Malaysia is famous for its diverse and rich cuisine, imbued with Chinese, Indian and Southeast Asian identities. When coming to Malaysia, visitors will enjoy this country’s typical dishes, from street dishes to scrumptious dishes at high-end restaurants. With unique and attractive flavors, Malaysian cuisine will definitely make you passionate and want to come back again. Let’s explore with Skyworld the Malaysian specialties attractive to tourists from all over through the following article.

Top 7+ Famous Malaysian Specialties You Can’t Miss

Labeled as a “tourist paradise”, Malaysia is not only attractive, attracting millions of visitors each year, but also captivates many tourists with its multicultural cuisine, with a variety of attractive dishes. . In the section below, let’s find out what are the famous Malaysian specialties, the typical flavors that diners still remember every time they mention them.

1. Teh Tarik

When mentioning Malaysian specialties, it is impossible not to mention Teh Tarik –  a traditional Malaysian drink originating from India. With a unique and characteristic flavor, Teh Tarik perfectly combines tea and milk, creating a special sweet taste.

The special thing about Teh Tarik is the way tea is brewed, when brewed manually it creates special milk foam. This milk foam not only brings a special flavor but also creates a smooth and easy-to-drink feeling for the drinker. awake. In addition, Teh Tarik also has health benefits such as helping to reduce stress, enhance memory and support digestion.

2. Rendang

Malaysian specialty – Rendang, is considered one of the most delicious dishes in this country’s culinary list. Rendang is a dish where meat is cooked in coconut milk, with a combination of spices such as onions, ginger, garlic, chili, lime leaves, cinnamon leaves and salt. The cooking process usually lasts many hours so that the meat becomes tender and the spices are absorbed evenly.

This dish has many different versions such as Rendang Ayam (with chicken), Rendang Daging (with beef) and Rendang Kambing (with goat meat). Rendang’s characteristic flavor is rich, spicy, sweet and slightly sour, creating an explosion of taste in the mouth. Usually, Rendang is eaten with white rice or bread.

3. Char Kway Teow

When it comes to street food, Char Kway Teow is considered one of the most famous Malaysian specialties. This dish is made from fried flat noodles with eggs, shrimp, raw sausage, pork, herbs and spices. One of the special things about Char Kway Teow lies in the cooking method, the pan must be very hot so that the noodles are fried but must ensure softness. Raw meat, shrimp and pork sausage are added to increase the flavor and nutrients of the dish. The sauce is made from soy sauce, chili sauce, sugar, hoisin sauce and some other spices, all creating a rich flavor that diners will never forget.

4. Bak Kut Teh

Bak Kut Teh, one of the most delicious and popular specialties in Malaysia and Singapore. Bak Kut Teh is a herbal soup made from pork ribs, broth, five-spice powder, garlic, ginger, cloves and star anise.

The unique flavor of Bak Kut Teh lies in the harmonious combination of sweet, mildly spicy and salty flavors. The pork ribs are cooked tenderly and soaked in spices in the broth, creating a delicious and attractive scent. Bak Kut Teh is often eaten with white rice, tofu and crispy fried tofu. This dish is currently sold in many eateries and restaurants nationwide, especially in Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru.

5. Nasi Lemak

Nasi Lemak is considered the “national soul” of this country, every visitor coming here is advised to try it at least once. This dish gives diners a unique flavor with rice mixed with delicious coconut milk, spicy sambal sauce, crispy fried eggs, beef or chicken. Malaysian specialty Nasi Lemak is often eaten with small dried fish, peanuts, and cucumbers, served on banana leaves or plastic plates to create an extremely impressive and memorable whole. Visitors can find Nasi Lemak from sidewalk stalls to eateries and restaurants.

6. Satay

Satay is a “signature” dish among countless Malaysian specialties. Satay is made from pork, beef or chicken, torn into small pieces and soaked in spices before grilling over charcoal. Satay is often accompanied with peanut sauce, which is sweet and fatty, or mixed with soy sauce, lemon juice, sugar, chili and spices to create a unique flavor.

7. Laksa

Once ranked by CNN as one of the most delicious dishes in the world, and also called “the breakfast of the gods” by Anthony Bourdain. With many different versions such as Laksa Penang, Laksa Sarawak,… Malaysian specialty Laksa has a unique and rich flavor, harmoniously combining spicy, sweet, sour and salty flavors. The broth of Laksa is usually made from soy sauce, coconut milk, dried shrimp, tamarind, chili,… to create a spicy and sweet and sour taste. 

What Malaysian specialty can you give as a gift to your loved ones?

When traveling to Malaysia, in addition to enjoying food and shopping, you certainly cannot miss looking for meaningful gifts.

8. Malaysian Specialty Durian – Musang King

9. Nasi Kerabu Rice

Nasi Kerabu is a Malaysian specialty rice dish, eye-catchingly decorated with many unique colors. The rice is cooked with juice from butterfly pea flowers, creating a characteristic green color. The dish is adorned with the braised yellow color of fried chicken, the white color of coconut and boiled eggs. Nasi Kerabu is often eaten with Budu spicy fermented fish sauce, pickles or fresh salad.

10. Curry Mee

Curry Mee, also known as curry laksa, is a Malaysian specialty, a type of rice noodles or vermicelli cooked in a spicy coconut soup. Curry Mee’s ingredients mainly include: shrimp, chicken, tofu, pig blood and fish. Curry Mee is often eaten with fresh mint leaves.

11. Rusuk Panggang Grilled Ribs

For those who are “addicted to grilled meat”, they will definitely not be able to miss the grilled ribs Rusuk Panggang. This Malaysian specialty is prepared to look very eye-catching, the aroma is also very delicious, and finally the sweet and rich taste emanates from the succulent meat. You can also eat Rusuk Panggang with salad and chocolate dessert.

12. Chukka Lamb

A Mutton Chukka dish is a unique variation of Chettinad style curry. Lamb is chopped and marinated, then stir-fried with typical Chettinad curry spices such as onion, garlic, dried chili and spices. This dish is often colorful from dried chili and has a rich, spicy and attractive flavor. Malaysian specialty Chukka lamb is often eaten with rice or bread and is an interesting choice for those who want to explore the unique culinary flavors of Malaysia.

13. Wagyu Beef Dumplings

Surely you will be skeptical about the combination of Asian and South American flavors. However, the restaurant with a Michelin star – Nobu Kuala Lumpur – shows that they can create the perfect combination of flavors to turn this dish into a unique Malaysian specialty. In addition to umani chicken wings, eye-catching raw fish tacos or octopus tiradito are also options that promise to “explode your taste buds”. Wagyu dumplings with spicy Ponzu dipping sauce is a delicious dish that you must try when coming to Nobu.

14. Murtabak Stuffed Pancakes

Murtabak is a type of stuffed pancake or pan-fried bread, a popular dish found in the Arabian peninsula and Southeast Asia. This is a staple item at mamaks (Indian-style Muslim restaurants) in Malaysia. It’s not difficult when you want to find murtabak because this is a dish that is available everywhere, especially around the bustling Chow Kit market area. Chow Kit Market is also home to many excellent Malaysian specialties, along with a variety of items such as souvenirs, clothes, shoes, CDs and DVDs, and handwoven fabrics at quite reasonable prices.

15. Sweet and Sour Steamed Crab

If you are one of those seafood lovers, Fatty Crab is a dining paradise for you. Fatty Crab provides a variety of seafood from fish, crab, fresh shrimp,… at affordable prices. One of the dishes that you must try when coming to Fatty Crab is sweet and sour steamed crab, served with delicious skin dumplings. This is a dish loved by both locals and foreign tourists.

16. Char Xiu Noodles

Char Siu meat is one of the Malaysian specialties that “pleases” almost everyone. The pork pieces are marinated with a unique recipe, creating a rich flavor, the meat is chewy, sweet and soft as if it wants to melt on the tip of the tongue. Often restaurants will serve a plate of char siu with Hakka noodles. The original Hakka Noodles has minced fish skin and crispy fried onions on top, served with fatty pieces of char siu meat, this will definitely be an unforgettable taste experience for visitors.

Which Malaysian Specialties Should You Buy As Gifts?

Finding and buying souvenirs when traveling to Malaysia is an issue that many tourists are concerned about. If you still don’t know what to buy as a gift, read on for unique gift ideas in Malaysia with Skyworld!

17. Chocolate Malaysia

Malaysia is not only famous for its diverse types of chocolate but is also a country that produces special and unique chocolate. In particular, Malaysia’s special Kit Kat chocolate is produced with many unique flavors such as dark chocolate, coconut, coffee, and durian chocolate. Each flavor has its own unique characteristics, creating a unique and attractive enjoying experience. Chocolate Kit Kat Malaysia is a great Malaysian specialty gift for relatives and friends.

18. Malaysian White Coffee

One of the famous Malaysian specialties that people often buy as gifts is rich, delicious Malaysian white coffee. Its flavor is special because of the way the coffee is roasted without adding spices and brown sugar, giving the coffee its characteristic white color. In addition, some Malaysian white coffee producers also use carefully selected coffee beans to produce the highest quality white coffee.

19. BOH Tea

BOH tea – a famous Malaysian tea brand, produced from fresh tea leaves and packaged in many different flavors, is one of the unique Malaysian specialties. This is a great gift for those who love tea and want to buy it as a gift. Here are some popular BOH teas that people often buy:

• Boh Cameronian Tea: special tea produced from tea leaves grown in the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia.
• Boh Seri Songket Tea: black tea mixed with traditional spices.
• Boh 3-in-1 Tea: a convenient tea blend of black tea, milk and sugar, a convenient choice when traveling or as a gift.
• Boh Kuding Tea: tea made from Kuding leaves, suitable for those who love weight loss and health tea.
• Boh Gula Melaka Tea: a tea mixed with Gula Melaka sugar, has the sweet and delicious taste of traditional Malaysian sugar, a great choice for those who like sweet tea.

20. Kuih Cake

Kuih cake, a traditional Malaysian specialty cake, is made from simple ingredients such as rice flour, sugar, coconut milk and aromatic leaves. This is a great gift for you to bring home as a gift to relatives and friends.

21. Cashew nuts

Malaysia ranks among the world’s leading countries in cashew production, with cashews grown in the country’s highlands. Malaysian cashews have a unique crunchy and delicious flavor and can be eaten directly or added to many dishes such as snacks, salads or candies. Cashews also bring many health benefits such as containing many nutrients and antioxidants. So, if you are looking for a Malaysian specialty to bring home as a gift, Malaysian cashews will be a great choice not to be missed.

Above, Skyworld has shared with you a list of 21 delicious Malaysian specialties, suitable as gifts. If you are wondering what to eat in Malaysia and what gifts to buy for relatives and friends in Vietnam, SkyWorld hopes that the suggestions in the above article will help you somewhat.