When you think about Malaysian food, the first thing that comes to mind is spice. Yes, usually their cuisine includes a lot of spices due to their cultural background.
If spicy food deters you from going to Malaysia, you are missing out! There are also tons of local food options that are NOT spicy at all.
Let me introduce some non-spicy Malaysian food, that I actually tried when I was in Kuala Lumpur.
How to avoid spicy food in Malaysia
Mutton Curry
First, I’d like to tell you how to avoid spicy food in Malaysia.
Stop asking local people if it’s spicy
One common mistake that non-frequent travelers make, is asking local people if the food is spicy. Don’t trust them. Usually it is spicy for the average person, but not for them. So you end up having a spicy meal in front of you.
It’s ok to ask, but 90% of the time the spice or heat of the food is often miss judged according to my experiences. So please don’t waste your time asking if it’s spicy. Instead, ask if the dish uses things such as chili peppers/cayenne, etc… in the recipe. That way you know for sure if it’s spicy or not.
Avoid curry dishes all together
Unfortunately, stay away from curry dishes. I know one thing that people recommend you try when you visit Malaysia is curry. However, it is definitely not for the spice sensitive consumer.
If you have a higher spice tolerance than I do, you can certainly try curry dishes. There are some mild curry dishes and they smell fantastic.
Top 6 non-spicy foods in Malaysia
Here are top 6 non-spicy dishes that I tried when I was in Kuala Lumpur.
#6 Roti Canai
Roti Canai
You might be surprised that I picked an Indian curry dish as a non spicy Malaysian food. I was shocked when I tried it as well.
Roti is a flour based, thin pancake (Its like an Indian style crepe), sometimes it has banana, egg or cheese etc… Depending on what kind of Roti you order.
Usually Roti Canai comes with very soupy curry (no meat) and egg. It is very popular for local people to eat Roti Canai as a breakfast. It is also super cheap! It was only 8RM (CAN$2.50).
Malaysians typically have Roti Canai with special sweet milk tea called ‘Teh Tarik’. This combination is a very classic style if you want to experience the local lifestyle and food.
#5 Hainanese chicken rice/Nasi Ayam
I was too focused on eating this dish that I forgot to take pictures… Hainanese chicken rice/Nasi Ayam is served with rice cooked in chicken broth and topped with chicken (either boiled or grilled). The difference between Hainanese chicken rice and Nasi Ayam is the sauce that it comes with.
A Chinese style dish called Hainanese chicken rice is served with sour chili sauce. On the other hand, Malaysian style chicken rice called Nasi Ayam is served with sweet chili sauce.
The sauce is a bit spicy so beware. Make sure you taste it before you put the sauce all over your food.
#4 Pan Mee Soup Noodle
Pan Mee Soup Noodle
A very simple flour based noodle dish that contains fish (anchovy) broth, shiitake mushrooms, Ikan Bilis (deep fried anchovy) and Sayur Manis (sweet leaf vegetable).
It is quite similar to a Japanese Udon noodle, so obviously I loved it and it made me feel like I was having a meal from my home country.
When I was finishing the dish, the Ikan Bilis (deep fried anchovy) made my soup so salty that I had to stop drinking the broth. If you are planing to enjoy the soup broth after the noodles are gone, you should pick up all the Ikan Bilis otherwise the good flavor from the dried fish becomes too much.
#3 Kaya Toast
Kaya Toast is a sweet jam toast with butter that local people eat as breakfast or a snack. The jam they use is called Kaya jam. It is made with coconut milk, sugar, eggs and flavored with pandan leafs.
The combination of sweet Kaya jam and salty butter in between the golden brown toasted bread is just as good as peanut butter and Nutella.
#2 Ipoh Kway Teow Soup Noodle
Ipoh Kway Teow Soup
Ipoh Kway Teow soup noodle is made with chicken, shrimp broth and rice based noodles. Usually it is topped with Nira chives, beansprouts, chicken and/or shrimp.
Ipoh is the name of the 3rd biggest city in Malaysia, which is known as a “foodie” city. This city’s famous dish is served with steamed chicken and Kway Teow with a dipping sauce on the side. People call them dry style Kway Teow. This dish is the soup version of the famous Ipoh dish.
#1 Bak Kut Teh (BKT)
Bak Kut Teh (BKT)
Bak Kut Teh (BKT) is a hot pot with bone in pork and organs. The broth is typically used in Chinese Kanpo medicine. The main broth ingredients are star anise, cinnamon, garlic and cloves. Enoki mashrooms, lettuce and deep fried tofu are common ingredients in the Bak Kut Teh.
I liked it a lot, but the flavor of Kanpo which is a grass like medicine taste is not for everyone.
After you eat most of the hot pot, you are going to add more broth and put in Chinese style deep fried bread called Youtiao. The bread absorbs the delicious broth, that way you are going to enjoy the hot pot thoroughly and have no waste.
There are a few types of Bak Kut Teh and it is fun to explore which type of Bak Kut Teh is your favorite.
Different flavor of Bak Kut Teh
The picture on the left is a dry style Bak Kut Teh and it was spicy. It tasted very similar to Japanese braised pork belly (Kakuni). A soy sauce based spicy pork is the perfect friend of white steamed rice for sure.
The picture on the right is a ginger and sweet soy flavor. This also goes well with steamed rice.
Bak Kut Teh is not only enjoyed in Malaysia. You can also try it in Singapore if you get the chance. You should try the Singapore style Bak Kut Teh if you ever visit and compare the difference.
Chinese Malaysian food is the best bet for non-spicy food
After I have tried many dishes in Malaysia, I came up with the conclusion that Chinese Malaysian style has more options for non-spicy food.
I hope this list will help you find your favorite local food if you are looking for something non-spicy in Malaysia.
