10 Wonderful Desserts to Try Now At Malaysia’s Night Market
Malaysia’s vibrant and bustling pasar malam, or night markets, are not only a feast for the senses but also a haven for dessert enthusiasts like me! If you ever come to visit, you’ll discover many choices of mouthwatering desserts that are sure to satisfy any sweet tooth. From savory to sweet delicacies, the desserts are going to offer you a delightful blend of flavors, textures, and cultural influences. Below are my top favorite desserts to go to at our local pasar malam.
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10 Wonderful Desserts at Malaysia’s Night Market
1. Onde-Onde
Bite-sized glutinous rice balls filled with palm sugar, boiled, and then rolled in grated coconut. When you bite into it, you’ll get a burst of sweet sugar syrup filling your mouth and taste almost like a mochi. Normally, vendors would sell these ball of goodness at 5 pieces for RM2.
2. Cakoi
A deep-fried dough fritter with a crispy exterior and soft interior. It is typically eaten with sweet dipping sauces or kaya (coconut jam). Some might eat cakoi together with a bowl of congee or porridge. This mixture of savoury and sweet goodness range from RM0.50 to RM2 per piece depending on how big it is.
3. Cendol
With the heatwave hitting us aggressively in 2023, this Malaysian dessert is a must to find. Made with pandan-flavored rice flour jelly, coconut milk, palm sugar syrup, and shaved ice, it’s sure to cool down anyone. The most famous one would be Penang Teochew Chendul but you can find this dessert anywhere. A bowl of this would cost about RM4 to RM7 per bowl.
4. Pisang Goreng
Deep-fried banana fritters coated in a crispy batter. They are often served with a drizzle of sweet syrup or condensed milk. Some vendors even modernize it to add cheese, mapple syrup, or even chocolate drizzle. But I like it plain and simple without any additional syrups or drizzle. One piece of fritter is about RM0.50 per piece but if you are in the main KL city it could be more pricier.
5. Tang Yuan
Say what you want, I would always love finding these tiny ball of sweetness. These sweet glutinous rice balls filled with various fillings like peanut, black sesame, or red bean paste, served in a sweet ginger syrup are a good way to end the meal and reminds me of my childhood. A bowl of this would be RM2-RM3.
6. Curry Puffs
This is Mihu’s favourite snack! Whichever state we go in Malaysia, we always try to research on the best currypuff (karipap) out there. This savory deep fried pastry is filled with a spicy curry filling, usually containing potatoes, chicken, or vegetables. Depending on the size, one puff could range from RM0.50 to RM2.
7. Roti Jala
This is my mum’s favourite dessert and eating this always reminds me of our childhood making lacy pancakes in the kitchen. So, this roti Jala is delicate pancake made from a batter of flour, eggs, and coconut milk that is pour through tiny holes to make a lacy pattern and rolled into a roll. It is often served with a nice savoury chicken curry or beef curry. Price can be around RM4-RM6 for 4-6 rolls plus a small portion of curry.
8. Kuih Tepung Pelita
You would think this is a seasonal dessert often made famous during the ramadhan month but you can get this year round. It is a two-layered dessert made with a sweet pandan-flavored custard layer on top and a sticky rice flour layer at the bottom. It is traditionally steamed in pandan leaf cups. A pack of 5 would cost from RM4-6.
9. Cempedak Goreng
Deep-fried fritters made from cempedak, a tropical fruit similar to jackfruit. The fritters have a crispy exterior and a sweet, fragrant interior. You know you are close to one of these stalls when you smell a sweet aroma in the air. One piece can range from RM0.50 to RM1 depending on the season as sometimes it can be hard to come-by.
10. Kuih Bakar
A baked dessert made from a mixture of rice flour, coconut milk, and palm sugar. It has a slightly sticky texture and is often enjoyed warm. It is baked over open fire and would have a hint or char grill to it but otherwise and interesting flavor indeed. 1 disk of kuih bakar is RM3-RM6 depending on the size.
Conclusion
For me, exploring the Malaysian desserts at pasar malam is always a great joy. There is so much more that I can list down here but I can only list down a few. So I focused on the ones that brought me the biggest form of happiness growing up. I’m sure as you meet other Malaysians, their opinions might differ but at least this article can give you a place to start with.
I appreciate that these desserts are not only delicious but also accessible to people from all walks of life. The prices are on the rise for someone who has been living here and earning in Malaysian ringgit but it surely is cheaper then eating desserts from high end restaurants like Starbucks.
Just take note that these desserts, although small, are high in calories and you might want to pace yourself before buying them. Do let me know what is your favorite!
