Coming to Malaysia? Here are 5 Malaysian Favourite Breakfasts

If you ever plan of visiting Malaysia, a country that has been in the spotlight for several unexpected reasons (e.g. MH370, MH17, 1MDB and Oldest appointed Prime Minister), you might be wondering what you are going to eat for breakfast. When it comes to Malaysia, it's food haven and you don't have to worry about not having anything to eat. In fact, there are plethora of choices here considering the multicultural background of Malaysia. If you have done your research and still unsure of what to eat for breakfast then here I am going to recommend and share with you guys 5 of what I think are Malaysian favourites when it comes to breakfast. This is based on my experience growing up as Malay Malaysian, if you asked Chinese or Indian Malaysian they might have a different answer from what I have here.

Nasi Lemak (nɑːsɪ lɜːmɑːk)

It is an iconic and popular dish here in Malaysia. Everyone loves Nasi Lemak for breakfast, it's the very definition of breakfast itself here even though you could have it for lunch and dinner as well. You could find variety in Nasi Lemak depending on your choice of side dishes, you could have chicken, squids and even prawn together with Nasi Lemak. Depending on the cook, you might find one sambal (you could think of it like a chilli paste) to be spicier or sweeter, but they are good nevertheless.

Nasi Dagang (nɑːsɪ dɑːgɑːŋ)

A breakfast that is popular in eastern part of West (Peninsular) Malaysia especially in Terengganu, it is usually prepared with pickled vegetables and skipjack tuna curry. As for me, the taste has a hint of how a glutinous rice would taste like, and it is actually one of my favourite breakfast since I moved to Kuantan. I was told that the most popular Nasi Dagang is in Kampung Ladang, Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu.

Nasi Minyak (nɑːsɪ mɪɲɑːk)

Even though it is usually associated with wedding event, it could be eaten for breakfast as well. In Malaysia if you heard people saying that they are expecting a Nasi Minyak from someone, it usually means they are expecting that person to marry. Similar to Nasi Lemak, you could enjoy Nasi Minyak together with several dishes (or Lauk-Pauk), including, but not limited to; beef curry, chicken curry and spicy tomato chicken.

Roti Canai (rɔːtɪ tʃɑːnaɪ)

If you are a bread lover, you really need to have a taste of Roti Canai. Usually enjoyed together with Teh Tarik (Milked Tea), it has many variations, you could have it with eggs or sardine, or even banana. As far as I experience, unless you want to try the more exotic variations like Rainbow Roti Canai or Roti Cobra, there shouldn't be any problem getting your dose of Roti Canai.

Kueh or Kuih (kueɪh)

Kuih is one of the traditional dishes here in Malaysia. You could have it sweet or even savoury, there are many choices to choose from. You could opt for Ketayap or Keria for sweetness, or you could have Karipap (curry puff) or Cucur Badak for savouriness. Please, have a taste of every single Kuih you could find.

There you have it, 5 breakfast that are Malaysian favourites. I hope you would enjoy Malaysia, the food, the people and the history. If you spend more time researching Malaysia, you would find many more dishes to try and believe me, you aren't going to be dissapointed. Please do share your experience in the comment section below.