Malaysian cooking has a reputation for long ingredient lists and spice pastes that take an afternoon, but these five recipes show how approachable it can be at home. You get a creamy noodle soup, a punchy fried noodle dish, a coconut rice plate, a grilled chicken with a rich sauce, and a sweet peanut pancake to finish. Most of them lean on a few pantry staples, which means one shopping trip can carry you through the whole week.
Laksa King Prawn Noodles for a Busy Monday
This is the recipe I would hand to anyone nervous about Malaysian food. Instead of grinding a laksa paste from scratch, it uses 2 ½ tablespoons of Thai red curry paste, which does a lot of the heavy lifting. You fry a sliced red chilli in a tablespoon of olive oil, stir in the paste, then add a vegetable stock cube, a 400ml can of coconut milk, and 2 teaspoons of fish sauce. The rice noodles and 150g of king prawns cook right in the broth.
Get the recipeLaksa King Prawn Noodles
Make this on a night when you have very little energy. The prawns cook quickly, so add them near the end and pull the pot off the heat once they turn pink. Squeeze in the juice of one lime and serve the other lime in halves at the table so everyone can adjust the sourness. Half a small pack of coriander scattered on top makes the bowl smell wonderful.
Mee Goreng Mamak for a Midweek Stir Fry
Mee goreng mamak is the dish to make when you want something loud and satisfying. The ingredient list looks long, but it breaks down into simple groups: aromatics (two red onions and four garlic cloves), vegetables (cabbage and Chinese broccoli), protein (tofu, prawns, and an egg), and seasoning (soy sauce, chilli, and tamarind paste). There are also 250g of potatoes and 50g of peanuts, which give the noodles a hearty, crunchy edge.
Get the recipeMee goreng mamak
A good Wok makes this much easier because you have room to toss four portions of noodles without vegetables flying across the stove. My biggest tip for first-timers is to prep everything before the heat goes on. Cook the potatoes ahead so they only need warming through, cube the tofu, and chop the greens. Once the oil is hot, the cooking moves quickly, and you will not have time to slice an onion.
Nasi Lemak for a Relaxed Weekend Brunch
Nasi lemak is a full spread rather than a single dish, so save it for a day when you can enjoy putting a plate together. The rice cooks in two cups of coconut milk and two cups of water with ginger and a bay leaf, which makes it rich and fragrant. Around it you serve boiled eggs, sliced cucumber, a cup of peanuts, and fried anchovies.
Get the recipeNasi lemak
The sambal is the heart of the plate. It brings together onion, garlic, shallots, 2 teaspoons of chilli powder, anchovies, 3 tablespoons of sugar, and a third of a cup of tamarind paste. That is a generous amount of tamarind, so buying a jar of Tamarind Paste is worth it, and you will use it again in the mee goreng and the ayam percik. You can make the sambal a day ahead, which turns weekend cooking into a simple job of rice, eggs, and assembly.
Ayam Percik for a Sunday Dinner
Ayam percik takes the most effort of the group, and it rewards you for it. Six chicken thighs are coated in a sauce built from 16 shallots, ginger, six garlic cloves, cayenne pepper, 2 tablespoons of turmeric, cumin, coriander, fennel, tamarind paste, a can of coconut milk, a teaspoon of sugar, and a cup of water.
Get the recipeAyam Percik
That spice paste is where a Mortar and Pestle earns its place in your kitchen. Pounding the shallots, ginger, and garlic releases their oils and gives the sauce a deeper flavour, though a food processor will work if you are short on time. Peeling 16 shallots is the slowest part, so put on some music and do it early. Chicken thighs stay juicy even if you cook them a little longer, which makes this a forgiving recipe for a first attempt. Turmeric stains everything it touches, so wear an apron and wipe your counters promptly.
Apam Balik for a Sweet Finish Any Night
Apam balik is a thick, fluffy folded pancake filled with peanut butter, butter, and sugar. The batter combines milk, oil, eggs, flour, baking powder, and salt, all things you probably have already. Once the pancake cooks, you spread it with 3 tablespoons of peanut butter, a little of the 25g of unsalted butter, and a sprinkle of the 45g of sugar, then fold it in half.
Get the recipeApam balik
A heavy Nonstick Skillet gives you an even, golden base without sticking. The flour amount in the source recipe reads as 1600g, which is far out of proportion with 200ml of milk and two eggs, so check your batter as you mix and stop adding flour once it reaches a thick, pourable consistency. Cook over medium low heat with a lid on so the inside sets before the bottom burns, and add the filling while the surface is still slightly tacky so the sugar melts into it.