Food of Malaysia
Malaysian food is a meeting of Malay, Chinese, Indian, and Indigenous traditions, from coconut rice and rich curries to noodle stir-fries and flatbreads. Sambal, lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, and pandan flavor much of the cooking, and hawker stalls and kopitiams serve everything from breakfast to midnight snacks. Meals are casual and shared, with rice at the center.
- Main dishes (11)
- Breakfast (6)
- Street food (8)
- Soups (5)
- Salads (4)
- Breads (4)
- Desserts and sweets (7)
- Drinks (6)
- Fruits and produce (7)
Staples
- rice, coconut, noodles, chicken, fish, anchovies, flatbread
Signature flavors
- sambal, lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, pandan, chili, tamarind, shrimp paste
Main dishes
Coconut rice with sambal, anchovies, peanuts, and egg.
Key ingredients: rice, coconut milk, sambal, anchoviesFull guide →
Slow-cooked spiced dry beef curry.
Key ingredients: beef, coconut, chiliFull guide →Chicken in a spicy tomato and chili sauce.
Key ingredients: chicken, tomato, chili
Rice served with a variety of curries from Penang.
Key ingredients: rice, curry, fried chicken
Chicken rice with chili sauce and cucumber.
Key ingredients: chicken, rice, gingerFull guide →Grilled fish wrapped in banana leaf with sambal.
Key ingredients: fish, sambal, banana leaf
Hot and sour fish stew with tamarind and chilies.
Key ingredients: fish, tamarind, chiliPrawns cooked in spicy sambal.
Key ingredients: prawns, sambal
Vegetables in coconut milk gravy.
Key ingredients: vegetables, coconut milkMalay-style curry with potatoes.
Key ingredients: chicken, coconut milk, curry powderVillage-style fried rice with anchovies and greens.
Key ingredients: rice, anchovies, kangkungBreakfast
Flaky flatbread served with dal or curry.
Key ingredients: flour, ghee, dalFull guide →Flatbread cooked with egg inside.
Key ingredients: flour, egg
Toast with coconut jam and butter, served with soft eggs.
Key ingredients: bread, kaya, butterFull guide →
Rice cooked in coconut milk with fish curry from the east coast.
Key ingredients: rice, coconut milk, fish curryCrisp fermented lentil crepes with chutney.
Key ingredients: rice, lentils, chutneySoft eggs with soy sauce and pepper.
Key ingredients: eggs, soy sauceStreet food
Grilled skewers with peanut sauce.
Key ingredients: chicken or beef, peanutsFull guide →
Wok-fried flat noodles with prawns and egg.
Key ingredients: noodles, prawns, eggFull guide →
Baguette omelet sandwich.
Key ingredients: baguette, egg, minced meat
Thick pancake with peanuts and sweet corn.
Key ingredients: flour, peanuts, sugarPrawn fritters.
Key ingredients: prawn, flour
Banana fritters.
Key ingredients: banana, flour
Fresh spring rolls with turnip, egg, and sweet sauce.
Key ingredients: popiah skin, turnip, egg
Fish sausage sticks from Terengganu.
Key ingredients: fish, sagoSoups
Spicy noodle soup, curry or sour.
Key ingredients: noodles, coconut milk, shrimpFull guide →
Noodles in sweet potato gravy.
Key ingredients: noodles, sweet potato, egg
Pork ribs in herbal broth.
Key ingredients: pork ribs, garlic, herbs
Turmeric chicken soup.
Key ingredients: chicken, turmericFull guide →
Noodles in coconut curry soup.
Key ingredients: noodles, curry, tofu puffsSalads
Fruit and vegetable salad in sweet-sour sauce.
Key ingredients: pineapple, cucumber, jicama, peanutsFull guide →Spicy green mango salad.
Key ingredients: green mango, chili, shallots
Vegetables with peanut sauce.
Key ingredients: vegetables, peanut sauce
Pickled vegetables with turmeric.
Key ingredients: cucumber, carrot, vinegarBreads
Lacy crepes served with curry.
Key ingredients: flour, egg, coconut milkRound, flaky roti brushed with butter and sugar.
Key ingredients: flour, butter
Stuffed pan-fried bread with egg and meat.
Key ingredients: flour, egg, minced meat
Oven-baked bread served with curry.
Key ingredients: flour, yogurtFull guide →Desserts and sweets
Pandan jelly in coconut milk and palm sugar.
Key ingredients: pandan jelly, coconut milk, palm sugarFull guide →
Steamed layered rice-flour cake.
Key ingredients: rice flour, coconut milk
Shaved ice with beans, corn, and syrup.
Key ingredients: ice, beans, corn, syrup
Black glutinous rice pudding with coconut milk.
Key ingredients: black rice, coconut milkChewy rice balls with palm sugar, rolled in coconut.
Key ingredients: glutinous rice, palm sugar, coconutTwo-layer pandan custard and glutinous rice.
Key ingredients: glutinous rice, pandan, coconut milk
Sticky sweet caramel-like confection.
Key ingredients: coconut milk, rice flour, palm sugarDrinks
Pulled milk tea.
Key ingredients: tea, condensed milkFull guide →Black coffee with sugar.
Key ingredients: coffee, sugar
Rose syrup with milk.
Key ingredients: rose syrup, milkLongan and monk fruit sweet drink.
Key ingredients: longan, sugarIced Milo with extra Milo powder.
Key ingredients: Milo, milk, iceFresh from the shell.
Key ingredients: young coconutFruits and produce
The Musang King is the prized variety.
Key ingredients: eaten freshFull guide →
Sweet red hairy fruit.
Key ingredients: eaten freshFull guide →
Floral, sweet segments.
Key ingredients: eaten freshFull guide →
A jackfruit relative with a strong aroma.
Key ingredients: eaten fresh, fried
Star-shaped crisp fruit.
Key ingredients: eaten fresh
Sweet and tangy; Sarawak and Johor produce it.
Key ingredients: eaten freshFull guide →
Pisang raja and other varieties.
Key ingredients: eaten fresh, friedFull guide →Dish guides from Malaysia
More cuisines of South-Eastern Asia
Descriptions written by Intercontinental Chef. Dishes are listed as commonly eaten today; many are shared across neighbouring countries.
- Nasi Lemak dengan Chili Nasi Lemak dan Sotong Pedas, di Penang Summer Restaurant: Meandkancil2020, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Rendang daging sapi asli Padang: Midori, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- A plate of Nasi Kandar: Kutubkhanah, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Hainanese Chicken Rice: No machine-readable author provided. Terence assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY 2.5 (Wikimedia Commons)
- ASAM PEDAS IKAN PARI: Elly Suhailee, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Lodeh: iNews, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Making Roti Canai: AssFeder, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Kaya toast on a plate: Pinklily08, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Mak ngah nasi dagang: :: cool ::, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Sate Udang: Gunawan Kartapranata, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Char kway teow: Elizetang, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
- Roti John - served: stef yau from Seattle, USA, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Giant Apam Balik: Yun Huang Yong, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Banana Fritters and tea: Iloveporotta, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- LunBhia: Sjschen., CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Keropok Lekor Perhentians: Jpatokal, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Nyonya Laksa: Giddy98, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Mee Rebus by Banej, Singapore October 2017: Banej, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Song Fa Bak Kut Teh, New Bridge Rd, Singapore (2023) 06: Chainwit., CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Soto Ayam Savoy Homann Hotel: Gunawan Kartapranata, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Malaysian noodles-Curry Mee-01: chee.hong, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Rujak Buah (Indonesian Fruit Salad): Sofiah Budiastuti, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Pecel Hariadhi: Hariadhi, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Acar mentimun: tokyofoodcast.com, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Rotijala: Streuselbrötchen, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Murtabak: Mojackjutaily, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Annapurna Naan: snowpea&bokchoi, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Kampung Paya Jaras Tengah, Selangor 20250112 111330: Wiki Farazi, CC0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Kue Lapis: Shitadevi, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Ais kacang: Andrew Bogott, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Bubuh Injin Bali 1: Gunawan Kartapranata, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Dodol Side View: Joseagush, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Teh Tarik at the Iskandar Curry House at One Riverside (DSCF0286): Yu Chu Chin, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Bandung Drinks: Kyle Lam, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Durian in black: مانفی, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Buds on branch of rambutan tree: DXLINH, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Berthe Hoola van Nooten48: Berthe Hoola van Nooten (1817-1892), Pieter De Pannemaeker (lithographer), Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
- Berthe Hoola van Nooten38: Berthe Hoola van Nooten (1817-1892), Pieter De Pannemaeker (lithographer), Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
- Averrhoa carambola ARS k5735-7: Unknown, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
- കൈതച്ചക്ക: Suniltg at Malayalam Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- 14-QWSTION-BANANATEX-STRIPPING-LAUSCHSICHT: BANANATEX, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
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