Hari Raya food calories: rendang, ketupat and kuih raya

Most Raya plates start with a compressed rice, such as ketupat, lemang or lontong, and add a rich meat dish and a sauce. The rice part is easy to underestimate because it comes in small cubes.

Calorie lists do not always agree on ketupat. The KOSPEN list gives about 220 kcal for 5 pieces (200 g). The MOH Nutrition Division list gives about 320 kcal for 100 g. Treat ketupat as a rice serving and count the pieces you eat.

These dishes also have their own pages on our site, with ranges and common versions:

Dish	Calories	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Rendang1 piece of beef rendang with its spice paste, without rice	200 kcal	22 g	8 g	9 g
Satay10 chicken sticks with peanut sauce	560 kcal	42 g	22 g	34 g
Nasi lemak1 plate with egg, sambal, ikan bilis and peanuts	500 kcal	15 g	62 g	21 g

Kuih raya are bite-sized, so one piece rarely matters. The jar is the problem. It sits on the table at every house, and it is easy to eat ten pieces while you talk.

Ten pineapple tarts come to about 250 kcal, close to a plain roti canai at 300 kcal. Ten pieces of kuih makmur come to about 550 kcal, more than a plate of nasi lemak at 500 kcal.

Hari Raya food is not the issue on its own. One plate of ketupat and rendang is a normal meal. The challenge is repetition.

• Many visits in one day. Each open house offers a full plate. Three visits can mean three lunches.
• Cookies between meals. A few kuih at every house adds up without feeling like a meal.
• Sweet drinks. A glass of sirap bandung (250 ml) has about 130 kcal in the MOH list. Two or three glasses a day add a small meal in sugar.
• Rich sauces. Kuah kacang adds about 130 kcal per half cup, and rendang is cooked with coconut milk.

Satay is a good example. Ten chicken sticks with peanut sauce on our satay page come to about 560 kcal. Five sticks shared with family is half of that.

You can eat what you love and still stay close to your usual intake. A few habits help.

1. Plan your visits. If you have three houses in one day, take a small plate at each one.
2. Pick one rice per plate: ketupat, lemang, lontong or nasi minyak, not all of them.
3. Fill more of the plate with the meat and vegetables, and less with rice cubes.
4. Spoon kuah kacang or kuah lodeh over the food instead of drowning it.
5. Choose plain water or tea without sugar at most houses, and enjoy a sweet drink at one.
6. Put two or three kuih raya on a small plate instead of eating from the jar.
7. Keep moving. Walking between nearby houses or playing with the kids adds activity to a long day of sitting.

If you track your weight, look at the trend over a week or two, not the morning after an open house.

Malaysia's 2027 public holiday list from the Prime Minister's Department puts Hari Raya Puasa on Wednesday 10 March and Thursday 11 March 2027. The list marks both dates as subject to change. In Singapore, the Ministry of Manpower lists Hari Raya Puasa on Wednesday 10 March 2027.

The exact date depends on the sighting of the new moon at the end of Ramadan. Malaysia's list shows the start of Ramadan (Awal Ramadan) on Monday 8 February 2027, also subject to change. Our Ramadan bazaar guide covers the fasting month.

Take a photo of your plate at each house. Nibbs recognises Malaysian dishes and splits a mixed plate into each item, so the ketupat, the rendang and the sauce are counted on their own. Check each portion and edit it before you save.

For kuih raya, type what you ate, for example "3 pineapple tarts and 2 kuih makmur". If you have the same cookies at several houses, save them as a saved food and log them again with one tap.

Streaks and reminders help you keep logging on busy days. If you and your friends track together, you can share meals in a group.