Chinese Vegan Guide: Foodie Travels in Malaysia & Singapore

Happy 2019!

I’ve just come back from a three-week holiday in Malaysia and Singapore. Since my mother is Malaysian Chinese, I’ve visited both countries a fair few times, but only to stay with relatives in mum’s hometown in Sarawak. I’ve never considered my trips there a holiday as such; diaspora Asians can probably relate! So this was one of the rare occasions when I decided to go as a tourist, and it was also the first time I’d gone with my plant–focused diet.

Some people might say that this part of the world is not vegetarian-friendly, but I say that it’s all about knowing where to look and what to hunt out. Over on my Instagram I’ve been sharing my edible findings while on the go — so I thought I’d put together some recommendations for healthy vegetarian foodies travelling to Malaysia or Singapore on what to eat and drink!

Overall I went to four places: Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Langkawi in Malaysia, and Singapore. What makes both countries fascinating culinary places to explore is their cultural diversity. Largely thanks to historic colonialism, East–West trading and a strategic Straits positioning, immigrant communities in these places that I visited have lived side by side for centuries, often fully integrated. So when you talk about ‘Malaysian’ food, it doesn’t have one clear identity; it can be Malaysian Chinese, Malaysian Indian, ethnic Malaysian, Peranakan or Malaysian indigenous (Orang Asli).

Forgive my laziness in simply embedding my Instagram posts into the below summary. Unfortunately, there was only so much time and stomach space and I couldn’t try all the delicious vegetarian foods that were available. Hopefully some of these recommendations will be new and interesting to you; some of them certainly were to me. If there’s anything you think I missed out on, do leave a comment below. There’s always next time!

Wild vegetables

Paku pakis: a Malaysian edible fern, distinguishable by its curly fronds (paku means "nail" in Malay after its spiky appearance). Every time I come here I have to load up on these guys! They are foraged in abundance in my mother's home province Sarawak, and taste like a sturdy-stalked spinach. The Malays like to stir fry it in spicy sambal sauce.⁣ ⁣ It goes without saying that this wild jungle fern is full of nutritional benefits, being high in protein, iron, vit A, C etc. And of course it grows naturally and is 100% organic. ⁣ ⁣ This is one vegetable I wish I could find in the UK.⁣ ⁣ #vegan #vegetarian #plantbased #plantbaseddiet #malaysianfood #discovermalaysia #ediblefern #pakupakis #foragedfood #forage #eatweeds #whatveganseat #vegansofig #beautifulcuisines

39 Likes, 5 Comments - 🍑 Celestial Peach 🍑 (@celestialpeach_uk) on Instagram: "Paku pakis: a Malaysian edible fern, distinguishable by its curly fronds (paku means "nail" in..."

I tried this vegetable at a restaurant in Genting Highland. Tian qi, literally "paddy field seven", is quite a recent addition to Chinese restaurant menus. The bulb is already used as a pseudoginseng in Traditional Chinese Medicine, so I guess some people worked out how to cook the leaves too!⁣ ⁣⁣ When stir fried simply with garlic, it's slightly gelatinous like seaweed and reminds me of one of my favourite vegetables, morning glory. Anyone tried it before? ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ #chinesecuisine #malaysianfood #discovermalaysia #traveltoeat #vegan #vegetarian #chinesefood #poweredbyplants #tcm #tianqi #beautifulcuisines #gentinghighland #plantbased #whatveganseat

42 Likes, 2 Comments - 🍑 Celestial Peach 🍑 (@celestialpeach_uk) on Instagram: "I tried this vegetable at a restaurant in Genting Highland. Tian qi, literally "paddy field seven",..."

Tropical fruits in abundance

Durian - AKA the "king of fruits", but due to its famed stinkiness, a more accurate description would be the Marmite of fruits. I'm firmly in the ❤️ camp and hunt it out whenever I come to SE Asia! ⁣ ⁣ Different varieties have different qualities; this one is Musang King, a premium durian perfect for newbies with a creamy golden, custard-like flesh, sweet flavour with slight bitterness. ⁣ ⁣ Some tips for eating durian:⁣ 1. Eat at the stall where the seller will open it for you and the flavour is fresh⁣. 2. Use the glove, your hands will thank you later⁣ 👐🏾. 3. Afterwards, drink water with a little salt out of the shell. This helps to remove the aftertaste which otherwise stays for hours.⁣ 4. If you do use your hands, wash them with water, again from the shell, to remove the smell.⁣ ⁣ #durian #malaysianfood #discovermalaysia #traveltoeat #rawvegan #rawfood #musangking #durianrider #durianlovers #fruitarian #whatveganseat #beautifulcusines #plantbased #eattherainbow #plantpowered #makanmakan

37 Likes, 3 Comments - 🍑 Celestial Peach 🍑 (@celestialpeach_uk) on Instagram: "Durian - AKA the "king of fruits", but due to its famed stinkiness, a more accurate description..."

Langsat fruit - I've visited Malaysia many times but there are still so many fruits I haven't tried or heard of 😋. ⁣ ⁣ This one is cheap and in abundance across SE Asia. Inside the skin are five juicy segments, ultra sweet when ripe and reminiscent of mangosteen or longan with a tart twist. ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ #tropicalfruit #duku #langsat #rawvegan #kualalumpur #discovermalaysia #malaysianfood #traveltoeat #beautifulcuisine #whatveganseat #streetfood #fruit #fruitoftheday

37 Likes, 1 Comments - 🍑 Celestial Peach 🍑 (@celestialpeach_uk) on Instagram: "Langsat fruit - I've visited Malaysia many times but there are still so many fruits I haven't tried..."

By far the most interesting food that I tried on my trip was #dabai. Native to #Borneo, the dabai fruit is considered a local delicacy and #superfood. The closest comparison that I can think of is a large black olive. It must be prepared by soaking in warm water, softening the hard flesh so that it tastes like a buttery avocado when you bite into it. Oh my 😋! Many people like to steep it in soy sauce, as seen here, at which point it's so close to meat in flavour it becomes like a pâté. ⁣ I was even more thrilled to find out about dabai's health benefits; its dark skin is high in polyphenol #antioxidants (like berries or dark chocolate), and its flesh is high in fat and protein and low in carbs. While on the more calorific end of the scale where fruits are concerned, you only need to eat one or two of these to feel sated. So it's the perfect #keto food for vegans! Unfortunately due to its very perishable nature, dabai rarely makes it out of Borneo, let alone Malaysia. ⁣ ⁣ A special shout out goes to my cousin @crazy.asian.baker for procuring these from our hometown Kuching and educating me in this super food. It's awe inspiring to realise how little we know of nature's fruits, and how much it has to give us. ⁣ ⁣ #malaysianfood #traveltoeat #rawvegan #rawfood #fruitarian #whatveganseat #beautifulcusines #plantbased #makanmakan #vegansofig #plantbased #malaysianfood #veganuary #veganuary2019 #exoticfruit

11 Likes, 0 Comments - 🍑 Celestial Peach 🍑 (@celestialpeach_uk) on Instagram: "By far the most interesting food that I tried on my trip was #dabai. Native to #Borneo, the dabai..."

Healthy vegetarian dishes

Rojak - a Malaysian local dish that makes for a refreshing #vegetarian snack! It's a fruit and veg salad dressed liberally with a tangy, sweet and spicy peanut dressing and sprinkled with crushed peanuts. Quite an unusual combination and certainly something we don't have in the Western flavour lexicon. ⁣ Here we ordered the Penang version, with cucumbers, pineapples, papaya, unripe mango and raw turnip.⁣ Try hunting out this local speciality if you're in Malaysia! ⁣ #vegan #vegetarian #plantbased #plantbaseddiet #malaysianfood #discovermalaysia #whatveganseat #vegansofig #beautifulcuisines #rojak #salad #streetfood #veganstreetfood⁣ #veganuary #veganuary2019

46 Likes, 3 Comments - 🍑 Celestial Peach 🍑 (@celestialpeach_uk) on Instagram: "Rojak - a Malaysian local dish that makes for a refreshing #vegetarian snack! It's a fruit and veg..."

How's this for the ultimate hands-on eating experience! Malaysia can be very vegetarian friendly if you know where to look. There's a sizeable Indian community here, with its own rich and diverse culture and cuisine. ⁣ ⁣ Banana leaf rice is a popular import from south India, where a selection of rice, dips, pickles and curries are served on a banana leaf and to be eaten by hand. ⁣ ⁣ #vegetarian #plantbased #plantbaseddiet #malaysianfood #discovermalaysia #whatveganseat #vegansofig #beautifulcuisines #bananaleaf #bananaleafrice⁣ #veganuary #veganuary2019 #penang #penangfoodie #penangfood #desifood #indianfood

34 Likes, 1 Comments - 🍑 Celestial Peach 🍑 (@celestialpeach_uk) on Instagram: "How's this for the ultimate hands-on eating experience! Malaysia can be very vegetarian friendly if..."

If you're visiting #Malaysia you must stop by #Penang, a colourful and multicultural city with the UNESCO World Heritage anointed George Town at its centre. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Here you can learn about the Peranakan people, a product of centuries of commercial and cultural interchange between the Malays and Chinese. I can't do it much justice in one short caption, but the food of course is a great way to learn about this unique fusion. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ The cooking style largely takes Chinese ingredients and dishes and incorporates Malay and Indonesian elements, with liberal use of coconut milk and herbs and spices such as lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaf and pandan leaves. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ For someone like me - with a very clean and "classical" Cantonese palate - I enjoyed being surprised by the beautiful colours and overpowering flavours that were richer, tarter, sweeter and spicier than I'm used to!⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ If you're in London you must check out @guan_chua's #nyonyasupperclub. ⁣ ⁣ Here's a #vegetarian and #vegan friendly wing bean salad with a zingy dressing and lots of crunchy textures and toppings!⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ #vegansofig ⁣#vegetarian #plantbased #plantbaseddiet #malaysianfood #discovermalaysia #whatveganseat #vegansofig #beautifulcuisines #streetfood #veganstreetfood⁣ #veganuary #veganuary2019 #penangfoodie #malaysianfoodie #peranakan #peranakanfood #nyonya

47 Likes, 0 Comments - 🍑 Celestial Peach 🍑 (@celestialpeach_uk) on Instagram: "If you're visiting #Malaysia you must stop by #Penang, a colourful and multicultural city with the..."

I'm almost at the end of my epic three week holiday in Malaysia and truth be told, I've had enough of eating out and am looking forward to some healthy home cooking. My last stop is Singapore, and today I hunted out lei cha fan or 'thunder tea rice'. ⁣ ⁣ It's a traditional Hakka Chinese dish that is wholesome, vegetarian and full of light and herby flavours. Rice (often wholegrain) is topped with with finely chopped vegetarian ingredients such as cabbage, green beans, peanuts and tofu, over which you pour a broth made from green tea, mint and roasted sesame. There aren't many well known Chinese dishes that incorporate tea into a savoury broth, so this was a delightful new flavour sensation for me! 🍵 ⁣ I chose to have small crunchy fish on my lei cha (I do eat fish, selectively) but if you're #vegan or #vegetarian you can certainly ask for it without.⁣ ⁣ ##singaporefood #eattheworld #beautifulcuisines #sgfoodies #sgeats #sgfood #burpple #instafood_sg #sgfoodie #eatoutsg #openricesg #hawkercentre #laupasat #vegansofig #veganfoodshare #veganuary #veganuary2019 #traveltoeat

52 Likes, 3 Comments - 🍑 Celestial Peach 🍑 (@celestialpeach_uk) on Instagram: "I'm almost at the end of my epic three week holiday in Malaysia and truth be told, I've had enough..."

Finally - I found some popiah! I used to eat these when I visited my mum's family in Sarawak, Malaysia. It originates in Fujian province China, but of course it can be found in many places across Asia where there are Fuzhou diaspora. ⁣ ⁣ I 💚💛🧡 popiah. The wrapper is the main event; famous popiah vendors prize themselves on their mastery in making freshly made, stretchy, paper-like skins made from wheat flour. They're packed with steamed or stir fried grated veg such as turnip, carrots and cabbage, as well as peanuts, a sweet sauce and chilli sauce (on request!). ⁣ ⁣ You could call it a cousin of the Vietnamese summer roll, but I much prefer popiah for the soft texture of the wrap and the cooked fillings.⁣ ⁣ #popiah #singaporevegan #singaporefood #eattheworld #beautifulcuisines #sgfoodies #sgeats #sgfood #burpple #instafood_sg #sgfoodie #eatoutsg #openricesg #hawkercentre #vegansofig #veganfoodshare #veganuary #veganuary2019 #traveltoeat

63 Likes, 4 Comments - 🍑 Celestial Peach 🍑 (@celestialpeach_uk) on Instagram: "Finally - I found some popiah! I used to eat these when I visited my mum's family in Sarawak,..."

Light local desserts

This is doufu hua (in Mandarin) or tau fu fah (in Cantonese): a slippery, soft tofu pudding eaten hot or cold, often found from street food stalls. Silky and soothing in texture, it's got a mild and almost floral flavour and can be eaten neat or sweetened - as here with a brown sugar and ginger syrup. ⁣ ⁣ It's the perfect healthy #vegan Chinese snack; try to find one the next time you're going to a Chinatown or Chinese restaurant! ⁣ ⁣ #kualalumpur #discovermalaysia #malaysianfood #traveltoeat #beautifulcuisine #whatveganseat #streetfood #chinatown #tofu #streetfood #eattheworld #plantbased #plantbasedprotein #poweredbyplants #healthtfood #veganfoodshare

38 Likes, 1 Comments - 🍑 Celestial Peach 🍑 (@celestialpeach_uk) on Instagram: "This is doufu hua (in Mandarin) or tau fu fah (in Cantonese): a slippery, soft tofu pudding eaten..."

#Cendol - I have a weakness for this South East Asian dessert! Another unusual combo for the Western palate: shaved ice, red azuki beans and green rice flour jelly noodles that look like 🐛, topped with coconut milk and palm sugar syrup.⁣ ⁣ I love how Asian desserts use #healthy #vegetables such as yam, sweetcorn, sweet potato or mung beans as a filling, with very little other than glutinous rice flour, coconut milk and some sugar to make a myriad different snacks. Makes a #vegan friendly alternative to the butter/cream heavy Western desserts.⁣ ⁣ #vegansofig ⁣#vegetarian #plantbased #plantbaseddiet #malaysianfood #discovermalaysia #whatveganseat #vegansofig #beautifulcuisines #streetfood #veganstreetfood⁣ #veganuary #veganuary2019 #asisndesserts #vegandessert #vegantreats #malaysianfoodie

73 Likes, 6 Comments - 🍑 Celestial Peach 🍑 (@celestialpeach_uk) on Instagram: "#Cendol - I have a weakness for this South East Asian dessert! Another unusual combo for the..."

These last few weeks in Malaysia I've been having a local dessert everyday. As I mentioned a few posts back, SE Asian desserts can be very different to your typical artery-cloggers. In fact, many of them are just very tasty and refreshing ways to dress up shaved ice! ⁣ ⁣ First pic is #aiskacang, shaved ice with red beans, usually topped with any combo of sweetcorn, grass jelly, peanuts, palm seeds and nata de coco. It's sweetened with a drizzle of palm sugar syrup. ⁣ ⁣ In the second pic is a #grassjelly dessert; a jelly made from extract of Chinese mesona grass. It's mild and slightly bitter, often sweetened with syrup and available at dessert stalls where you pick your toppings. Here I'm having it with lychees and nata de coco. Grass jelly is considered a healthy dessert, since it's high in antioxidants and very low in calories (when not eaten with lashings of sugar or coconut milk, that is! 😛) ⁣ #vegansofig #plantbased #malaysianfood #whatveganseat #vegansofig #beautifulcuisines #streetfood #veganstreetfood⁣ #veganuary #veganuary2019 #asisndesserts #vegandessert #malaysianfoodie #singaporevegan #singaporefood #eattheworld #sgfoodies #sgeats #sgfood #burpple #instafood_sg #sgfoodie #eatoutsg #hawkercentre #veganuary #veganuary2019 #traveltoeat

70 Likes, 3 Comments - 🍑 Celestial Peach 🍑 (@celestialpeach_uk) on Instagram: "These last few weeks in Malaysia I've been having a local dessert everyday. As I mentioned a few..."

Refreshing drinks

Calamansi juice (limau kasturi asam boi) - the ultimate thirst quencher for this Malaysian hot weather! It's made from freshly squeezed calamansi lime blended with ice and a little sugar, with a delightfully salty hit from a salted dried sour plum, a typical old school Chinese snack. ⁣ ⁣ I really enjoyed this and am a huge fan of incorporating more of the sweet-salt contrast into cooling drinks!⁣ ⁣ #kualalumpur #hawkercentre #discovermalaysia #malaysianfood #traveltoeat #beautifulcuisine #whatveganseat #streetfood #eattheworld #veganfoodshare #calamansijuice #limauasamboi

36 Likes, 1 Comments - 🍑 Celestial Peach 🍑 (@celestialpeach_uk) on Instagram: "Calamansi juice (limau kasturi asam boi) - the ultimate thirst quencher for this Malaysian hot..."

You may have seen shops like these in Chinese cities and wondered what's inside the big golden vats. These shops sell traditional Chinese herbal tea and jellies, brewed in large tanks fashioned after golden calabash gourds. Although a somewhat acquired, old-fashioned taste, these various herbal concoctions are prescribed for 'cooling' the body (in the TCM sense) and are not unpleasant. Some flavours can be quite bitter, while others go down better when sweetened. Whether for 'expelling dampness' or soothing a sore throat, there is a tea for every affliction!⁣ ⁣ Next time you pass a shop like this don't be intimidated. Take a seat, sip on a cup of tea and enjoy watching the world go by!⁣ ⁣ #tcm #herbaltea #liangcha #chinesecuisine #chinesetea #singaporevegan #beautifulcuisines #sgfoodies #sgeats #sgfood #burpple #vegansofig #veganfoodshare #herbaljelly #veganuary #veganuary2019 #traveltoeat #tea #chinesetea

35 Likes, 0 Comments - 🍑 Celestial Peach 🍑 (@celestialpeach_uk) on Instagram: "You may have seen shops like these in Chinese cities and wondered what's inside the big golden..."

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