Sweets and Treats of Malaysia

There are nice little desserts in Malaysia that are not too sweet. The colorful glutinous rice cakes are often called "nyonya kuih" (or mother's cakes).

Many of the desserts are flavored with pandan, a leaf that tastes like vanilla and has a green color. Here's an example of "kuih ondeh-ondeh" and "kuih bahalu" and "kuih talam":

Due to the hot weather, ice desserts are also popular. "Cendol" pronounced

'chen-dole' is shaved ice with green jellies, red beans, palm sugar syrup, coconut milk and condensed milk. It sounds weird but it is quite tasty and refreshing.

Similarly, "ais kacang" pronounced 'ice kachang' is an ice snow cone-like dessert with various sauces and topped with corn and red beans.

At the night markets along the street you can find pancake stands known as "apam balik". They are typically filled with banana or corn and chocolate or nutella with peanuts.

There is a little candy called "dodol" which is a glutinous rice with gula melaka (palm sugar) and wrapped with plastic in a distinctive triangle pyramid.

A popular dessert is called "rojak" which is cut up fruits of different sorts and dressed with a unique paste consisting of fermented shrimp paste, palm sugar, lime and chili. We visited a rojak making store and when we walked in they stopped working. Each shop is particular about their formulation and do not want anyone to copy the ratios!

We love the coconut ice cream! Often it is sold on the streets in a frozen coconut half.

Another popular dessert is "putu bamboo". This is rice flour flavored with (green) pandan and steamed in a small bamboo tube and topped with coconut flakes!

We have also tried "pisang goreng", or fried bananas. Yum!

There are many different types of flaky biscuits, known as "tau sar piah" or "tambun biscuits". They come with lots of flavor fillings including lotus, "kaya" (coconut jam/curd), sweet bean paste or taro and even some savory fillings like chicken floss.