Kuih – Malaysian Bite-Sized Snack Or Dessert Foods

The name Kue/Kueh/Kuih is widely used in Malaysia to refer to sweet or savory desserts. Kuih is a broad term which may include items that would be called cakes, cookies, dumplings, pudding, biscuit, or pastries in English and are usually made from rice or glutinous rice. Kuih are usually steamed than baked, and can be very different in texture, flavor and appearance from Western cakes or puff pastries. Many kuih are sweet, but some are savory.

Lee Xin Li from Singapore has documented most of the popular kuih common in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia in the images below. These images can be used as a guide in identifying kuih that are commonly sold in Malaysia’s shops, stalls or markets.