The good thing about living in a peaceful country filled with people of various cultures is the variety of food! As a Malaysian, I was pretty sure I’d at least tasted all the food our multicultural society has to offer. But oh well, I was wrong! Particularly in the dessert department, since I am a sweet-tooth, I found quite a few unique Malaysian Desserts that I’m pretty sure you have not heard or tried!
Here are some of the unique Malaysian desserts I’ve discovered:
Kuih Belimbing, Terengganu
I know what you’re thinking; this is just a knock-off version of churros, right? Unfortunately, not buddy! Kuih belimbing comes from Terengganu and has been around for a long time. You can dip it in sugar water or sprinkle regular sugar on it to eat. Some locals might call it “kuih terembat” but they are essentially the same.
Kuih belimbing is an excellent snack because it’s easy to make. All you need is flour, an egg, margarine, sugar, and vanilla essence to make this cake. You don’t need much else. Use a star-shaped mould to make the kuih look unique, then fry it until it’s golden brown.
You’ll probably find it easily during Ramadan, as it is a favourite tea-time snack and to break the Ramadan fast with it.
Kuih Sopang, Negeri Sembilan
In Negeri Sembilan, there is an old dessert, kuih sopang, which primary ingredients are glutinous rice flour and bananas. The name of this kuih comes from the city of Pekan Sepang. But the way to pronounce Sepang is actually “Sopang” to the locals. It also has palm sugar, shredded young coconut, and palm oil. There’s two version of this oval kuih, you can find locals frying it or steaming it to give its’ special taste. Of course, like many kuih in Malaysia, it comes with thick coconut milk gravy.
People usually serve it during the holiday. You don’t have to wait until then to enjoy it, though. Many kuih shops in Negeri Sembilan have this available for you if you’d like to give it a try.
Emping, Perlis
Emping is a word in Malay that means rice flakes. This is a traditional dessert from Perlis, made with rice. This unique snack’s main ingredients are young green grains of glutinous paddy. The grains separates from their husks by heating and pounding them a lot.
Emping is sometimes comes in banana leaves and eaten with fresh coconut, sugar, and salt. You should try emping if you get the chance because not many people know how to make it.
When it comes to emping, it’s only available once a year, when it rains.
Kuih Tahi Itik, Kelantan
As hilarious as the name of this kuih would sound, it’s actually quite tasty. This is a traditional dessert in Kelantan that’s made with egg whites, and it looks like a piece of ice cream. Kuih tahi itik was served as a side dish. Because it was often made with kuih jala mas or kuih pauh dilayang, which used egg yolks, this is why.
As a result, this kuih isn’t very common, except during certain times of the year, like school holidays. However, you can find this kuih at markets and pasar tani then. At weddings, you may also see it on the menu.
Kuih tahi itik is now part of the history of Kelantan, and it’s ingredients are rice flour, sugar, pandan leaves, and a few other things. It’s sweet, sticky, and addictive. As the kuih itself is pretty sweet, it is often served with plain tea.
Kuih Bunga Pudak, Kedah
This kuih gotten its name after the Pandanus plant, or pokok pudak. People who live in Kedah, especially around Alor Setar and Jitra, make this kuih a part of their history. Grated coconut, sugar, and coloured dye make up the filling. While the skin is a very thin layer of flour.
To make this skilful dish, you first need to put a lot of flour in a wok. Then, add the filling. Next, it’s hard to fold the kuih into rectangles that are both even and nice and straight.
Unfortunately, we can only find this food during events or special holidays. Plus, there are not many people around with the ability to make us a nice Kuih Bunga Pudak. Perhaps this is the rarest kuih among the others unique Malaysian desserts in this list.
Hinompuka, Sabah
Among the Kadazan people living in Sabah, Hinompuka is a steamed glutinous rice cake they love. To make this kuih, you’ll need brown rice flour, glutinous red rice flour, palm sugar and coconut flesh. Following this, wrap it in banana leaves and steam it.
Some people even add bananas or sweet potatoes to Hinompuka to taste a little different. You can normally find Hinompuka at local markets and special events like weddings and Hari Kaamatan. If you’re in Sabah, you should try it.
See Koh Th’ng, Penang
See Koh Th’ng, which means “Four Fruits Soup,” is found in Penang. Some restaurants still use charcoal to make the soup, which gives it a unique taste. I love this dessert, and you won’t find any other unique Malaysian desserts with the same refreshing taste like this one.
This dish has four main ingredients: ginkgo nuts, longan, red beans, and a bowl of sweet soup. The name refers to the four main ingredients. Fresh and tasty, you can eat See Koh Th’ng hot or cold. In the evening, most people have it with their dinner.
Tebaloi, Sarawak
Crispy Tebaloi’s main ingredients are with flour, eggs, desiccated coconut, sugar, turmeric, and other unique secret recipe. It’s made with a lot of different things. The traditional way to make tebaloi is a lot of work. You’ll need to roll out the dough on a large banana leaf with a rolling pin, then grill it for 20 minutes over the fire.
Make four-by-four-inch squares out of the dough. Then, put the squares back in the fire, and use a heavy block to flatten them even more, as shown in the video.
The traditional method used by the Melanau people in Sarawak to make tebaloi is said to make the crackers crispier and have a better taste.
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