Must-try food in Kuala Lumpur: 12 delicious dishes

Are you looking to discover the best food in Kuala Lumpur? Eat your way through the city with these 12 dishes and experience the true tastes of Malaysian cuisine.

Savory and versatile, this Indian-style flatbread reflects the country’s multicultural influences. Prepared with salt and butter, it’s tossed like a pancake and often known as "flying bread" as a result. 

If you’re searching for versatile food in Kuala Lumpur, you’re in luck, as this dish is perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. 

Great by itself or for soaking up dhal lentils or a spicy curry, you’ll be able to choose between a whole one at restaurants or tasty slices perfect for grabbing.

If you fancy trying this roti alongside a curry sauce, make sure to ask for "roti canai banjir."

Infused with pandan leaves, this fragrant mound of coconut-milk-soaked rice is one of the most popular Malaysian foods, and for good reason. 

Classic combinations of this dish include meat, seafood, or vegetables. These ingredients are then paired with a fusion of ginger, nuts, cucumber, sambal (a spicy chili paste), and crispy anchovies.

Mung bean flour and vibrantly hued pandan-leaf syrup are combined in a glass to form gummies to make this colorful concoction. 

Coconut milk, palm sugar syrup, and shaved ice top these to add a smooth contrast to the gooey confection found at the bottom of the glass.

Toppings vary depending on the stall you visit but you’ll often see jackfruit, nypa fruit, or red beans.

Coconut cream and milk are the key ingredients of this delectable sauce, accompanied with a blend of chili, ginger, turmeric, shallots, and garlic.  

A whole chicken is cooked in the relish, with lemongrass adding a citrus tone. Typically served alongside rice, the flavors really soak into every aspect of this dish.

Searching for some warming food in Kuala Lumpur? Well, a rendang is sure to suit you. 

Originating from Indonesia, a spicy paste is paired with creamy coconut milk which is then absorbed into generous chunks of tender beef. Time is of the essence – the more the meat is left to simmer, the more the color and flavor cling to it. 

The recipe can be heavier on the spices for a "dry" version or coconut milk infused to make a dressing.

As a side, you’ll come across two types of rice cakes. These include ketupat which are parcels wrapped in palm leaves or longtong, which is sliced into neat starchy slithers.

If you’re in search of food in Kuala Lumpur that has depth of flavor and rich, aromatic spices, look no further than a laksa.

This famous Malay dish combines meat or seafood with a hearty broth that has a taste that’s equal parts tangy, spicy, and sour. Typically, the broth is finished off with coconut milk or sour tamarind.

Known all over the world, these succulent kebab-like portions come with a range of options including beef, chicken, venison, rabbit, and tripe.

Roasted over charcoal, they’re served with cucumber and raw onions, alongside fluffy white rice cakes.

Grab a stick and dunk it into the creamy peanut sauce – with a helping of around seven sticks, you’ll keep going back for more.

With Indian roots, this curry-like combo has long been a food-stall staple. 

Always containing fragrant rice, it’s paired with a selection of sautéed vegetables and fried chicken. Other ingredients include beef spleen, fried squid, or fish roe in a spicy gravy. 

Meaning "to flood," banjir curry sauces are added to saturate the dish in flavor. If you prefer your curry dry, request it without "banjir" when you’re ordering.

In search of a broth to warm your palette? Look no further than bak kut teh, a food in Kuala Lumpur that combines juicy pork ribs that sit stewing in a broth of cinnamon, star anise, pepper, garlic, and gai choy cabbage. 

Perfect for the occasional rainy day, you’ll see residents of the city washing this down with black tea.

In every colour of the rainbow, these squidgy scraps of brightly hued vegetables are filled with soft white tofu. 

You’ll also come across other varieties of this treat, where the bean curd itself is filled with fish paste or minced meat.

Indulgent but oh-so delicious, this is more of an experience than just a dish. Restaurants generally favor their own take, but the platter generally consists of a large banana leaf, which makes the food more fragrant. 

It’s common for locals to enjoy this with a curry and a selection of vegetables including cucumber, spinach and beans, spicy rasam soup, dried chilies, tairu yogurt, and papadums.

Generally, locals eat this using their right hand only. When you’re done, fold the leaf towards you – folding it away indicates the meal was sub-par.

Amongst thick soy-soaked egg noodles braised and then fried, this dish from China incorporates slithers of meat or seafood. 

Pops of color liven it up in the form of Chinese cabbage slices and chopped chunks of spring onion. Balance the smoky aroma of the mix with a refreshing cold drink to truly immerse yourself in Malaysian cuisine.