My Vegan Travel Guide To Malaysia
A vibrant street food culture, bustling night markets, local village cooking, and a selection of both meat and vegetable dishes are just some reasons why Malaysia is one of the best locations in Southeast Asia for a meal. But what is it like for vegan or vegetarian visitors?
Travelling to this region as a vegan does not have to be difficult. You can avoid animal products and eat amazing vegetarian and meat-free dishes with some insider knowledge.
Malaysia is a multicultural country, and the local cuisine displays the influence of many different flavours worldwide, including Chinese, Indian, Indonesian, and Thai.
So, if you are planning to visit Malaysia, order some of these impressive vegan dishes and be mindful of a few traditional non-vegan ingredients when ordering popular items on the menu.
It would be impossible to cover Malaysian cuisine in just one article. Here you will find the basics, and I hope it encourages you to try vegan food options.
Curious?
Let's see what excellent vegan food is waiting for you here in Malaysia.
Malaysian Food Culture
Did you know Malaysia is one of the most vegetarian-friendly destinations in Southeast Asia?
In 2017, Malaysia was ranked the third vegetarian-friendly country on the Global Vegetarian Index. This data considered the annual meat consumption per capita and the number of vegan-friendly restaurants.
It is important to note that various religious beliefs significantly shape the culinary identity here in Malaysia. Travel around, and you will find Halal food under Islamic Law, which prohibits pork consumption.
In addition, most Hindus are vegetarians and abstain from consuming beef. Each custom and tradition is respected and followed, so you will see a variety of cuisine as you move between the communities and local restaurants.
Are you feeling hungry in the middle of the night? No worries, most hawker stalls are open around the clock and offer a variety of authentic food, and most of them are vegan!
The stall owners would also provide plastic tables and chairs, so it is not a rare sight to see Malaysians chat and socialise while enjoying food on the street.
If there is one thing you can be sure of - there is always someone cooking!
Malaysian Food & Cooking
Malays enjoy a variety of traditional dishes based on seafood, meat, vegetables and the main staple; rice. Marinated meat, chargrilled seafood, vegetable curry, and condiments such as sambal are often on the menu, as are fresh herbs and spices.
Traditional Malay dishes still commonly found around the region include nasi lemak, nasi kandar, laksa, bubur, satay, roti canai, mee rebus, lor bak, ikan bakar, kaya toast, wonton mee, mee goreng memak, and ayam percik.
These are just a selection of a few dishes on offer, but the majority of them are not vegan.
So, are there any traditional meals you can easily customise to be ‘vegan’?
Yes - keep reading to find out more!
Is Vegan Food Expensive?
Eating vegan or vegetarian is no more expensive than eating meat, dairy, eggs, and seafood.
Omitting the chicken, fish, or egg from your meal and adding vegetables, tofu and tempeh will always be less expensive. It all comes down to your food choices.
Malaysia has many street food and local restaurants or hawker stalls serving affordable plant-based menus.
Enjoy traditional meals with meat alternatives like mock meat, tofu, tempeh, mushrooms, and rice to keep prices the same, if not cheaper than beef, fish or chicken dishes.
You can enjoy a big bowl of laksa originating from Peranakan cuisine, a plate of nasi campur with flavours from Indonesia, or banana leaf rice and vegetables traditionally found in Southern India, all at very affordable prices.
Must Try Vegan Food In Malaysia
Malay
When it comes to Malaysian cuisine, many traditional dishes are not vegan-friendly.
The dishes are usually eaten with or cooked with animal products. Meat, seafood, and eggs are common ingredients used to create everything from soups and stews to curries and broths.
However, vegetables, rice, and noodles play a significant role in Malay food culture, so vegan options are always available.
Nasi Lemak
It is one of the most significant dishes in Malaysia and is usually eaten for breakfast. “Nasi” means rice, while “Lemak” means fatty. It is a dish with Indonesian origins and has been a favourite in Malaysia for lunch or dinner.
The rice is soaked in coconut milk before being steamed, which explains the wonderful fragrance. You can find the dish served fresh at hawker stalls on the street and in up-market restaurants or hotels.
It is usually wrapped and prepared fresh upon ordering, so you can choose the sides and toppings. A vegan version typically consists of rice, roasted peanuts, a few slices of cucumber, and mixed vegetable side dishes. Ask the seller which dishes are vegetable based without meat, seafood or egg.
Nasi Goreng Kampung
Malay cuisine offers a wide variety of nasi goreng (fried rice), but one of the most significant ones is Nasi Goreng Kampung.
Traditionally it is cooked with some kind of meat, shrimp paste, and dried anchovies. But you can always request a vegan-friendly version with fresh vegetables, extra garlic, and chilli for additional flavour.
Chinese
Due to Buddhism, many pure vegan restaurants sell vegetarian and vegan dishes. Mock meat is a must-try in these restaurants, which is made from wheat gluten.
You can taste satay, char siu, beef noodles, fish head soup, and other meat-free versions of the local cuisine.
If you are against the idea of eating mock meat, you can enjoy a variety of vegetables like mushrooms, bok choy and tofu.
Chee Cheong Fun
If you translate this name literally, it means pork’s (chee) intestine (cheong) noodle (fun) in Chinese. However, it is vegan by accident and gets its name because the dish resembles a pig’s intestine.
It is made from rice noodles and served with sweet sauce or curry. You can find hawker stalls selling this dish on the street.
Ask for vegetables and beancurd skin as a topping.
Popiah
Originating from Fujian, popiah is a fresh spring roll wrapped with a thin paper-like crepe.
The vegan-friendly option is filled with minced garlic, bean sprout, sweet turnip, lettuce, and tofu.
Make sure you check that there is no egg, minced meat or seafood because there are non-vegan varieties.
Indian
For vegans, Indian restaurants are a great place to start, with a wide variety of vegetarian dishes cooked fresh daily. Many Indians who follow traditional Hindu culture are vegetarian or eat a diet rich in vegetables, lentils, and rice.
Banana Leaf
If you visit Kuala Lumpur, this dish is popular with locals and tourists. A banana leaf menu is impressive, with a huge selection of dishes cooked fresh daily and served by the local waitstaff directly to your table.
Typically you will be served steamed white rice, several curries, dahl, and chutney. Papadams or roti are also served on the side, with additional vegetable dishes available on request, such as fried green beans and potato masala.
The meal is traditionally served on a large fresh banana leaf and is eaten with your right hand. You can see others doing the same, so don’t be shy.
Roti Canai
Looking for a delicious dish suitable for any time of the day? Roti Canai is a crispy and flaky dough that is soft and fluffy on the inside.
If you feel like the flavour is too bland for you, dip it into the curry or yellow dahl that is usually served with it.
Be sure to check the curry is a vegetable-based curry otherwise, it may be cooked with meat or fish or ghee.
Tips For Ordering Vegan Street Food
Malaysian street food is highly customisable based on your needs. Despite most of the vendors in hawker stalls looking impatient and busy, they are used to taking special order requests from customers.
For example, while ordering roti canai, you can always ask for a vegan-friendly curry. Or, while ordering Nasi Lemak, ask for a vegan version of it.
Learning a few words in Bahasa Malaysia would also be helpful; try and keep these words in mind :
Tak Nak, meaning do not want
Daging, often refers to red meat like beef
Ayam, which means chicken
You can say “tak nak daging dan ayam” to the vendor when requesting a vegan option.
Non-Vegan Ingredients To Look Out For
Sambal: traditionally made with shrimp paste, giving it a strong seafood flavour. Every seller has a unique recipe. So feel free to ask the seller if it is vegan.
Curry: just like sambal, curry is a common dish in Malaysia. There are vegetable curries, dahl, and tomato or garlic-based curries, which are often meat-free. But you might want to keep an eye on fish curry, chicken curry, and mutton curry cooked with meat. It is always best to ask.
In addition, it is important to be mindful of non-vegan ingredients, including milk, milk powder, ghee (clarified butter), shrimp paste, oyster sauce, fish sauce, chicken or beef stock, cream, egg, carnation milk and sweetened condensed milk.
Final Thoughts
In recent years, more and more people have embraced a healthier lifestyle.
Meat is slowly being viewed as luxury produce economically and agriculturally due to its negative environmental impacts. Eating healthy vegan food is no longer just a luxury for those who can afford to pay premium prices.
Moreover, Rakuten Insight surveyed Malaysian plant-based food consumption in 2021. The result? It shows that 68% of the respondents stated that they had consumed plant-based alternatives to animal-based food products.
The popularity of vegan food is expected to grow along with the awareness and accessibility of vegan food products. Simple, wholesome, readily available dishes are key to a vegan lifestyle, and Malaysian cuisine can offer the community exactly this.
References
https://worldofbuzz.com/malaysia-ranked-3rd-vegetarian-friendly-country-world/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352618117301737