Safe to Eat
(20)Sup Kambing
Spicy mutton soup with spices, herbs, and sometimes bones.
Pau (Bao)
Steamed buns with various fillings: pork, chicken, red bean, or kaya.
Char Siew Rice
Rice with BBQ pork, vegetables, and sweet dark sauce.
Penang Road Cendol
Penang's famous cendol with palm sugar, coconut milk, and red beans.
Masala Thosai
Dosai filled with spiced potato masala. Filling and flavorful.
Idli
Steamed rice and lentil cakes, served with sambar and chutney.
Dosai (Thosai)
Crispy fermented rice and lentil crepe, served with chutney and sambar.
Zhai (Buddhist Vegetarian)
Mock meat dishes made from soy and mushroom, no onion or garlic.
Pisang Goreng
Deep-fried banana fritters. Crispy outside, sweet inside.
Tau Fu Fah
Silken tofu pudding in sweet ginger syrup, served hot or cold.
Kopi O
Black coffee with sugar, served hot or iced. No milk.
Teh Tarik
Frothy pulled tea with condensed milk. National drink of Malaysia.
Cendol
Iced coconut milk dessert with green jelly noodles, red beans, and palm sugar.
Satay
Skewered, charcoal-grilled meat served with peanut sauce, cucumber, and onion.
Roti Nasik (Bread & Egg)
Roti canai with egg, sometimes with onion. Popular morning option.
Kaya Toast
Toasted bread with kaya (coconut jam) and butter, served with soft-boiled eggs.
Durian
The king of fruits. Fresh, pungent, creamy. Available during season (May-August).
Apam Balik
Crispy folded pancake filled with crushed peanuts and sugar.
Ais Kacang (ABC)
Shaved ice with red beans, sweet corn, grass jelly, and syrup.
Roti Canai
Flaky flatbread flipped on a hot iron plate, served with dal or curry.
Eat with Caution — Ask First
(9)These dishes may be OK depending on preparation. Check the hidden ingredients note and ask the vendor.
Yong Tau Foo
Tofu and vegetables stuffed with fish paste, served in broth or dry with sauce.
Fish paste may contain shrimp; broth may use dried shrimp.
Karipap (Curry Puff)
Deep-fried pastry filled with curried potatoes and sometimes chicken or sardine.
Sardine versions exist; some curry fillings use shrimp paste.
Beef Rendang
Slow-cooked beef in coconut milk and spice paste, dry and intensely flavored.
Some recipes include belacan (shrimp paste).
Hainanese Chicken Rice
Poached chicken with fragrant rice cooked in chicken fat, served with chili sauce.
Chili sauce sometimes contains shrimp paste.
Wanton Noodles
Egg noodles with pork dumplings, char siew, and vegetables.
Broth may contain dried shrimp.
Kuih (Nyonya Snacks)
Colorful bite-sized cakes: ondeh-ondeh, kuih lapis, ang koo kuih, and more.
Savory kuih sometimes use shrimp paste.
Penang Asam Laksa
Rice noodles in a tangy, spicy fish broth with mackerel, tamarind, and mint.
Shrimp paste (belacan) is often added even to fish broth.
Banana Leaf Rice
Rice served on a banana leaf with vegetable curries, dhal, and sides.
Mixed curry counters may include shrimp-based dishes.
Popiah
Fresh spring roll with turnip, bean sprouts, lettuce, and various fillings.
Dried shrimp is traditional in the filling.
Avoid
(7)Curry Laksa
Noodles in spicy coconut curry soup with tofu puffs, prawns, and cockles.
Prawns, cockles, and shrimp paste in the broth.
Rojak
Fruit and vegetable salad with a thick, sweet-sour-spicy prawn paste dressing.
Prawn paste (heh ko) is the core ingredient.
Sarawak Laksa
Rice vermicelli in a spiced coconut gravy with prawns, chicken, and lime.
Prawns are essential to the dish.
Char Kway Teow
Stir-fried flat rice noodles with prawns, cockles, Chinese sausage, and bean sprouts.
Prawns and cockles are standard; some versions add shrimp paste.
Nasi Kandar
Steamed rice with various curries poured over. A Penang institution.
Shrimp paste (belacan) is in many curry bases.
Hokkien Mee (KL style)
Thick yellow noodles stir-fried with pork, squid, and cabbage in dark soy sauce.
Squid and often prawns included.
Nasi Lemak
Coconut rice with sambal, peanuts, cucumber, and usually fried chicken or anchovies.
Belacan (shrimp paste) is usually in the sambal.