Top Vegetarian Picks At The Pasar Malam

We now have an idea on what a pasar malam (night market) is and you’d probably have visited one recently. If you had, you’d have noticed there are countless number of local food selection at the pasar malam. Even so, I find the vegetarian selection in the night market not easy to find.

Today I am going to share some of the yummy vegetarian bites you could try out at the pasar malam. Some of these may contain egg, so please clarify with the stall operators if you have restrictions.

• Tofu Bakar  

Tofu Bakar is a vegetarian item in Bangsar pasar malam, but it may not necessarily be elsewhere. It is one of my favourites, that’s why this tops my list.

Tofu Bakar is a vegetable stuffed soya (tofu), grilled over charcoal. Once heated lightly, it is removed from the grill and cut into smaller pieces. It is then topped with black vegetarian sauce and crushed peanuts.

• Appam Balik

This is a sweet pancake filled with a generous serving of chopped peanuts. Some versions also include corn paste and scrapped coconut fillings, as add-ons.  Appam Baliks  are easy to eat on the go. It is usually sold hot, so be careful not to burn your tongue.

• Fruit Rojak or Rojak Buah

Rojak Buah is an assorted fruit salad mixed with a tasty black sauce. It is also topped with plenty of chopped peanuts and hot sauce.  Shrimp paste is sometimes added to the mixture, so do request for the vegertarian version when ordering. Also, request for less ‘chilli’, if you cannot handle the hot spice. The stall operator thought I could. Hmm.... Nevertheless, Rojak buah is delicious!

• Assorted Deep Fried Rice Flour Snacks

There are several delicious varieties of fried rice flour snacks to choose from.  Rice flour items are freshly fried. I like the sweet ones that have black bean filling.

• Puttu Bamboo

This is a sweet rice-flour mixture steamed in bamboo containers and, once cooked, the puttus are topped with scraped coconut as a garnish. There are usually two flavours sold – original (white) and pandan (green). You could order either or both.  This is a hot seller.

• Vadai and Puttu Mayam

These are popular Indian snacks. This stall operator offers a few varieties. She also provides some chutney (a spicy dip) for the vadai. Puttus and string-hoppers (both steamed rice-flour variations) are also sold here. These are delicious light tea or dinner items.

 

• Banana Fritters/Pisang Goreng

In the picture, the stall operator is showing me her latest offering - pisang goreng topped with cheese. I am old fashioned, I prefer the traditional one. The traditional is the plain ol’ deep fried sweet banana fritters.

• Cut and whole fruits

There are plenty of must-try local and imported fruits at the market.  They are fresh and juicy. 

• Corn on the Cob

This is a classic – grilled or boiled sweet corn. I can’t have them, and that’s just too bad, an allergy reaction.

• Fried Noodles  

Be prepared to wait, here is where you get the best freshly-prepared noodles under the stars (and sun) in the neighbourhood. Vegetarian noodles are prepared on request.

• Biscuits and Nuts

These are convenient pick-me-up tidbit choices. I like the selection of nuts.

• Crispy Pancake

I have always been fascinated with the art of making pancake this crispy and thin.

• Dim Sum/Pau

These buns come in interesting shapes. The stall owner told me the vegetarian-looking ones like the corn and peanut are vegetarian and contain only vegetarian fillings.

• Assorted Drinks

And finally, a drink, something to cool you down on a hot day after all that shopping. 

To finish off, lets have some coffee. Below is an ice-cold Caribbean coffee made using the fresh fruits I had just bought from the market. It is a lemon, orange and pineapple infused filter coffee. You could also replace the coffee with black tea for a variation . Allow the mixture to stand for an hour, at least; the longer it stands, the zestier the flavour. Here is glass of cold Caribbean coffee for you and me.  Very refreshing indeed.

Till we meet again, enjoy your cuppa and have a nice week.  💗💙💚💛💜💗