This is a list of dishes found in Malaysian cuisine.
Staple foods Name Image Origin/Popularity Type Description Ambuyat Sarawak, Sabah and Labuan (Popular in Brunei) Traditional food Replacement of rice. A staple food of the indigenous people of Sabah and Sarawak including Lundayeh/Lun Bawang. Bee Hoon Nationwide Rice noodles A thin form of rice noodles (rice vermicelli). Pulut Nationwide Rice dumpling or rice cake It is made from sticky rice. Ketupat Nationwide Rice dumpling or rice cake It is made from rice packed inside a diamond-shaped container of woven palm leaf pouch. Kway teow Nationwide Rice noodles A type of noodle made from rice with sprawl-shaped. Lemang Malay, Minangkabau and Orang Asli Rice dish A traditional Malay food made of glutinous rice, coconut milk and salt, cooked in a hollowed bamboo stick lined with banana leaves in order to prevent the rice from sticking to the bamboo. Mi Nationwide Noodles Food made from unleavened dough which is rolled flat and cut, stretched or extruded, into long strips or strings. Nasi putih Nationwide Steamed rice Steamed rice as a staple food.
Main dishes NameImageRegionType Description Ayam bakar Nationwide Grilled chicken Charcoal-grilled spiced chicken. Ayam goreng Nationwide Fried chicken Spiced chicken fried in coconut oil. Ayam kecap Southern Peninsular Chicken Chicken simmered or braised in sweet soy sauce. Ayam percik East Coast Peninsular Grilled chicken Grilled chicken with a spicy, curry-like sauce. Ayam tandori Nationwide Roasted chicken Roasted chicken marinated in yoghurt and spices in a tandoor. Asam pedas fish Malacca Dish Bean Sprouts Chicken Ipoh, Perak Dish Served with light soya sauce flavoured with oil. Chai tow kway Nationwide Common dish (Dim sum) A variety of dim sum. Chilli crab Peninsular Malaysia Seafood dish Derived from Chinese cuisine. Curry Nationwide Dish Derived from Indian cuisine. Fish ball Nationwide Common food Small balls that were made from fish. Gulai Nationwide Curry Meat cooked in a thick, rich and spicy curry sauce. Ikan Bakar Nationwide (Popular in Peninsular Malaysia) Seafood dishes Usually eaten with sambal or shrimp paste. Ikan goreng Nationwide Fried fish Spiced fish/seafood deep-fried in coconut oil Kari ayam Nationwide Curry dish A type of curry dish cooked using chicken and spices. Kari kambing Peninsular Malaysia Curry dish A type of curry dish cooked using lamb or mutton. Kari kepala ikan West Coast Peninsular Curry dish A type of curry dish cooked using head of a red snapper, influenced by Indian and Peranakan cuisine. Begedil Southern Peninsular Fried dish Derived from Javanese cuisine of Indonesia. Made of ground potatoes, minced meat, peeled and ground corn or tofu, or minced fish. Most common perkedel are made from mashed potatoes. Rendang Nationwide Meat dish Chunks of beef stewed in coconut milk and spicy thick curry gravy. Telur pindang Southern Peninsular Egg dish Hardboiled eggs boiled in water mixed with salt, shallot skins, teak leaf and other spices. Tempoyak ikan patin Northern and East Coast of Peninsular Fish curry Catfish served in sweet and spicy fermented durian curry. Otak-otak Nationwide; Popular in Muar, Johor Cake type made from fish meat and spices Traditionally served steamed, wrapped inside a banana leaf or grilled in coconut leaves. Oyster omelette Asia Seafood dish The dish consists of an omelette with a filling primarily composed of small oysters. Sata Terengganu Traditional dish Consisting of spiced fish meat wrapped in banana leaves and cooked on a grill. Satay Nationwide Dish Pieces of meat skewered on sticks and usually cooked over charcoal. Can be found throughout all the states of Malaysia in restaurants and on the street. Satay celup Malacca, Penang Dish Popular in Malacca and Penang.
Soups NameImageRegionType Description Sop ekor Peninsular Meat soup Sup Kambing Nationwide Soup Can be found all over Malaysia. Sayur Lodeh Selangor and Johor Soup Vegetable soup prepared in coconut milk Yong tau foo Nationwide Soup A type of Chinese soup dish. Ayam pansuh Sarawak Soup A chicken soup cooked in bamboo along with seasonings. A dish popular in Sarawak, Malaysia. Bak kut teh Klang, Selangor Soup A soup that consists of meaty pork ribs in a complex broth of herbs and spices, boiled together with pork bones for hours.
Breads NameImageRegionType Description Apam Nationwide Pancake A steamed dough made of rice flour, coconut milk, yeast and palm sugar, usually served with grated coconut. Chapathi Peninsular Flatbread A thin, unleavened flat bread originated from India, brought by the immigrants to the country early in the 19th century. Usually served with beef or mutton curry. Dosai Peninsular Fermented Crepe or Pancake Derived from Tamil Indian cuisine. Kaya toast Nationwide Toast Kaya toast is prepared with kaya (coconut jam). Murtabak Nationwide Pancake Derived from Middle East and also from Indian cuisine. Naan Nationwide Flatbread A leavened, oven-baked flatbread. It is usually eaten with an array of sauces such as chutney and curries. Ramly Burger Nationwide Hamburger Can be found all over Malaysia but mainly in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur Roti canai Nationwide Flatbread Derived from Indian cuisine. Roti Jala Nationwide Pancakes Served with curry.One of the famous food in Malaysia. Roti John Nationwide Sandwich A popular Malay sandwich in Malaysia and Singapore.
Salads NameImageRegionType Description Acar Nationwide Condiment and Salad A type of a Pickling that can be found in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Kinilaw Sabah Salad A cooking process that relies on vinegar to denature the ingredients, similar to ceviche. Usually used to prepare raw seafood. It can also be used to prepare lightly cooked meat or vegetables. Pasembur Penang Salad A type of Indian salad. Popiah Nationwide Spring roll Can be found on street vendors around Malaysia. Rojak Peninsular Salad A traditional fruit and vegetable salad dish commonly found in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Ulam (salad) Nationwide Salad Can be eaten simply as it is, or with cucumber, cabbage and eggplant. Urap Southern Peninsular Salad dish A salad dish of steamed vegetables mixed with seasoned and spiced grated coconut for dressing. Yusheng/Yee Sang Nationwide Salad Consumed during Chinese New Year.
Noodle dishes NameImageRegionType Description Pan mee Nationwide Noodle dish Derived from Hakka cuisine. Char kway teow Nationwide Noodle dish A popular noodle dish in Malaysia and Singapore that is made from flat rice noodles. Curry Mee Malaysia Noodle dish Usually made up of thin yellow egg noodles or/and string thin mee-hoon (rice vermicelli) with spicy curry soup, chilli/sambal, coconut milk, and a choice of dried tofu, prawns, cuttlefish, chicken, egg and mint leaves. Duck soup noodles — Penang, Malaysia Noodle soup Consists of ingredients such as duck meat in hot soup with mixed herbs and slim white noodles known as mee-sua. Hokkien mee Nationwide Fried noodles Served in many Southeast Asian countries (mostly Malaysia and Singapore) and was brought there by immigrants from the Fujian in southeastern China. Laksa Penang, Perlis, Kedah, (Ipoh and Kuala Kangsar in Perak), Johor, Sarawak and Kelantan Noodle soup The famous one is the Penang laksa. Laksa kelantan Kelantan Noodle soup A very popular dish in Kelantan, Malaysia. Laksa Sarawak Sarawak Noodle soup A very popular dish in Sarawak, Malaysia. Lor mee Nationwide (Popular in Singapore) Noodle dish One of Chinese-inspired noodle dish. Maggi goreng Malaysia Instant noodles A type of instant noodles that are popular in Malaysia. Mee Bandung Muar Muar, Johor Noodle dish Traditional noodle cuisine from Muar. Mee goreng Nationwide Noodle dish Derived from Chinese cuisine. Mee hailam — — — — Mee Kolok Kuching, Sarawak Noodle dish A type of noodles popular in Kuching, Sarawak. Mee pok Nationwide Noodle dish A type of Chinese noodle. Mee rebus Malaysia (Popular in Singapore) Boiled noodle dish A popular noodle dish in Malaysia and Singapore. Mee siam Peninsular Malaysia (Popular in Singapore) Siamese noodle A type of dish of thin rice noodles. Mee sup — — — — Mihun sup — — — — Soto Nationwide Traditional noodle soup dish One of the popular noodle dish both in Indonesia and Malaysia. Wonton noodles Nationwide Noodle dish Derived from Cantonese cuisine.
Rice dishes NameImageRegionType Description Banana Leaf Rice Peninsular Malaysia Rice dish Derived from Indian cuisine. Briyani Peninsular Malaysia Rice dish Derived from Indian cuisine, also there is a famous local version in Batu Pahat, Johor. Bubur Ashura Peninsular Malaysia Porridge Type of porridge made from grains. Bubur ayam Nationwide Porridge Rice porridge Bubur pedas Sarawak Porridge Type of porridge made from finely ground sauteed rice and grated coconut. It is popular during Ramadan. Nationwide Rice dish Usually served with Chinese sausage. Hainanese Chicken Rice Nationwide Rice dish Derived by Hainanese immigrants. Nasi Ambeng Selangor, Johor Rice dish A popular west coast Malaysian Javanese dish, eaten during special occasions. Economy rice Nationwide Rice dish A rice dish that is eaten with a variety of proteins and vegetables. Nasi Dagang Kelantan, Terengganu Rice dish A type of dish consisting of rice steamed in coconut milk, fish curry and extra ingredients such as fried shaved coconut, hard-boiled eggs and vegetable pickles. Nasi daging Kedah Rice dish Nasi Goreng Nationwide Rice dish A type of dish popular in Indonesia and Malaysia. Nasi goreng pattaya Peninsular Malaysia Rice dish A Malaysian dish made by covering or wrapping chicken fried rice, in fried egg. It is often served with chili sauce and cucumber. The name comes from Pattaya, Thailand. Nasi Hujan Panas East Coast Peninsular Rice dish A rainbow rice dish is eaten with a sort of protein and vegetables. Nasi Itik Nationwide Rice dish Made of either braised or roasted duck and plain white rice. Nasi Kandar Penang Rice dish A popular northern Malaysian dish, which originates from Penang. Nasi kebuli Pahang Rice dish Steamed rice dish cooked in goat broth, milk, and ghee. Usually served during Mawlid. Nasi kerabu Kelantan, Terengganu Rice dish A type of Nasi ulam, in which blue-colored rice is eaten with dried fish or fried chicken, crackers, pickles and other salads. Nasi Kuning Nationwide Rice dish A popular Malaysian dish usually served during special occasions. Nasi Lemak Nationwide Rice dish A fragrant rice dish cooked in coconut milk and "pandan" leaf commonly found in Malaysia, where it is considered the national dish of Malaysia. Nasi minyak Terengganu Rice dish A popular east coast Malaysian dish usually served during weddings. Nasi paprik — Rice dish — Nasi Tomato West Coast Peninsular Rice dish A popular west coast Malaysian dish, usually eaten with Ayam Masak Merah. Nasi Tumpang Kelantan Rice dish A popular east coast Malaysian dish, which originates from Kelantan. Nasi ulam Kelantan Rice dish A steamed rice dish mixed with various herbs, vegetables, and spices and accompanied by various side dishes
Snacks