Not Lemang: 5 Dishes You Might Mistake for Something Else 🍚🤔

In Malaysia, food can play tricks on your eyes. What you think is one thing might turn out to be something completely different once you take a bite. This happens a lot with lemang, that famous glutinous rice cooked in bamboo. But lemang is not the only rice dish wrapped in leaves or bamboo. If you are not careful, you might order something entirely different.

Here are five dishes that often get mistaken for something else, especially lemang.

1. Nasi Bamboo – Not Lemang, But Just as Tasty

At first glance, nasi bamboo looks just like lemang. It is also rice cooked in bamboo, but the taste and purpose are quite different. Nasi bamboo is usually steamed with herbs, sometimes with a bit of coconut milk, and served with rich gravies and side dishes. You will find it at places like Nasi Bamboo Sungai Klah, often served hot and fresh. Unlike lemang, it is not tied to festive seasons and is eaten more like a complete meal.

2. Pulut Panggang – Wrapped in Leaf, Filled with Heat

Pulut panggang also has glutinous rice and is wrapped in banana leaves, but that is where the similarity ends. Inside is a spicy filling made with dried shrimp and grated coconut. It is grilled to give it a smoky flavour. You will often find it at roadside stalls or night markets. Unlike lemang, it is small, savoury and packed with spice.

3. Tapai – Sticky Rice with a Fermented Twist

Tapai may look like a sweet treat at first, especially when served in banana leaves or small plastic cups. But this glutinous rice has been fermented, giving it a slightly sour and alcoholic flavour. Some people love it, especially chilled. Others are caught off guard by its strong taste. If you are expecting something like lemang, you might be surprised.

4. Ketupat Palas – The Leafy Triangle That Tricks You

Ketupat palas is another traditional rice dish that gets mistaken for lemang. It is made from glutinous rice cooked with coconut milk, then wrapped in palm leaves into a neat triangle. While both are festive foods, ketupat palas is boiled, not smoked or grilled like lemang. You often find it served with rendang or serunding during Hari Raya.

5. Nasi Tumpang – From the Outside, It Looks Familiar

This Kelantanese specialty is tall and cone-shaped, wrapped in banana leaf and stacked with layers of rice, curry and serunding. From the outside, it might pass off as a fancy lemang. But cut into it and you will find something quite different. Nasi tumpang is a complete meal on its own, often eaten on the go by fishermen and farmers back in the day.

At Malaysian Link, we love sharing little surprises like this with expats. Whether it is a roti canai you did not expect to be sweet or a lemang lookalike that turned out to be tapai, we guide you through all the fun and confusion of Malaysian food. Our local tours and food walks introduce you to the real stories behind these dishes, and even how to tell them apart before you order.

Malaysia is full of flavours, and part of the fun is figuring them out. If you ever feel unsure, we are always here to help you eat like a local with confidence. especially lemang.

Photo of Nasi Bamboo: Hapiz Rosli