Malaysian Desserts

This sweet turnover pancake comes under various names throughout Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, and Singapore. Regardless of the location, it can be prepared either in a thin and crispy variety or as a thick and soft pancake. Traditional fillings ty... READ MORE

Serimuka is a kuih variety that consists of two separate layers. The bottom is made with glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk, while the top layer is a vibrant green coconut milk custard that is flavored and colored with pandan leaves. The desser... READ MORE

Pulut durian is a traditional Asian dessert that's popular in Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore. It's usually made with a combination of durian flesh, glutinous rice, coconut milk, salt, sugar, and pandan leaves. The glutinous rice is seasoned wit... READ MORE

This sweet variety of the traditional Malaysian roti employs bananas as the star ingredient. The unleavened roti dough is stretched until thin, and the combination of sliced bananas, eggs, and sugar is then wrapped in the dough. Roti is usually pa... READ MORE

Often called Malaysian madeleines, these traditional sponge cakes are commonly enjoyed on various special occasions such as Chinese New Year and Eid al-Fitr (Hari Raya), which marks the end of Ramadan. They come in many different sizes an... READ MORE

Translated as ring cakes, this traditional Malay kuih is usually associated with the Brunei Malay community in Sabah. They are prepared with rice flour and a combination of red palm sugar (niham) and coconut-based melaka sugar. U... READ MORE

This steamed Malaysian dessert is prepared with a combination of rice and tapioca flour, white sugar, alkaline water, and usually dark palm sugar, which gives these cakes their characteristic dark-brown color. The batter is usually steamed in smal... READ MORE

Roti tisu is the paper thin variety of the traditional Malay roti canai. It is prepared with the same type of dough that is stretched thin, sometimes up to five or six feet in length, and it is then shortly pan-fried. Tisu is served wrapp... READ MORE

Just as its name would imply, sago gula melaka is a pudding dessert made from sago (the starch extracted from the pith of various palm stems) and gula melaka (palm sugar syrup). This pudding is a favorite among Malaysian desserts, although it is n... READ MORE

The colorful bubur cha cha is a dessert made with coconut milk, sago, yams, sweet potatoes, pandan leaves, bananas, and black-eyed peas. Pandan leaves provide it with a sweet and light aroma, tubers give the dessert its typical color and texture, ... READ MORE

Kuih akok (or just akok) is a traditional sweet Malaysian snack originating from Kelantan and Terengganu. It's usually made with a combination of eggs, coconut milk, water, sugar, flour, and salt. A batter consisting of eggs, coconut milk, flour, ... READ MORE

Kuih keria are Malaysian deep-fried doughnuts that are made from sweet potatoes. After they are steamed and mashed, the potatoes are combined with flour to form a pliable dough that is then shaped into doughnut rings. Unlike other types of doughnu... READ MORE

Kuih cara manis is a Malaysian dessert that is made with a batter consisting of eggs, flour, and coconut milk. The cakes are baked in specialized pans and are traditionally flavored with pandan leaves, which also give the cakes their distinctive g... READ MORE

Kue lapis or kuih lapis is a traditional dessert that's also popular in Malaysia, Suriname, Brunei, and Singapore. It is usually prepared as a moist layered pudding-like cake consisting of rice flour, sago, sugar, salt, coconut milk, and red, gree... READ MORE

Roti durian is a sweet variety of roti canai, layered with durian fruit purée. Durian is a favorite in Southeast Asia (described by many as the "king of fruits"), beloved for its unmistakeably strong aroma and complex flavor profile. Once t... READ MORE

Kue cucur is a traditional snack that's also popular in Malaysia (kuih cucur) and Thailand (khanom fak bua). It's made with a combination of palm sugar, fried rice flour, and coconut milk that's fried until crispy. This sweet snack is usu... READ MORE