5 Best Local Dishes from Malacca

Chicken rice balls are similar to typical Hainanese chicken rice, except that the rice comes in golf ball-sized shapes. It's often enjoyed for breakfast and lunch in Malacca. 

Malacca’s coconut shake is made with everything coconut – coconut water and flesh gets blended with ice, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. You can find several stalls selling this thirst quencher, but the best one is in Klebang. The queue for this delicious drink can get very long, but it’s definitely worth the wait.

Satay celup is a Malaccan specialty that's basically a fondue-like dish comprised of skewered pieces of meat and vegetables. You dip the skewers into a communal pot (built into a round table) of boiling hot and spicy peanut sauce. This helps cook the pieces of raw meat, tofu, prawns and vegetables. 

Peranakan dishes are certainly a must-try when you’re in Malacca. The city is the birthplace of the Peranakan culture. Unique dishes such as sek bak (braised pork) and ikan goreng cili garam (deep-fried fish with spicy chili paste) are known to be spicy and flavoursome. Due to the intense flavors, it's best to pair the dishes with a plate of white rice.

Durian cendol is a quintessential Malaccan dessert. It consists of the pungent fruit with cendol, a type of green worm-like jelly made of rice flour in a bowl of shaved ice. Even if you’re not a fan of durian, definitely give it a go, especially on a warm day in Malacca.