Rasa Malaysia

A rich fish laksa from the fishing town of Kuala Perlis — proof that the sea is this state’s kitchen.

Harum Manis mango, in season just once a year, served with sticky rice — the pride of Perlis.

Thin crackers fried until they shatter — a Perlis afternoon snack, good on their own.

Northern-style laksa with fish gravy and boiled egg — the Kuala Kedah version sometimes adds eel!

Freshwater fish fermented with salt and rice — old-school preservation from the rice-bowl state.

A glutinous rice-flour cake griddled crisp at the edges — eaten with curry or sambal, a northern heirloom.

Five-spice meat rolls wrapped in beancurd skin and fried crisp — a Penang Hokkien heirloom.

Sour, spicy fish broth with tamarind, torch ginger and prawn paste — the laksa the world knows best.

Noodles in a deep prawn broth simmered for hours — red, spicy and rich with prawn-head aroma.

Poached chicken with Ipoh’s famously plump, crunchy bean sprouts — credit the limestone water, locals say.

A dark, dry beef rendang slow-cooked for hours — Perak’s dish for weddings and festive days.

Ipoh’s coconut curry noodles with bean sprouts, cockles and squid — white or red, take your pick.

Skewers about double the usual size — Kajang is nicknamed "Satay City", and the dish is gazetted Selangor heritage.

Rice and dishes shared from one big tray — a Javanese-Selangor tradition built around eating together.

Crunchy spirals of rice and gram flour — a Deepavali essential in Selangor homes.

A baked bun with savoury meat filling — not steamed! Golden flaky pastry that made Seremban famous.

Rich coconut milk meets fiery bird’s-eye chilli — the Minangkabau soul of Negeri Sembilan in one pot.

Smoked beef simmered in coconut milk and bird’s-eye chilli — smoke meets santan, pure Negeri Sembilan.

A Peranakan rice dumpling with a sweet-savoury filling, part of the rice dyed blue with butterfly pea.

"Celup" means dip — your chosen skewers cook right in a shared pot of hot, spicy peanut sauce.

Chicken rice rolled into firm little balls — Melaka’s own way of serving chicken rice.

The only laksa made with spaghetti — inspired by Sultan Abu Bakar’s travels to Europe.

Yellow noodles in a thick, sweet-savoury sweet-potato gravy, topped with egg, tofu and lime.

Mashed fava beans with spices, a fried egg and toast — a legendary Johor Bahru breakfast.

Pahang River patin cooked in fermented durian — sour, creamy, spicy. Temerloh’s pride and joy.

A jet-black sambal of belimbing buluh slow-cooked for hours with anchovies and bird’s-eye chilli.

A banana pudding studded with nuts and fruit — from the Pahang palace, now a festive favourite.

Rice and glutinous rice steamed in coconut milk, with tuna curry — once the packed meal of travelling traders.

Spiced minced fish wrapped in banana-leaf pyramids, skewered and grilled over charcoal — the aroma of the East Coast.

Fish blended with sago, boiled then fried — the East Coast snack you eat with its tangy dip.

Butterfly-pea blue rice with fresh herbs, budu and keropok — a Kelantan village on one plate.

"Percik" means to drizzle — coconut gravy is basted over the chicken as it grills. Kelantan’s version runs sweeter.

An egg-and-coconut-milk kuih baked in moulds — sweet, soft, and pure Kelantan teatime.

Fresh fish "cooked" in lime juice with ginger and chilli — a Kadazandusun signature.

Rice, sometimes mixed with root crops, wrapped snugly in leaves — the farm-day meal of generations.

Wild Bornean ginger, finely sliced and pickled — sharp, sour and unmistakably Sabahan.

Springy noodles tossed in oil and seasonings with char siu and minced meat — Kuching’s essential breakfast.

Herb-marinated chicken slow-cooked inside bamboo over fire — a Dayak heritage recipe.

Fresh raw fish tossed with lime, chilli and onion — a Melanau fisherman’s dish.

From Kampung Baru banana-leaf bundles to the whole nation — Malaysia’s (unofficial) official breakfast.

Crimped, crisp pastry with a curried potato filling — the standing companion to afternoon tea around Putrajaya.

Glutinous sago twirled on a bamboo fork and dipped in a sharp, spicy sauce — a Labuan dish made for sharing.