Dining

Melaka’s unique culture is reflected in its cuisine. Stalls selling all local specialities – Malay, Nyonya, Chinese and Portuguese  – line Jonker Walk at night with their mouth-watering offerings. The must-try local dishes include Asam Pedas Melaka, Satay Celup, Chicken Rice Balls and Cendol.

Melaka (Malacca) is famous for delicious food like satay celup, Chicken Rice Balls, seafood, and a delightful range of Nyonya and Portuguese food. You can sample these local delights at the city’s many restaurants, coffee shops, cafes and food courts.

Seafood

Grilled fish wrapped in banana leaf, fish in tamarind sauce, fish head curry, chilli crab, buttered prawns, stuffed squids, cockles and oysters are just a few of the mouth-watering seafood dishes offered at restaurants in Umbai, Serkam, Alai, Pernu and Kuala Sungai Baru on the southern coast of Melaka (Malacca). Portuguese Settlement is an excellent location for seafood with a Portuguese cooking style.

Nyonya Food

Melaka is one of the best places to savour exotic Nyonya fares such as otak-otak (spicy fish meat wrapped in banana leaf), itik tim (duck stew with salted vegetables) and perut ikan (preserved fish stomach in herbs). Nyonya cuisine is a marriage of Chinese cooking style with Malay ingredients and condiments.

Satay Celup (Non-halal)

The satay celup is unique to Melaka. It comprises a large variety of seafood, meat and vegetable – raw or semi-boiled, that is dunked in a boiling pot of thick and spicy peanut sauce until it is cooked before being eaten with a thick and spicy peanut sauce. It is served with bread cubes and cucumber. Chicken Rice Balls Enjoy the novelty of eating rice balls with chicken meat, cucumber and garlic-chilli sauce. This dish is another much sought-after delicacy in Melaka.

Portuguese Food

Malaysian Portuguese food is a mix of traditional Portuguese recipes, with traces of Dutch, British and local ingredients. It is also influenced by Malay, Chinese, Indian and Nyonya cooking styles. Don’t forget to try dishes such as pasu kaemadu (baked fish), garing garing fretu (fried whitebait with sliced shallots) and the fiery el diablo curry (devil curry) while you are here.