When you’re backpacking South East Asia, everyone raves about how good Thai and Vietnamese street food is. Bit of a hot take here, but I would argue Malaysian food is on par, if not better. The food in Malaysia is so underrated and delicious, and the street food market culture is sensational and makes it easy to find delicious and affordable local Malaysian food. From desserts to street food to local Malaysian breakfast foods, below are my recommendations for Malaysian dishes to try and where is the best place to find them.
Nasi Lemak
A staple dish to try in Malaysia! Nasi Lemak is a dish of rice cooked in coconut milk served with chilli paste (called sambal), eggs, anchovies, cucumber and peanuts. It can be filled with vegetarian alternatives or chicken or beef as an accompaniment. Nasi Lemak is usually served on a Banana Leaf, similar to the Indonesian dish Nasi Campur.
Where to try Nasi Lemak
It’s hard to find a bad Nasi Lemak in Malaysia. I think one of the best Nasi Lemak is one you make yourself at the Malaysian Cooking Class in Penang! Cameron Highlands Night Market also sells an exciting spin on Nasi Lemak using strawberry-flavoured rice, as the region is famous for strawberries.
Roti Canai
Did you really backpack Malaysia if you didn’t have a daily Roti Canai breakfast on a random street corner? Roti Canai is a local Malaysian breakfast food popular across the country. It is a flatbread with influences from Southern India, and it can be served with different toppings such as cheese, eggs, meat, milo, chocolate topping and more.
Where to try Roti Canai
You can try Roti Canai anywhere in Malaysia, and all will generally be of good quality. It is generally sold at small local eateries in the morning. As it is a traditional Malaysian breakfast food, you will see primarily locals eating at these restaurants.
Beef Rendang
Beef Rendang is another super famous Malay cuisine. It is a richly flavoured coconut beef stew famous in nearly all parts of Malaysia. It can also be served with an alternate meat such as chicken or as a vegetarian curry.
Where to try Beef Rendang
The Beef Rendang at Opium in KL is considered the best Beef Rendang in Malaysia. However, I loved the Beef Rendang made at the cooking class in Penang also.
Curry Laksa
Curry Laksa is a popular dish throughout Malaysia, originating from Melaka. It is a spicy noodle dish in a spicy coconut soup. Curry Laksa can be made with chicken, prawn, fish or egg as a vegetarian alternative. It is served in a bowl, and you’ll be given a pair of chopsticks and a soup spoon to eat it.
Where to try Curry Laksa
There is one place and one place only to try Curry Laksa, which is in Melaka, where the dish originated. For a good reason, Jonker 88 is the most famous place in Melaka to try Curry Laksa. They only open from 10 am-6 pm, and a queue is often out the door. Please ensure you head to the back to order your Laksa, and then one of the attendants will show you to a spare seat to enjoy it. It’s quite a small restaurant with limited seating, so chances are you will be at a table shared with others.
Cendol
Cendol is a classic dessert throughout South East Asia but originated from and is most popular in Melaka. It is a dessert made of shaved ice accompanied by red beans, green jelly worms, coconut milk and Gula Melaka (palm sugar). It sounds like an odd combination of ingredients, and it is not everyone’s cup of tea, but it is definitely worth a try. Cendol is super refreshing on a hot day but melts into a soup very fast and can get messy.
Where to try Cendol
Melaka is one of the best places to find Cendol. There are many street sellers along Jonker Street, as many restaurants will have this dessert on the menu. The Jonker Street Night Market is a great place to try Cendol if you’re in Melaka on the weekend.
Nasi Kandar
Nasi Kandar is an Indian-inspired Malay dish originating from Penang Island. It is a steamed rice dish accompanied by Indian-inspired curries, vegetables, gravies and meat blends. It is possible to get Nasi Kandar as a vegetarian option, although most Nasi Kandars are served with chicken.
Where to try Nasi Kandar
Given the dish originated in Penang, this is also the best place to try it! Specifically, there is an infamous eatery called Deens Maju Nasi Kandar, considered the best place to try it. You can also find Nasi Kandar at night markets in Penang and sometimes other parts of Malaysia.
Char Kuay Teow (also called Char Kuey Teow)
Char Kuay Teow is the Pad Thai of Malaysia, and you need to try it! It is sold everywhere on the streets and at night markets, so you can’t miss it. Char Kuay Teow is a rice noodle dish with bean sprouts, soy sauce, eggs, Chinese sausage and prawns. It is also possible to get vegetarian and other meat variations of the dish. While it is Chinese-influenced, it isn’t easy to pinpoint the exact origin of Char Kuay Teow, but it is most prevalent in Penang, Melaka and Singapore.
Where to try Char Kuay Teow
Any night market or street seller in Melaka and Penang, it’s everywhere. After taste-testing multiple Char Kuay Teow’s across Malaysia, I can confirm it is impossible to have a bad one.
Durian
One of the first things you will notice when you arrive in Malaysia is probably the “No Durian” signs everywhere. From hostels, elevators, on aeroplanes, Durian bans are a serious thing in Malaysia and for a good reason. Durian is an incredibly stinky fruit, super popular in South East Asia but particularly in Malaysia. The fruit looks like a thorny rockmelon (cantaloupe) on the outside and looks like a ball of custard on the inside. It is an acquired taste, with most people spitting it out and gagging the first time they try it. The Durian smell is so pungent and lingers for several days, so be prepared to taste Durian in your mouth for days afterwards.
Where to try Durian
You can buy Durian from fruit shops, supermarkets or fruit sellers on the side of the road. However, I would caution against buying a whole Durian fruit as you may not like it, and you cannot return Durians to your hostel. If you want to try Durian, a good start would be buying Durian-flavoured ice cream from 7/11. The flavour won’t be as intense, and you won’t waste a whole fruit if you don’t like it. If you do like it, then you can go ahead and buy an actual Durian to try.
Teh Tarik
Teh Tarik is a local Malaysian tea that translates to “Pulled Tea”. It is a strong black tea combined with condensed milk to make it sweet and “pulled” or poured many times to give it some froth. Traditionally, Tea Tarik is consumed a breakfast time with Malaysian breakfast food such as Roti Canai. It is popular in all parts of Malaysia and can be easily found anywhere.
Where to try Teh Tarik
You can try Teh Tarik anywhere that sells hot beverages or Roti Canai. A great place to try Teh Tarik is in the Cameron Highlands at a Tea Plantation, and you can get a tea-tasting paddle and contrast Teh Tarik with other Cameron Highlands tea varieties.
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