Must try Best Malaysian Breakfast when you visit Beautiful Malaysia
Malaysia is very well known for our diverse culture due to our 3 main ethnicity – Malay, Chinese, and Indians. Throughout the years, cooking techniques are exchanged to improve the flavor of a dish with today’s lots of new and exciting cross-culture food that can be found all around Malaysia. However, the taste and flavor where we always had since childhood are unforgettable. To starts off the day, breakfast is agreeably the most important meal of the day. Here is the list of Malaysian breakfast that we all had since childhood to this day. Check out below about Malaysian breakfast and make sure to try them out when you visit Malaysia!
1. Nasi – Nasi Lemak, Nasi Dagang, etc…
Nasi literally translated as rice is a typical Malaysian diet (Read more in-depth about Nasi here) and it is our local culture to indulge in flavorful and aromatic coconut rice that pair off extremely well with a generous amount of sambal (local Malay Chili paste) as breakfast, yes, rice for breakfast! You could easily identify the street vendors selling nasi almost everywhere in town. As the steamer releases steam of aromatic coconut rice with a hint of pandan flavor, follow that scent for a delicious and exciting breakfast!
2. Roti Canai, Roti Telur, etc..
Coming to second is Roti Canai, a type of flatbread influenced by the Indian ethnicity. Roti Canai is commonly sold in our local Indian tea stalls, famously known to the locals as Mamak stall. Mamak stall is also our local’s favorite not only for food but also as a hang out place! Roti canai is variable from original, to the locals – Roti kosong, which means no fillings to choices of fillings with eggs, banana, chicken, lamb, tuna, etc, serves with chicken curry, fish curry, dhal or combination of any curry of your preferences.
3. Egg & Toast – Roti Bakar
Eggs as we knew is an excellent source of protein, and for breakfast, we love to have it half boiled! And the result of that is succulent egg white and oozing egg yolk seasoned with a dash of white pepper, preferably Sarawak white pepper and a heap of soy sauce, as you whisk em up together with the given teaspoon and gulp it all down in one shot! To top it off, normally we would pair it off with a slice or two of toasted bread, the locals called it roti bakar, where sweet coconut jam is spread over the crispy bread with a huge chunk of frozen butter for perfection! It is one of my favorite breakfasts!
4. Noodle Soup
Noodle soup is another preferred local breakfast, where lots of variation is widely available all across Malaysia. From a bowl of delicate curry noodles, fish soup noodles, shredded chicken noodles, and a lot more exciting choices. Noodle soup is an excellent pick for breakfast as the soup is highly nutritious and if the soup is done right, the umami flavor of the main ingredients will blow you away! (Check out Ethan’s recipe – Malaysian Fish Head Soup Noodle)
5. Stir-Fried Noodles – Char Kuey Teow, Mee Goreng….
Mee Goreng literally translated as a fried noodle or commonly known as chow mein is another widely favored choice of breakfast. As the noodles are stir-fried over high temperatures to create a strong aromatic plate of delicacy. Char Keow Teow, in another word, stir fry flat noodles who rose to fame from Penang island has won the heart of diners from all over the world is a great example where the diverse culinary culture in Malaysia could cater travelers from all walk of life.
6. Buns, pastry and kuih
I still remember clearly that we often had buns for breakfast. Usually, buns will fillings like sweet coconut jam (kaya) bun, dried meat bun, hot dog bun, minced meat bun, tuna bun, peanut bun, etc, pastry and kuih – local snark or desserts. You will definitely spot a bun stall in most of the local breakfast places especially the morning market.
7. Dim Sum
Bite-sized food served in baskets steamer or plates that originated from Cantonese cuisine is now also popular among the Malays with the halal dim sum. Dim sum is usually linked with the Chinese tradition of tea drinking where this culture is still well preserved by the local Chinese community.
8. You Char Kway
A Chinese fried churro – You Char Kway (Cantonese) literally means “oil-fried devil” a name in accordance with Chinese culture. Two pieces of dough joined together which represent a couple collaborating with the enemy in an attempt to bring a great general in demise. Therefore, the You Char Kway is deep-fried and eaten as if it is done to the traitorous couple. Here in Malaysia, the old-folks often dip their fresh You Char Kway in a cup of locally brewed coffee. At a You Char Kway stall, you will also find other types of fried dough snacks like the famous Horse Shoe fritter or “Ma Geok”, literally translated as “horse leg”, as the shape of it is similar to the shape of a horseshoe. Some others are filled with red bean paste and salty glutinous rice.
9. Bak Kut Teh
The name literally translated as “meat bone tea” where various parts of pork are slow-cooked in a complex broth of herbs and spices. Apart from the secretive combination of herbs and spices from differing Bak Kut Teh seller, the timing of which specific parts of pork to be introduced into the pot of broth is crucial in order to attain each part of the pork is juicy, succulent and tender while still maintaining the chewiness of the pork skin. Bak Kut Teh is one of the local Chinese favorite breakfast for a nutritious meal, a calorie-dense breakfast where it is said that these dishes were once created for the hard labor. Klang is regarded as the city of Bak Kut Teh as there is more than 400 Bak Kut Teh in the city itself.
10. Teh Tarik, Milo, Cham, Hoi Nam Cha, etc.
Lastly, not to forget a cup of pulled tea, popularly called by the locals as teh tarik. The favorite morning drinks among the majority of Malaysians. Aside from Teh Tarik, the locals love a cup of local coffee, locally known as “kopi” (Malay word for coffee). A mixture of coffee and tea and you will get a cup of “cham” which means “mixture” in Cantonese. In general, Malaysians love a dose of caffeine in the morning to kick start their day! Not to forget that Milo, a cocoa-flavored drink who roses to frame is originated from Malaysia is also one of the popular morning beverage. To be considered as truly visiting Malaysia, be sure to have a cup of our local beverages!
If you like your noodles, why not have it for breakfast? This noodle dish is served with oyster sauce, wonton dumplings, slices of sweet roasted pork, and a hot bowl of broth on the side. Halal and vegetarian options are also popular.