A FOOD TRADITION
Kelantanese Cuisine
Kelantanese cuisine is a distinctive northeastern Malaysian food tradition shaped by Malay, Thai and local coastal influences. Rice, glutinous rice, coconut milk, fish, dried seafood, herbs, chilies and sweet-savory sauces are central, with fresh aromatics and fermented products used extensively. Characteristic methods include steaming, grilling, simmering, pounding spice pastes and cooking rice with herbs or colored extracts. Representative dishes include nasi kerabu, nasi dagang and ayam percik, along with regional desserts and rice cakes. It is related to Malay cuisine but has a sufficiently recognizable repertoire, flavor profile and cultural setting to warrant separate coverage.
Dishes linked to this cuisine
1–5 of 5
Kelantan Ayam Percik
Kelantan grilled chicken repeatedly basted with a sweet, aromatic coconut gravy scented with lemongrass, galangal and shallot.
Kelantan Nasi Kerabu
Kelantan blue herb rice served with finely cut ulam, coconut-and-fish seasoning, budu, salted egg and crunchy accompaniments.
Laksam
Kelantan rolled rice-noodle sheets served in a thick, pale coconut-and-fish gravy with shredded herbs and vegetables.
Nasi Air
Kelantan rice soup with grains submerged in clear savoury broth and topped with beef or chicken, anchovy, fried shallot and herbs.
Nasi Tumpang
Kelantan portable banana-leaf cone layered with sticky rice, serunding, omelette and assorted cooked meat, fish or prawn fillings.
Catalogue preview Cuisine connections may be unreviewed. Regional comparisons include their food references and do not establish the ingredients of a particular meal.