Malaysian cooking has well and truly taken hold in the UK, thanks in no small part to talented chefs like Ramael Scully, Abby Lee and Julie Lin, who are all introducing us to the diversity of the country’s cooking. At its core, Malaysian cuisine is a meeting point between different cultures; you’ll find Indian, Thai, Indonesian, Chinese, Arab and Portuguese influences, with dishes hinged on ingredients including tamarind, chilli, lemongrass, galangal and coconut. 

Its nuances, and therefore difficulty to sum up neatly, might explain why it’s taken Malaysian cooking longer to become mainstream in the UK than the likes of Thai, Vietnamese or Indian cuisines – but thankfully, we’re finally fully appreciating it in all its vibrant glory. You can see our collection of Malaysian recipes here and also browse our list of the must-have store cupboard items, but below we’ve looked at just a handful of must-try Malay dishes. There are, of course, many more, but we hope this serves as a jumping off point to better understand Malaysian food. 

Widely considered the national dish of Malaysia, nasi lemak is enormously popular both at home and in neighbouring areas including Singapore, southern Thailand and Indonesia. It’s a simple dish, made by cooking rice – either jasmine or basmati – in coconut milk and pandan leaf, before serving it with different sides and sauces, including sambal (a Malaysian chilli sauce – you can see Ramael’s recipe for it here), roasted peanuts, hard-boiled eggs and crispy ikan billis (anchovies). It remains a staple across Malaysia, sold at stalls across the country and a staple on most menus.

Another of Malaysia’s most universally loved dishes, beef rendang is a complex, labour-intensive curry that is packed with layers of deep flavour. Beef is slow-cooked with ingredients including coconut, lemongrass, makrut lime, cinnamon, cardamom and star anise. It’s a dry curry, but the tender beef is still coated with sauce. In Malaysia, rendang – which is often said to have originated in Indonesia – is often served at special occasions and festivals like Eid. Typically rendang is served with steamed rice and sliced cucumbers.

It’s fair to say that laksa is probably the country’s best-known dish outside of Malaysia – with its fragrant, creamy, shrimp-spiked broth, it’s incredibly hearty and comforting. Authentic laksa hinges on getting your hands on laksa paste, which is usually made with dried chillis, shallots, turmeric, tamarind, lemongrass, galangal and shrimp paste. Then it’s a case of adding stock and coconut milk, and topping it with prawns and tofu, as well as everything from coriander to bean sprouts.

Meaning ‘flattened bread’ in Malay, roti canai is a popular street food dish with Indian influences. Light, flaky and airy, it’s made by throwing the dough in the air in a spinning motion, making it bigger and thinner, before it’s cooked on a griddle. It’s usually eaten with dahl, curry or sambal. It's been popularised in the UK in part by Sugen Gopal and his Roti King restaurants in London – his brilliant roti canai is pictured above.

There are hundreds of variations of satay across Southeast Asia, and Malaysia is home to many. At its heart, satay sees skewers of meat marinated with spices and grilled and coated in nutty, sweet and spicy sauces. Mandy Yin uses lemongrass, palm sugar and spices including coriander, fennel and cumin as the backbone for her satay marinade. 

In the mood for more? Try your hand at some of Abby Lee’s bold Malaysian cooking – we love her kam heong mussels.