and Kuching. If you only have time for one food destination, make it George Town in Penang. Ipoh, Melaka and Kuching are close behind, and Kuala Lumpur gathers dishes from every state in one place.

25 Malaysian food dishes to try and where to eat them

1. Nasi lemak

The unofficial national dish: rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf, served with sambal, fried anchovies, peanuts, cucumber and a boiled or fried egg. Add fried chicken or beef rendang for a full meal. Best in: Kuala Lumpur, where it is sold wrapped in banana leaf from roadside stalls in the morning and at 24-hour mamak restaurants late at night.

2. Char kway teow

Flat rice noodles stir-fried over a fierce flame with prawns, cockles, Chinese sausage, bean sprouts and egg. The smoky flavour from the wok, known as wok hei, is what separates a great plate from an ordinary one. Best in: Penang, especially at George Town’s hawker centres.

3. Penang asam laksa

Thick rice noodles in a sour, spicy fish broth sharpened with tamarind, topped with shredded mackerel, pineapple, mint, onion and a spoonful of sweet prawn paste. It tastes nothing like the creamy laksa most visitors know. Best in: Penang, including the stalls around Air Itam on the way to Kek Lok Si.

4. Curry laksa

Noodles in a rich coconut curry broth with tofu puffs, long beans, cockles and chicken. In Kuala Lumpur it is often called curry mee. Best in: Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley.

5. Sarawak laksa

A lighter, more aromatic laksa with a sambal belacan and spice paste base, coconut milk, prawns, shredded chicken and omelette strips, served with a squeeze of lime. Best in: Kuching, where locals eat it for breakfast.

6. Roti canai

Flaky, griddled flatbread stretched paper thin and folded, served with dhal and curry for dipping. Variations include roti telur (with egg) and roti tisu, a tall crisp cone. Best in: any mamak restaurant, with Kuala Lumpur and Penang the strongest.

7. Nasi kandar

Steamed rice with your choice of curries, fried chicken, squid and vegetables, finished with a mix of gravies poured over everything (ask for “banjir” if you want it flooded). Best in: Penang, where it originated with Tamil Muslim traders.

8. Banana leaf rice

A South Indian meal served on a banana leaf: rice, vegetable dishes, papadum, pickles and refills of curry, with fried chicken or mutton on the side. Eat with your right hand if you want to do it properly. Best in: Brickfields in Kuala Lumpur and Little India in George Town.

9. Satay

Skewers of marinated chicken or beef grilled over charcoal and served with peanut sauce, cucumber, onion and compressed rice cakes (ketupat). Best in: Kajang in Selangor, the town most associated with satay, and at night markets nationwide.

10. Beef rendang

Beef slow-cooked in coconut milk and spices until the liquid disappears and the meat turns dark and tender. It is a festive dish, made in large batches for Hari Raya. Best in: Negeri Sembilan, where the Minangkabau style is cooked with plenty of chilli padi.

11. Hainanese chicken rice

Poached or roasted chicken served with rice cooked in chicken stock, chilli sauce and ginger. Best in: Ipoh, and Melaka for chicken rice balls, where the rice is shaped into small rounds.

12. Ipoh bean sprout chicken

Silky poached chicken served with plump, crunchy bean sprouts dressed in soy sauce and oil. Ipoh’s limestone water is credited with the short, fat sprouts. Best in: Ipoh Old Town.

13. Bak kut teh

Pork ribs simmered in a herbal broth with garlic, dark soy and Chinese herbs, eaten with rice and youtiao (fried dough sticks). A dry, stir-fried version is also popular. Best in: Klang in Selangor, which claims the dish as its own. It is not halal.

14. Hokkien mee

Two different dishes share the name. In Kuala Lumpur it means thick yellow noodles fried in dark soy sauce with pork lard; in Penang it means a spicy prawn noodle soup. Best in: Kuala Lumpur for the dark fried version, Penang for the prawn soup.

15. Wantan mee

Thin egg noodles tossed in a light soy sauce, topped with char siu (barbecued pork) and served with wantan dumplings. Best in: Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh.

16. Kolo mee

Springy egg noodles tossed in shallot oil and served with minced pork and char siu. It is Kuching’s everyday comfort food. Best in: Kuching.

17. Pan mee

Hand-pulled or hand-torn noodles in anchovy broth with minced pork, mushrooms, anchovies and greens. The chilli pan mee version is served dry with a fiery chilli paste and a poached egg. Best in: Kuala Lumpur.

18. Mee goreng mamak

Yellow noodles fried with tomato, potato, tofu, egg and chilli in an Indian Muslim style. A squeeze of lime finishes it. Best in: any mamak restaurant, at any hour.

19. Nyonya laksa and Peranakan dishes

Peranakan (Nyonya) cooking blends Chinese ingredients with Malay spices. Look for Nyonya laksa, ayam pongteh (chicken braised with fermented bean paste) and kuih, the colourful steamed cakes. Best in: Melaka and Penang.

20. Nasi kerabu

Rice tinted blue with butterfly pea flowers, served with herbs, salted egg, fish crackers, fried chicken or fish and a coconut sauce. Best in: Kelantan, especially at morning markets in Kota Bharu.

21. Nasi dagang

Rice steamed with coconut milk and fenugreek, served with tuna curry. It is a classic east coast breakfast. Best in: Terengganu and Kelantan.

22. Keropok lekor

Chewy fish sausages made from fish and sago flour, fried and dipped in chilli sauce. Sold by the bag at roadside stalls. Best in: Terengganu, along the coast around Kuala Terengganu.

23. Hinava

A Kadazan-Dusun dish of raw fish cured in lime juice with chilli, ginger, shallots and grated bambangan seed. Fresh and sharp, it is often served at celebrations. Best in: Kota Kinabalu and the rest of Sabah.

24. Cendol

Shaved ice with green pandan jelly noodles, red beans, coconut milk and gula Melaka (palm sugar syrup). The ideal answer to the afternoon heat. Best in: Melaka for the palm sugar, Penang for the street stalls.

25. Durian

The king of fruit divides opinion: creamy, sweet and pungent. Many hotels and public transport ban it, so eat it at a roadside stall. Best in: Penang and Pahang during the main season, typically around June to August.

Malaysian food by region at a glance

Region	Signature dishes	Where to start
Penang	Char kway teow, asam laksa, nasi kandar, Hokkien prawn mee	George Town hawker centres
Kuala Lumpur and Selangor	Nasi lemak, Hokkien mee, pan mee, bak kut teh, satay	Jalan Alor, Brickfields, Klang, Kajang
Perak	Bean sprout chicken, chicken rice, white coffee	Ipoh Old Town
Melaka	Chicken rice balls, Nyonya laksa, cendol	Jonker Street area
East coast	Nasi kerabu, nasi dagang, keropok lekor	Kota Bharu, Kuala Terengganu
Sabah and Sarawak	Hinava, Sarawak laksa, kolo mee	Kota Kinabalu, Kuching

Practical tips for eating Malaysian food

• Halal and non-halal: Malay and mamak restaurants are halal. Many Chinese stalls serve pork, so look for halal certification signs if you need them.
• Ordering at hawker centres: find a table first, note its number, then order from different stalls. Drinks are usually ordered from a separate drinks stall that comes to your table.
• Spice levels: sambal is usually served on the side. Ask for “kurang pedas” if you want less heat.
• Drinks: try teh tarik (pulled milk tea), kopi (local coffee), Ipoh white coffee and fresh lime juice (limau).
• Eating with your hands: at banana leaf and Malay restaurants, use your right hand. Cutlery is always available if you prefer.
• Ramadan: during the fasting month, Ramadan bazaars appear across the country in the late afternoon and are some of the best places to try Malay food.

For a guided start, our page on Jalan Alor covers KL’s best-known food street, and the 3 days in Penang itinerary builds the island’s best eating into each day.