Kuala Lumpur Night Market Food Tour | American Tries Otak-Otak at Kepong Pasar Malam

Back in Malaysia, Shum and his mom took me to a pasar malam, a local night market, in Kepong. It’s a lot less touristy than most places I go, which is exactly why I loved it: mostly locals doing their evening shopping, and prices that are just fun.

What you’ll find. Belts, wallets, watches and herbal teas, then fresh fruit, chicken, vegetables, breads and snacks. There’s no single “the” night market; Shum explained they’re scattered all over the country, depending on which housing area hosts one, and this is one of the larger ones.

A vegetable lesson. Jolyn gave me a full education at the produce stalls: lemongrass, bok choy, snake beans (like a French bean, but much longer), pumpkin leaves cooked in a coconut soup, wild fern shoots, pandan leaves used in desserts the way vanilla is in Western baking, water spinach with its crunchy hollow stem, and bitter gourd, which you rub with salt before cooking. Honestly, she’s a better guide than Shum. We’ll have to bring her on another trip. At one stall we got three bunches of greens for a dollar.

Boiled peanuts. The Southerner in me can’t pass up boiled peanuts. These are just steamed, and they still taste a little salty. I tried them in Melaka too.

Otak-otak. This was the highlight: a spicy mix of fish and prawns with egg, garlic, onion and lime leaves, wrapped in a palm leaf, stapled shut and grilled until it sets like an omelet. The spice comes back after you swallow. Really good. I also had a giant cut-up spring roll filled with stewed jicama, cucumber and crunchy bits of fried batter, and a fruit Shum’s family shared that tasted like a mix of pineapple and something tropical.

Stinky tofu. Shum’s favorite. I passed. I’m not a tofu guy to begin with, so stinky tofu wasn’t going to change my mind. You can give me a hard time in the comments.

When to go: we went early on a weekday evening, a Thursday around 6 p.m. if I remember right. My advice is to enjoy it like a local. I didn’t see any other tourists there, and that’s the whole point.

A big thank-you to Shum and his mom for inviting me, and to Jolyn for all the extra context. If you want to see how locals shop and eat in KL, skip the tourist markets one evening and find a pasar malam.