Johor Bahru Food Trip: The Night (Market) Crawler Goes to KSL Pasar Malam
At KSL Pasar Malam, Johor Bahru, Malaysia
Editor’s Note: This post is originally titled “Johor Bahru Food Trip: The Street Food of KSL Pasar Malam”.
I never would’ve thought that Johor Bahru (JB), Malaysia is an amazing foodie destination. I’m impressed by dishes like IT Roo Cafe’s Hainanese Chicken Chop, Restoran Kam Long’s Fish Head Curry, and W.W. Laksa House’s Laksa, among many others. So if you’re visiting JB, make sure that you also do a food trip! (To help you plan, I have listed down the dishes that are worth trying. Check it here.)
I happen to arrive in JB on a Monday and I’m glad that there is a Monday pasar malam (night market) outside KSL City Mall. So I didn’t waste the opportunity and went there.
The KSL Pasar Malam, according to my research, starts at 5PM and ends at 8PM, which I think is early. But my Grab driver said (or more accurately, hinted) that it goes beyond 8PM. While the night market offers different kinds of merchandise, I was mainly there for, of course, food!
It’s kind of challenging to know what to eat. I did some prior research but articles wasn’t able to point me to the right hawkers. There’s no need to worry, though. To find the right food stalls, I just employed an old and reliable strategy--look for the long lines!
But even this is a struggle. Most of the time, there were no lines. So I had to change my game plan: Walk around and if I see a stall with 2 or more customers, I join in. And it worked!
Anyway, here are the food that I tried (in the order that I bought/ate it) at the night market:
Peanut Mochi
This wasn’t hard to find because there was a long line. I was like, “What’s with this Peanut Mochi?” So I jumped in the bandwagon to find out.
I quickly learned why the craze about it. The mochi is covered with crushed peanuts and is sticky. But the best part is that it’s melt-in-my-mouth soft. There’s no chewiness or resistance to it. Amazing!
Peanut Mochi (RM5)
This is my first stall. To resist the temptation of getting another order and get unnecessarily full, I had to stay away far from the hawker and move on to the next food.
Satay
Satay are grilled skewered meats usually partnered with a peanut sauce for dipping. The meats are commonly chicken and mutton (since Malay states are largely Muslim). But in some places, pork is also being served.
I’m glad that there’s a hawker selling satay. I got ayam (chicken) and kambing (goat), and paired it with rice cakes, which is also a usual partner of satay. The sticks were put in a plastic bag together with the rice cakes and some chopped cucumber. Then it was drenched in a wonderful peanut sauce. The ayam was dry but the kambing, fresh from the grill, is fatty and perfectly charred. Then there’s a nice play of textures, with the tenderness coming from the kambing, softness from the rice cakes, crunch from the cucumbers, and nuttiness from the sauce.
Satay (RM0.80/stick) with Rice Cakes (RM1)
This satay is my favorite food in the KSL Pasar Malam.
Nasi Lemak and Ayam Goreng
Nasi Lemak is considered the national dish of Malaysia. It’s a rice dish served with cucumber, egg, fried ikan bilis (anchovies), peanuts, sambal (chili sauce), and of course the rice which is cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaves. It is often paired with an ayam goreng (fried chicken). For me, nasi lemak is really about the mixture of different flavors and textures.
Nasi Lemak with Fried Chicken (RM6.5)
There’s nothing spectacular about the nasi lemak and fried chicken. But if you want to sample Malaysia’s national dish, there are a few sellers offering this dish. (I can’t wait to visit Kuala Lumpur. I learned that the best nasi lemak restaurants are found there.)
Carrot Cake
Carrot Cake is another street/hawker food that’s common in Malaysia (and also Singapore). But this is not the sweet dessert that’s covered with cream cheese. Also, it’s not made with carrots! Rather, this is a sweet and savory dish made up of daikon/radish (referred to as “white carrot”) cakes that are cubed and fried with garlic, eggs, and sometimes beansprouts.
Carrot Cake (RM5)
Again, nothing spectacular with the carrot cake here (and too bad I didn’t get the one with beansprouts so I’m missing the crunch). Nevertheless, it’s a comfort food to me.
Soya Milk
This is the perfect way to wash down all the food! It’s refreshing and rightly sweet. It’s like I’m drinking taho, a popular silky tofu drink/snack in the Philippines served with small tapioca balls and caramelized sugar. And I love taho so I love soya milk, too!
Soya Milk (RM2)
I wished I have known all the must-try food in the KSL Pasar Malam beforehand. Although the food in night market isn’t that spectacular, it was still a pleasant experience. So if you happen to be in Johor Bahru on a Monday, do drop by and try its street food.
And in case you missed it, you can read about my Johor Bahru Food Trip here.