Holiday Ayo - What do Malaysian people eat? Lots of great food! I like Malaysian food, probably because of the diversity of cuisine throughout the country. With influences from India and China, mixed into traditional Malay dishes, it is not difficult to come up with a list of the top 10 Langkawi must-eat dishes.

In fact, my original list of what to eat in Langkawi had 13 items, but 13 is bad luck, right? So, I narrowed the list down to 5 Langkawi food dishes you must eat in Langkawi.

1. Langkawi Nasi Campur

source: MaiSinggah.com

Nasi Campur is a staple all over Malaysia as well as Indonesia, and we ate a lot of it when living in Bali. Nasi is rice, and campur is mix in Malay. The dish is literally a mix of stuff with rice.

In this case, at Seashell Restaurant Langkawi in Pantai Cendang, it was served on a humongous plate, with chicken, tofu, vegetable soup, and more. It was easily the largest nasi campur I have ever experienced!

2. Laksa

source: Migrationology

Laksa comes in many different varieties, whether you eat it in peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, or Langkawi. In Singapore, it is common to find this fish or shrimp-based curry soup with spaghetti style noodles.

The Langkawi variety offers a thick, fresh noodle, that was clearly made by hand. The broth was spicy and pungent, with a hard-boiled egg nestled on the top.

The best places to go in Langkawi for laksa might be a little surprising. When arriving on the island, you don’t need to look far on the Langkawi map.

The place to eat Laksa is the road opposite the Langkawi airport. Grab a plastic table with a view of the water on one side and the planes landing on the other. Who needs to eat at the fancy Langkawi resorts, when you can eat like the locals do.

3. Sate

source: Klook

This is definitely a Langkawi “famous food” – sate! We were told it is nearly impossible to run a successful sate restaurant in Langkawi Malaysia because people don’t need to go to a restaurant for sate.

Sate is everywhere! Yes, you will find it on restaurant menus, but the best is in the local market because it’s a typical street food in Langkawi.

Or, even better, the sate comes to you, with roving sate stalls that offer grilled chicken or beef on a stick, with peanut sauce and pressed rice. It’s the perfect Langkawi street food.

4. Ice Kacang

source: Kuala Lumpur City

Ice Kacang, or “ABC Special,” is a shaved ice dessert, loaded with sweet fruit syrups, and bright colored jellies. To go hardcore local, expect the ice kacang to have peanuts, kernels of corn, and often times kidney beans, nestled among the sweet flavored ice.

The best place to find ice kacang is on the road across from the airport. A perfect evening can include laksa and ice kacang while watching the sunset along the water.

Could it be that one of the best places to visit in Langkawi for food is the road outside of the airport? This is an evening meal that can cost less than $3 a person! Now that’s some Langkawi local food.

5. Durian Langkawi

source: South China Morning Post

Okay, so I am not a fan of durian, the prickly green king of fruits, that when cut open reveals the smelliest fruit on the planet. On a visit to the 3D Art Museum in Langkawi, the manager offered us durian in a new way, frozen deep-fried durian.