✨ Newbreakfast
Roti Canai
Flaky, layered Malaysian flatbread tossed until tissue-thin and cooked on a griddle until golden and crispy — the essential Malaysian breakfast with dhal curry.
⏱ 140 min🔥 560 kcalHard
★4.9(5,432)
🇲🇾
Malaysian Lentils Recipes
6 recipes using lentils — Laksa, nasi lemak, char kway teow — a vibrant fusion of Malay, Chinese and Indian flavours.
These 6 malaysian lentils recipes are ready in about 87 minutes on average, with 320–680 kcal per serving, and 17% are rated easy enough for a weeknight. Every recipe includes exact ingredient quantities, step-by-step instructions and full nutrition per serving.
6
recipes
87 min
average time
501 kcal
avg per serving
17%
easy recipes
How Malaysian cuisine cooks with lentils
Malaysian cuisine — Laksa, nasi lemak, char kway teow — a vibrant fusion of Malay, Chinese and Indian flavours — brings its own distinctive techniques and seasonings to every ingredient it touches. When Malaysian cooks work with lentils, they reach for its own regional aromatics, fats and signature spice blends, and the techniques that come up most across these recipes are simmering, frying, boiling and stir-frying.
Quick-cooking pulses that bring earthy heartiness and plant protein to soups, dals, stews and salads. In this collection it's most often cooked with garlic, onion, egg, coconut milk, turmeric and plain flour. The dishes here span malaysian classics ready in as little as 50 minutes to slower, more involved cooking that rewards a relaxed afternoon.
Reader favourite: Roti Canai is the highest-rated dish in this collection at 4.9★ from 5,432 ratings.
6 Malaysian Lentils Recipes
dinner
Malaysian Banana Leaf Rice
South Indian-Malaysian feast served on a banana leaf with rice, rasam, curries, and crispy papadum.
⏱ 150 min🔥 680 kcalHard
★4.8(234)
breakfast
Roti Canai with Dhal Curry
Malaysia's beloved flaky flatbread — stretched and folded until paper-thin, then pan-fried in ghee and served with golden lentil dhal.
⏱ 50 min🔥 490 kcalMedium
★4.8(1,234)
✨ Newbreakfast
Roti Canai with Dhal (Malaysian Flaky Flatbread Breakfast)
Flaky, laminated flatbread served with a mild lentil curry, a beloved Malaysian-Indian breakfast found at mamak stalls nationwide.
⏱ 80 min🔥 420 kcalMedium
★4.6(34)
✨ Newdinner
Malaysian Dhal Curry with Saffron and Fresh Herbs
A fragrant Malaysian-Indian lentil curry brightened with a touch of saffron and fresh herbs.
⏱ 51 min🔥 535 kcalHard
★4.5(47)
✨ Newdinner
Malaysian Dhal Curry with Mint Yogurt
A golden, coconut-enriched lentil dhal spiced with curry leaves and mustard seeds, cooled with mint yogurt.
⏱ 50 min🔥 320 kcalEasy
★4.5(40)
Choosing & preparing lentils
How to choose
Choose by type: red/yellow lentils break down into creamy dals and soups; green and Puy lentils hold their shape for salads and sides. Look for whole, unbroken, uniform pulses.
Prep & storage
No soaking needed — just rinse and pick out any stones. Add salt and acid towards the end, since early acidity can keep them firm; aromatics in the cooking water build flavour from the start.
Nutrition
An excellent source of plant protein, fibre, iron and folate, with a low glycaemic impact that keeps you full.
Classic flavour partners: cumin, garlic, onion, ginger, tomatoes, spinach
Malaysian Lentils Recipes — FAQ
How long do Malaysian lentils recipes take to make?
Most of these 6 Malaysian lentils recipes are ready in around 87 minutes from start to finish. The quickest, Roti Canai with Dhal Curry, takes about 50 minutes, while the slower-cooked dishes run up to 150 minutes.
How many calories are in Malaysian lentils dishes?
Across this collection they range from about 320 to 680 kcal per serving, averaging 501 kcal — Malaysian Dhal Curry with Mint Yogurt is the lightest option at 320 kcal.
What is the easiest Malaysian lentils recipe for beginners?
Malaysian Dhal Curry with Mint Yogurt is a great place to start — it's rated easy and comes together in about 50 minutes. 17% of the recipes here are beginner-friendly.
What goes well with lentils in Malaysian cooking?
In these recipes, lentils is most often paired with garlic, onion, egg, coconut milk, turmeric and plain flour. Malaysian kitchens also lean on its own regional aromatics, fats and signature spice blends.
More Malaysian Recipes by Ingredient
Lentils Recipes from Other Cuisines
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