From Nasi Lemak to Laksa, 5 Bold and Flavorful Malaysian Recipes

Like all Southeast Asian cuisine, Malaysian food is bursting with flavor. Malaysia’s traditional dishes are a rich blend of cultural influences, and many feature plant-based ingredients like coconut milk, aromatic spices, and fresh herbs. If that sounds appealing, check out some of our favorite Malaysian recipes below—all vegan, of course.

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What is the typical food in Malaysia?

Malaysian food is a blend of cooking techniques and flavors, largely due to the way it has been influenced by many different cultures from all over the world, including Malay, Chinese, and Indian. You’ll even find Portuguese influences in some dishes, due to the complex history between the two countries (Portugal colonized the Malaysian city of Malacca back in the 1500s).

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Out of the many different traditional Malaysian dishes, some of the most popular include nasi lemak, which consists of coconut rice, anchovies, peanuts, boiled egg, and sambal (an Indonesian chili paste); rendang, a slow-cooked dry curry with coconut milk; and laksa, a spicy noodle soup. And this is just scratching the surface. Malaysia consists of nearly 900 islands and 20 cities, each of which is home to different culinary techniques and traditions.

To get a little taste of what Malaysian cuisine has to offer, we’ve listed five delicious vegan recipes below, each of which is easy to make from scratch and packed with flavor. 

Vegan Malaysian recipes

These plant-based Malaysian recipes don’t skimp on flavor. 

Chez Jorge

1Nasi Lemak

Nasi lemak is Malaysia’s national dish. Made with coconut milk, spices, and rice, it’s rich, creamy, and incredibly flavorful. Usually, it’s made with a blend of anchovies, shrimp, and eggs, but in this tasty version, Chez Jorge walks you through how to create all the rich depth of flavor and texture with plant-based ingredients, including fried tofu and crispy fried shallots. Recipe developer George Lee describes it as a “flavor explosion.”
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Vegan Richa

2 Malaysian Tofu Curry

Similar to other Southeast Asian curries, like Indonesian and Thai, Malaysian curry recipes tend to combine creamy coconut milk with aromatic spices like cinnamon and turmeric to create a rich, fragrant, nourishing dish. Often, the umami in Malaysian curries comes from belecan, a shrimp paste, but in this version, Richa Hingle creates equally tasty flavors with ingredients like soy sauce, maple syrup, and curry powder. “This quick vegan curry is a comforting southeast Asian curry that is also super easily adaptable to your own taste and the ingredients you have on hand,” says Hingle.
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Lazy Cat Kitchen

3 Laksa

Laksa is a popular Southeast Asian dish. It originated from Chinese cuisine, and today, it’s eaten across Malaysia, as well as Singapore and Indonesia. Essentially, it’s a spicy, fragrant noodle soup, usually made with a creamy coconut base and animal protein, like chicken or seafood. In this version, however, Ania Marcinowska of Lazy Cat Kitchen swaps in crispy pan-fried tofu cubes instead. Again, instead of traditional shrimp paste, the seafood-y umami element comes from seaweed. “[It] adds a subtle taste of the ocean to my paste and I am really pleased with the outcome,” writes Marcinowska.
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Marley Spoon

4Spicy Malaysian Murtabak

Murtabak originated in the Middle East, but it’s now a popular street food in Malaysia, as well as other Southeast Asian countries. It’s basically flatbread that has been stuffed with a range of ingredients, including lamb and eggs. In this vegan version of the dish, Max Adey of Marley Spoon swaps in plant-based mince meat with delicious results. The dish is delicious as-is, but for a more complete meal, serve with a refreshing cucumber and coconut salad on the side.
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Gaz Oakley

5Rojak

Satay is a popular dish in neighboring Indonesia, but it’s common in Malaysia, too. In rojak recipes, the peanut sauce is usually combined in a salad with sliced fruit and vegetables. It’s a light, refreshing dish that doesn’t compromise on flavor, and it’s easy to make, too—especially when you follow this recipe from Gaz Oakley. “This dish blew my mind,” writes the recipe creator, after describing the salad as “vibrant” and “fresh.”
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