Malaysia: Recipes and Cuisine

Malaysian food stalls
Image by McKay Savage

Malaysian cooking draws from a wide variety of influences including Malay, Chinese, Indian, Indonesian, Thai and Nyonya. Rice and noodles are staple starches. Numerous spices, lemongrass, galangal and coconut give a unique flavor to many dishes. Chicken is probably the most popular meat, with beef, goat, fish and seafood also popular.

Typical Malaysian Dishes

Appetizers

  • Lobak (Fried egg rolls)
  • Popiah (Fresh spring rolls)

Soups and Stews

  • Daging Semur (Beef stew)
  • Soto Ayam (Spicy chicken soup)

Salads

  • Pasembor (Vegetable salad with peanut sauce)
  • Rojak (Spicy fruit and vegetable salad)

Noodles

  • Asam Laksa (Rice noodles with tamarind sauce)
  • Char Kway Teow (Stir-fried rice noodles with shrimp)
  • Hokkien Mie (Hokkien-style noodles)
  • Laksa Lemak (Chicken, shrimp and rice noodles in coconut sauce)
  • Mie Rebus (Egg noodles in sweet potato gravy)
  • Singapore Noodles (Curried rice noodles)

Poultry

  • Ayam Goreng Asam (Tamarind chicken)
  • Kari Kapitan (Captain’s chicken curry)
  • Rendang Ayam (Chicken in coconut milk)
  • Satay Ayam (Chicken skewers with peanut sauce)

Meats

  • Rendang Daging (Beef simmered in coconut milk)
  • Satay Daging (Beef skewers with peanut sauce)

Fish and Seafood

  • Hinava Tenggiri (Bornean pickled mackerel)
  • Otak Otak (Fish mousse in banana leaves)
  • Sambal Goreng Sotong (Squid with tamarind)
  • Sambal Udang (Shrimp in sweet-spicy sauce)

Vegetables and Beans

  • Aloo (Curried potatoes and peas)
  • Dau Kwok Chao Dan (Green bean omelet)
  • Lady Finger Belacan (Okra in spicy chili sauce)
  • Sayur Goreng (Stir-fried vegetables)
  • Sayur Lodeh (Vegetables in coconut curry)
  • Tempe Lemak (Tempe cakes in coconut milk)

Breads and Grains

  • Nasi Goreng (Fried rice)
  • Nasi Kunyit (Golden rice)
  • Roti Canai (Flatbread served with curry)

Sauces and Condiments

  • Sambal Blacan (Spicy shrimp paste sauce)

Desserts

  • Ice Kacang (Flavored shaved ice with fruit)
  • Sago Gula Melaka (Tapioca pudding)

Beverages

  • Tea

Malaysian Recipes

Try these recipes from Malaysia.



Whats4eats is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.