10 Uniquely Kelantan Dishes To Digest
In a recent interview with Fienuts of Travel Chameleon, I was asked about the best place to find awesome street food in Malaysia. Penang was the (obvious) pick but I also slipped in Kelantan as another destination worth looking into.
While Penang’s food is conceived from legendary back lane pushcarts complete with fiery woks and sweaty cooks, Kelantanese dishes attain prominence through wholesome home-cooked meals fit for a large family.
Over the course of three days, I went on a massive food hunt of Kelantan’s finest foods centered around the state capital Kota Bharu and stretched all the way to the towns of Pasir Mas and Rantau Panjang. Here are 10 uniquely Kelantan dishes for you to digest.
1. Fish Head Soup with Iced Honey Tea – Warung Pak Mat Pulau Pisang
Kelantanese cuisine has a reputation for being too sweet but the Fish Head Soup at Warung Pak Mat’s is anything but. The fresh and juicy barramundi is bathed together with pieces of Gearbox (colloquial slang for cattle bones and marrow) in a rich and hearty broth made spicy with some chili. Then, wash that all off with a tall glass of their famous Iced Honey Tea stirred to fine frothiness.
Warung Pak Mat Pulau Pisang
7:30 am – 4:30 am, Daily except Tuesday
Medan Ikan Bakar Kedai Buloh, Jalan Kuala Besar, Kota Bharu
Tel: +60139198131
2. Coconut Ice-Cream – Restoran Sapuroh
The evening east coast heat can be unrelenting at times and the best way to cool down is to gulp down the refreshing coconut water. Restoran Sapuroh has taken this it up a notch and introduced their version of the Coconut Ice-Cream: the three scoops of ice-cream jive well with the pandan glutinous rice and the peanuts gives a nice crunch to the dessert. Don’t forget to finish all the coconut flesh after you’re done!
Restoran Sapuroh
12:00 pm – 12:00 am, Daily
Jalan Bayam (in front of Wisma Persekutuan), Kota Bharu
3. Nasi Kerabu with Ayam Percik & Daging Bakar – Yati Ayam Percik
I know, I know. Nasi Kerabu is already common among city folks but I can’t say the same for its accompanying meats. Yati’s famous Ayam Percik is chicken slathered in the percik sauce consisting of lemongrass, coconut milk and tamarind before being chargrilled on a skewer and served with a healthy pouring of the same sauce. You can also opt for Daging Bakar, sinewy pieces of beef also grilled and chopped into little cubes of joy.
Yati Ayam Percik
12:00 pm – 11:30 pm, Daily
No 847, Jalan Long Yunus, Kota Bharu
Tel: +6097479867
Read Also: Resort Review | Pasir Belanda, Kelantan
4. Nasi Tumpang – Kopitiam Kita
Like a simplified version of Indonesia’s Nasi Tumpeng, Nasi Tumpang is a conically-shaped breakfast snack that brings a sense of bewilderment upon unwrapping it for the first time. The rice, called nasi himpit, is a dense version of the glutinous rice and its packed together with fish stew and beef floss. It’s not the tastiest morning meal in the world but it does give you all the energy and protein you need for a long and hard day at work.
Kopitiam Kita
7:00 am – 1:30 pm, Daily
4357-A, Taman Desa Jaya, Jalan Pengkalan Chepa, Kota Bharu
Tel: +60199810888
5. Roti Titab – Kopitiam Kita
This is Kota Bharu’s iconic breakfast set that does not contain a single grain of rice. Kopitiam Kita’s signature Roti Titab is the perfect marriage between sweet and silky – the kaya, a coconut and pandan jam, mixes well with a half-boiled egg on top of slab of thick toast. Malaysians tend to order one or the other but the perfect chemistry of these two contrasting ingredients bodes a long and lasting relationship for this coffee shop delight.
Kopitiam Kita
7:00 am – 1:30 pm, Daily
4357-A, Taman Desa Jaya, Jalan Pengkalan Chepa, Kota Bharu
Tel: +60199810888
6. Baba Ice-Cream – Rantau Panjang
Rantau Panjang is a border town right by Thailand’s Sungai Golok so it’s no surprise that some of its desserts would end up on the Malaysian side of the border. One of them is Baba Ice-Cream and it truly is a behemoth. A large one consists of 10 scoops of pandan and coconut ice-cream covered in a full array of condiments such as sticky rice, corn, red jelly, cincau, bread, green jelly, chocolate sauce, peanuts and rainbow sprinkles. Now, that’s a mouthful!
Aiskrim Baba
10:00 am – 6:00 pm, Daily
In front of Mydin Wholesale Emporium, Rantau Panjang
7. Gulai Serati – Kedai Makan Kak Za
This is my personal favorite – Gulai Serati is basically duck stew eaten with rice, slices of cucumbers and a dash of sambal. The sweet and thick stew complements the strong taste and texture of the duck meat, bringing out the best in each other. The rich stew can be overpowering to some people so wisely utilize the spicy sambal and crunchy cucumbers as a palate cleanser.
Kedai Makan Kak Za
7:00 am – 4:00 pm, Daily except Saturdays
Kampung Tendong, Jalan Pasir Mas – Wakaf Bharu, Pasir Mas
Tel: +60179558022
Read Also: 5 Fabulous Hometown Foods In Taiping, Perak
8. Laksam – Restoran By-T Laksam
Laksa is one of Malaysia’s most widely interpreted dish and Kelantan’s version, called Laksam, is one of the most intriguing yet. Like Penang’s Assam Laksa, Laksam uses a fish-based broth but instead of adding lime and tamarind, coconut milk is used. Thick rice flour noodles is added to the creamy concoction followed by a medley of toppings – Kerabu (jungle herbs), Serunding (beef floss), quail eggs and customary sambal.
Restoran By-T Laksam
3:00 pm – 10:30 pm, Daily except Saturdays
Lot 1335 Kampung Panji, Jalan Raja Perempuan Zainab II, Kota Bharu
9. Nasi Kak Wok – Nasi Kak Wook Original Recipe
The mixed rice that’s been making waves in Kuala Lumpur – Nasi Kak Wok’s simplicity overshadows its complexity in flavor. The chicken is chopped into pieces and fried in a secret seasoning while the aromatic chicken stew has all the spices you need. The reason many imitators tried and failed to replicate the original is they could never figure out the right amount of spices and seasonings used to make this classic.
Nasi Kak Wook Original Recipe
8:00 am – 3:00 pm, Daily except Saturdays
299, Jalan Tengku Mohd Maasum (behind SK Zainab I), Kota Bharu
Tel: +60148053110
10. Kuih-Muih – Pasar Siti Khadijah
Kota Bharu’s central market is bee-hive of activities and its interior facade is as colorful as their kuih-muih, or sweet treats. They range from sprightly round ones like Lompang to the oddly-named Tahi Itik (duck poop?). I didn’t have enough time to ask about the ingredients and method of making them from the seller but it’s great to learn that so much local food is still out there yet to be explored by us.
Pasar Siti Khadijah
7:00 am – 6:00 pm, Daily
Jalan Buluh Kubu, Kota Bharu
Did my 3-day Kelantan food adventure really encapsulate real Kelantanese cuisine? Is there any other places that you would like to recommend me to try? Fire away in the comments section below.
Loved your post…. It was as though I visited KB once again… Yati Ayam Percik is always one of my favorites…
Thanks for dropping by!
Kalau ditanya makanan internasional apa yang disuka, Malaysian dishes are one of them. I love peranakan food! That Gulai Kerati is so tempting 😀
Anyway, the Fish Head Soup is… 84.5 RM? *brb check my wallet*
Terima kasih! Memang susah mau dapat gulai bebek yang enak di negeri lain, cuma di Kelantan aja yang elok. Kepala ikan kakap fresh & cukup besar untuk 3-4 orang!
I see. Okay then, bagi 4 orang makan sup kepala kakap 😀
Nasi Kak Wok nampaknya sedap, macam Nasi Padang ehehehe 🙂 A little I know about Kelantan (Do you call it Klaten?) I heard Klaten from Manohara case and Masidayu in DÁcademy Asia on tv ehehehe.. Saye pernah tinggal kat Riau Islands, so saye boleh cakap Melayu siket 🙂
Nasi Kak Wok gulainya lebih gurih dan ayam goreng dipotong kecil-kecilan tapi saya lebih gemar Ayam Pop!
ayam pop mengandungi banyak minyak ehehehe