The holy Islamic calendar month of Ramadan or known as the fasting month of Ramadan has just started and it would be a wonderful time for all real foodies to wrap the taste buds around Malaysia’s delicacies during this time of year. As you know, Malaysia traditional food is usually hot and spicy, similar to the fervent weather we have. However, we would like to introduce you MORE Malay traditional food available in Malaysia instead of those usually seen in bazaars and night markets.

Before we begin, here is a quick glossary terms which would be quite helpful when you are buying those food in Malaysia.

Nasi : Rice, whether cooked in a steamer (kukus) or fried (goreng)

Mee : Noodles, wheather in soup or broth (sup / rebus) or fried (goreng)

Sambal: It is a hot and spicy chili paste cooked with shallots which comes in variation such as dry-toasted shrimp (belacan), prawn (udang) and white anchovies (ikan bilis)

Roti : May referred to bread or Indian-style flatbread

Kuih : Traditional Malay sweet or savory cake

Ikan : Fish

Ayam : Chicken

Daging : Beef (Lembu) or lamb /mutton (kambing)

Here, SGMYTRIPS would like to recommend several MUST TRY Malaysia traditional delicacies during this special Ramadhan or whenever you would like to try some awesome local Malay food.

Awesome Local Food during Ramadhan

1.Nasi Ayam Penyet

It is a rice-with-chicken dish, where the chicken is ‘penyet’ (which means flattened) making it more interesting. Nasi  Ayam Penyet is originally a Javanese rice dish consisting of flattened fried chicken that had been smashed (to make it softer), fried tofu, chili sambal and raw vegetables such as cucumbers, green beans, cabbage and lettuce. Another side dish that make Nasi Ayam Penyet special is tempeh, it is a fermented soy bean food which has a firm and earthy flavor.

 

2.Nasi Kukus Ayam Berempah

There is only a few places you can try authentic Nasi Kukus Ayam Goreng Berempah. Nasi Kukus Ayam Goreng Berempah is a savory dish with fragrant rice that comes with tasty and juicy marinated fried chicken. The mixture of thick creamy gravy and a dash of cili padi sambal provide an additional punch to this delicious meal. This could be a very own choice for foodie who like spicy food.

You may be interested also: Top 13 Best Malay Food & Restaurant In Singapore

 

3.Nasi Kerabu

Nasi Kerabu is a Malay rice dish, in which blue-colored rice is eaten  along with dried fish or fried chicken, prawn crackers, vegetable pickles and other salads. The blue color of the rice originated from the juice of butterfly-pea petals added in cooking it. Besides, nasi kerabu is often eaten with solok lada (stuffed green chilies) and ulam.

 

4.Nasi Tomato + Ayam Masak Merah

The combination of Nasi Tomato and Ayam Masak Merah is a great choice of almost all Malaysian during their lunch break time either in school or workplace. Ayam Masak Merah means red-cooked chicken in English, it is a casserole of fried chicken pieces slowly braised in spicy tomato sauce. Usually served along with its sauce, it bring nasi tomato or tomato rice which is rich in tomato flavour to another level.

 

5.Nasi Briyani

Nasi Briyani is a popular South Asian Mixed rice dish with its origins among the Muslims of Indian subcontinent. Influenced by the Indian culture, nasi briyani would use more complex and stronger spices than other traditional malay rice dishes, which give nasi briyani a stronger curry taste. The spices and condiment used in cooking of briyani included ghee (clarifeid butter), nutmeg, pepper, cloves,cinnamon, bay leaves, mint leaves, gingers, mace, cardamon and much more. In all briyani, the main side dish that usually accompanies the heavy gravy is the chicken and mutton, special variety would included beef and seafood as well. Beside the meat, boiled egg, pickled aubergine and salad would be served along with the dish too.

 

6.Nasi Ambeng

Similar to nasi ayam penyek, nasi ambeng is also originated from Java, Indonesia. Nasi Ambeng is a fragnant rice dish that consists of steamed rice, chicken curry or chicken rendang, midly spicy sambal, tofu, tempeh, boiled egg and long beans urap.

 

7.Nasi Lemak Kukus

Nasi lemak is widely eaten in both Malaysia and Singapore, but more commonly consumed as breakfast. It can be easily find at almost all hawker food centres and roadside stalls in both Malaysia and Singapore. This unique dish often comes wrapped in banana leaves, newspaper or brown paper. Traditionally, nasi lemak is served with hot and spicy sambal, and usually includes various garnishes, including fresh cucumber slices, small fried anchovies, roasted peanuts, and hard-boiled or fried egg.  As a more substantial meal, nasi lemak may also be served with an additional protein dish such as ayam goreng (fried chicken), sambal sotong (cuttlefish in chili), small fried fish, cockles.

 

8.Nasi Dagang

Known as trader’s rice, Nasi Dagang is a traditional Malay dish consisting of rice steamed in cocount milk, fish curry and pickled cucumber and carrots. It is well-known breakfast and dinner in East Cost of Penisular Malaysia (Kelantan and Terengganu) and even in Southern Thai (Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat).

 

9.Bubur Lambuk

Bubur lambuk is a savory Malay rice porridge consumed during fasting month of Ramadhan, made with mixture of lemongrass, spices, vegetables and chicken or beef. In the state of Terengganu, bubur lambuk is usually prepared with wild herbs, sweet potatoes and seafood. During the month of Ramadhan, bubur lambuk would be prepared in Malay mosque and distributed to the congregation as a meal to break fast during the evening.

 

10. Ikan Bakar

Ikan Bakar is a Malaysian dish of charcoal-grilled fish. Malay-styled Ikan Bakar is usually marinated with a sambal-based sauce or sweet soy sauce and then grilled; sometimes protected with a sheet of banana leave to avoid it being stucked on the hot grill and to provide it with a nicer aroma.

 

11. Ayam Percik

Ayam Percik’s literal translation means ‘splash chicken’, it is a Malaysian grilled or roasted chicken marinated in flavorful spices such as turmeric, cumin and coriander along with tamarind, coconut milk and lemongrass, which would provide a rich flavor to the juicy grilled meat. Once the meat is roasted or grilled, its marinade would caramelizes on the meat, lending a delicious coating that blow your mind.

 

12. Ayam Goreng Kunyit

Unlike Southern United State styled fried chicken, this Southern Asian version of fried chicken does not required any coating of flour batter and is richier in spices. The spice mixture would be vary based on every regions, but usually a combination of ground shallot,sugar, salt, lemongrass,turmeric, tamarind juice, Indian bay leaves and candle nut would be used. In order for the chicken pieces to be more flavorful, the chicken would be marinated with the spice mixture overnight to assist the chicken to absorb the spices. Ayam Goreng Kunyit is yellow in color due to the use of turmeric while preparing it. However, it does not leave any foodies with a strong spicy flavor in their mouth as Ayam Goreng Kunyit is not spicy at all.

 

13. Ayam Bakar Pasu

Well, the concept is as simple as its name, which literary translated as ‘grilled chicken in a pot’. What they would do is just put the marinated chicken inside the pot and let it to cook on burned charcoal. The pot would then checked from time to time to ensure that the chicken does not burnt or dried up. A layer of honey would be glazed on the chicken to make it sweeter and juicer too. The chicken would be glazed with a layer of butter again once it is ready to be served in order to make the skin look more shinier and taste tastier.

 

14. Rendang

Rendang is a spicy meat and coconut milk stew originated from Minangkabau people from Indonesia who had settled down in Negeri Sembilan. Although beef and chicken are commonly used for rendang in restaurant and home cooking, it still can’t replace the buffalo meat as buffalo meat is more chewier and juicier when compared to chicken meat or beef. Paired with ketupat, rendang would provide a creamy and spicy flavor to the bland ketupat.

 

15. Satay

As one of Malaysians’ favorite dish, satay (or sate) could be found easily at anytime, anywhere around Malaysia food street and mamak (24-hours Malay-Indian restaurant). Satay is made of marinated beef, chicken or mutton pieces skewed with wooden sticks or known as lidi stick and the grilled on a very hot charcoal grill. This dish is typically served with diced raw onions, cucumbers and a spiced peanut gravy for dipping. For your information, Kajang satay is slightly bigger than the normal satay and their peanut sauce is served along with a portion of fried chili paste which make it more flavorful and spicier.

 

16. Kebab

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kebab is a popular Middle Eastern food that is also commonly found in Ramadhan bazaars. This dish often consists of cut up marinated meat and vegetables cooked in a skewer. The traditional meat used for making kebab is usually beef, mutton or lamb, however getting replaced by fish and chicken currently due to the high demand of the consumers and religious prohibitions.

You can choose to have grilled meat served with pita bread or plain bread. It consists of vegetables such as onions, cabbages and sauces on top of the meat. They come with 3 sizes – S, M, L.

 

17. Mi Rebus

Also known as Mi Jawa, Mi Rebus is a Javanese dish which consists of yellow colored egg noodles drenched in spicy aromatic sauce thickened with cooked and mashed tuber vegetables. It is best served with fried potato wedges or potato totters, boiled eggs, bean sprouts and dried tofu, which could absorb the thick aromatic sauce perfectly.

 

18. Mi Bandung

Mi Bandung is a Malay cuisine that originate from Johor, which consist of only noodles and eggs in addition to a soup made of chili, onions, spices, shrimp paste and dried shrimp mixtures at the beginning. Now, Mi bandung is available along with the additional of side dishes such as shrimp, meat, fish cakes and vegetables according to the person’s preferences. Even though Mi Bandung is now available all around Malaysia, the version that was served in Muar is still considered as the best.

 

19. Lontong

In Indonesia, Lontong is known as ‘sayur londeh’. Lontong is a creamy and flavorful stew made of vegetable and lightly spiced coconut milk soup. It is usually served with banana leaves wrapped compressed rice cooked in cylinder bamboo or cylinder mold and eaten during special occasions. The compressed rice’s texture is almost the same to ketupat, which only has the difference in shape only.

 

20. Laksa 

Laksa is a spicy noodle soup which is popular in Peranakan cuisine.  Laksa could be enjoyed with different type of noodles as well, such as Laksa noodle (or known as thick rice noodle), rice vermicelli and other type of noodles. There would be three basic types of laksa available in Malaysia, which are curry laksa, asam laksa and other variant of laksa. Curry laksa is laksa with coconut milk curry soup base with noodles while asam laksa is most often tamarind based soup with noodles. Other type of laksa included laksa lemak, a nyonya laksa made of fish based gravy added with sweet and  heavy coconut gravy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Thailand, laksa is known as Lasae. Lasae is special due to its thick flat white rice flour noodles in rich white gravy made of  boiled fish flesh or eels and coconut milk.

 

21. Gulai

Gulai is a Malay term for curried stew. The main ingredient used in preparing gulai may be poultry, beef, mutton, fish or seafood. What made gulai special is that you can surprise  your taste bud with the unique gravy that gulai has, since cassava leaves and unripe jackfruit would be added as well. This gravy is usually yellowish-brown in color  due to the sauted brown spices that forms its base, with the addition of grounded turmeric. The consistency of gulai may vary in thickness depending on the cook himself.

 

22. Apam Balik

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This pancake is made from a mixture of flour, eggs, sugar and baking soda and then cooked upon a thick round iron frying pan in plenty of margarine to avoid it from sticking to the pan. While cooking Apam Balik, crushed peanut granules, sugar and canned sweet corn cream would be sprinkled as its filling. Then, the pancake would be fold and cut into pieces before serving it. The texture of Apam Balik could be different as well, based on the amount of batter and type of pan used during the preparation process. The thinner Apam Balik has a crispier form of crumpets to small thin light pancake shells that would break when bitten.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

However in the modern days, we can see that creative seller would came out with special Apam Balik that has different kind of flavours such as cheese and chocolate sprinkles.

 

23. Putu Bambu

Putu Bambu is a traditional cylindrical-shaped and green colored steamed cake with palm sugar fillings made of rice flour called suji and pandan leaves juice. It is sold separated from the bamboo mold along with klepon, a grated coconut coated green-colored glutinous  balls with liquid palm sugar (onde-onde)

 

24. Roti Jala (lace pancake)

In Malay, Roti means ‘bread’ and Jala means ‘net’. During the preparation of Roti Jala, a five hole perforation ladle would be used to form its lacy pattern. The roti jala batter will be filled into the ladle before drizzling it onto a hot plate in a circular or rectangular motion. This traditional Malay tea time snack usually served in a set of four to five pieces and a bowl of curry gravy.

 

25. Roti John

Roti John is a spiced meat omelette sandwich, which is popularly eaten for breakfast or as a snack. In the preparation of Roti John, a mixture of minced meat (may be chicken, beef, mutton or sardines), eggs and chopped onions would be poured into a frying pan and split long, before pressing the soft roll onto it. After the egg mixture set, Roti John would be spread with diced cucumbers, mayonnaise and chili sauce before serving it.

 

26. Ketupat

Ketupat is traditionally served on festive occasions such as Hari Raya Aidilfitri as a part of open house spread. Wrapped in a woven palm fold pouch, the rice would fill up the pouch and compressed as it boils. This method give ketupat its characteristic form and texture. Accompany with rendang or dry beef curry, it provide the bland ketupat a spicy and creamy taste to fulfill your taste bud.

 

27. Lemang

Similar to Ketupat, Lemang is also traditionally served on festive occasions such as Hari Raya Aidilfitri as a part of open house spread.  However, Lemang is made of glutinous rice, coconut milk and salt. These ingredient is combined and cooked in a slanted hollowed bamboo stick lined with banana leaves to prevent it from sticking to the bamboo. Cooking Lemamg is not easy, it usually takes about four to five hours of cooking for a perfect cooked Lemang. Besides, Lemang is commonly eaten to mark the sign of ending the Ramadhan month or celebration of Hari Gawai.

 

28. Murtabak

Murtabak is a square shaped spicy folded egg filled pancake with bits of vegetables such as chopped green onions, shallots and minced meat eaten with curry gravy or sweet syrup pickled onions.

 

29. Popiah basah / Lumpia

It is a savory snack made of  mixture of chopped vegetables such as carrots, leeks, bean sprouts, cabbages , minced meat or shrimps wrapped in thin crepe pastry skin. Popiah basah is a popular snacks and appetizers which can be served either deep fried or not.

 

30. Tepung Pelita

Kuih Tepung Pelita is a Malay cake with simple appearance and sweet taste. Made of coconut milk and rice flour, this dessert is prepared in square banana leaf container. The white smooth texture at the top is made of coconut milk while the green springy texture at the bottom is made of rice flour mixture and fresh pandan juice.

 

31. Keropok Lekor

It is a speciality from Terengganu state and other states on the East coast of Malaysia. Keropok lekor is a savory fritter made from a combination of sheered fish and batter. It may be sliced thinly, thicker at the end or even shapped into a ball before deep frying it in hot oil, based on everyone’s preference. Usually dipped in hot sauce or sweet and sour sauce, we could say that you would not resist the tasty keropok lekor.

 

32. Pulut Panggang

This local treats are all-time favourite street foods. Pulut Panggang refers to grilled glutinous rice in banana leaves. This kuih is made with glutinous rice, grated coconut, dried prawns, coriander and belacan. It is known as Malay or Nyonya cuisine and different states has slight twist of recipes.

 

33. Putu Piring

Putu piring, steamed rice cakes with a melted palm sugar filling and topped with grated coconut, are Indian in origin. Sadly they aren’t seen as often as they used to be, so make sure to grab some putu piring if you spot them because they are really really tasty.

 

See also :

List of Ramadhan Bazaars in Johor Bahru, Malaysia

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