10 Must-try food in Malaysia: murtabak, rojak and more

Malaysia is a foodies’ paradise. Combining the gastronomic traditions of Malay, Indian, and Chinese makes Malaysian cuisine one-of-a-kind, making Malaysia an appetizing culinary destination. With an array of dishes available in the country, you could enjoy different dishes every day during your trip. And what should you not miss? The must-try food in Malaysia! Here are our top picks if you want to explore the local flavor.

Nasi lemak

Nasi lemak is Malaysia’s national dish and worth including to your number one must-try food in Malaysia. Cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf, this rice dish is served with sambal (spicy gravy).

Enjoy it with basic condiments such as fried anchovies, peanuts, egg, and cucumber. Some stalls add chicken, beef or squid.

Satay

You couldn’t miss the aroma of barbecued meat when you walk on many streets of Malaysia. You’ll almost always end up standing in front of a food stall serving satay, charcoal-grilled skewers of marinated beef, chicken or mutton.

Other satay variations include deer, rabbit, fish, lok-lok (steamboat food on a stick) from Penang (considered as the food capital of Malaysia) and celup (steamboat satay) from Malacca. Savor satay with sweet-spicy peanut sauce and slices of cucumbers and onions.    

Char Koey Teow

Another national favorite and a famous Penang hawker food is char koey teow (sometimes char kway teow or char kuey teow).

This stir-fried flat-rice noodles dish is cooked over extremely high heat. Essential ingredients include bean sprouts, prawns, egg, deshelled cockles, and chives, with soy sauce flavoring. The dish has evolved and modern gourmet versions include seafood, crabmeat, and duck eggs. 

Laksa

Laksa is another favorite dish in Malaysia with diverse regional variations including Penang Laksa, Johor Laksa, Sarawak Laksa, and Kelantan Laksa, among others.

This popular noodle soup has coconut-based curry soup and is cooked with tofu puffs, fish sticks, shrimps, cockles and other ingredients. It is served with sambal and garnished with coriander or laksa leaf.

Roti

Although roti is an Indian dish loved by people all over the world, it has also become one of the most loved dishes in Malaysia. It is a thin flatbread served usually with dhal (lentil) curry, fish or chicken curry.

In Malaysia, there’s an array of roti available, from the traditional roti canai to roti bawang (with minced red onion inside), roti telur (with an egg cooked inside the roti canai), roti cheese, and roti tisu (tissue bread, paper-thin and crispy). 

Murtabak

Murtabak, another favorite food throughout Malaysia, resembles roti canai except that it is stuffed with minced meat. It is served with curry, cucumbers, and pickled onions.

In Langkawi night market where murtabak is a popular item, the filling (a mixture of eggs, meat, onions and spices) is cooked separately before putting inside the bread dough, then cooked on a hot griddle.

Curry Puff (or Karipap)

Curry puff is something similar to empanada pastry or Indian samosa. Traditionally, the puff pastry is filled with small potato cubes and small pieces of chicken cooked in flavorful Malaysian curry, then deep fried.

Today, curry puffs come in a variety of flavors, from meat to vegetarian. This is another item worth including in your list of must-try food in Malaysia.

Rojak

Rojak (Malaysian spicy fruit salad) is a unique Malay salad popular in Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.

Made from mixed chopped fruits and vegetables such as green mango, papaya, turnip, cucumber and green apple, this traditional salad has a tinge of spiciness. It uses shrimp paste, chili, lime juice and sugar for dressing, giving it that sour-sweet-salty-tangy flavor.

Cendol

If you have a sweet tooth, include this delightful shaved ice dessert in your list of must-try food when in Malaysia.

The green jelly-like noodles on the mound of ice shavings are made from mung-bean flour tinged green by pandan (a tropical shrub with a floral grass aroma). Cendol is prepared with coconut milk and palm sugar syrup. This refreshingly cold respite from the tropical heat is touted as Malaysia’s best sweet treat.

Deep-fried durian

Complete your culinary adventure in Malaysia with fried durian fritters.

Yes, this smelly fruit, which inspires either so much love or hate, is cooked deep-fried in Malaysia. It has a crunchy crust with smooth durian cream filling.

Whether or not you are a durian fan, this uniquely Malaysian treat is a must-try snack.

Inspired to include Malaysia and its local dishes in your travel bucket list?

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