Nasi Lemak

Nasi lemak means “rich rice,” a reference to the coconut milk in which the rice is steamed along with fragrant pandan leaves. It is served with a swirl of spicy-sweet sambal, crispy fried anchovies (ikan bilis), roasted peanuts, cucumber and a boiled or fried egg.

Eaten from breakfast to late night, it is often wrapped in a banana-leaf parcel for takeaway. Add-ons like fried chicken or rendang turn it into a full feast.

Once a humble Malay farmers' breakfast, nasi lemak has become a shared national icon across Malaysia's Malay, Chinese and Indian communities, each adding their own twist. It is widely regarded as the country's unofficial national dish.

The banana-leaf parcel — folded into a neat pyramid — is part of its identity, and debating whose sambal is best is a national pastime.