Malaysian breakfast calories: nasi lemak, roti canai, kaya toast and more

Malaysia has many breakfast traditions: nasi lemak at the Malay stall, roti canai and dosa at the mamak, kaya toast at the kopitiam, and noodles or dim sum at the Chinese coffee shop. The table shows one common serving of each.

Dish	Calories	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Idli sambar2 idli with 1 bowl of sambar	250 kcal	10 g	43 g	5 g
Roti canai1 piece, plain (kosong), without curry	300 kcal	6 g	42 g	12 g
Masala dosa1 dosa with potato filling	350 kcal	8 g	50 g	13 g
Kaya toast1 set: 1 portion of kaya butter toast and 2 soft-boiled eggs, no drink	510 kcal	18 g	41 g	30 g
Wantan mee1 plate, dry style with char siu and wantan	420 kcal	20 g	56 g	13 g
Nasi lemak1 plate with egg, sambal, ikan bilis and peanuts	500 kcal	15 g	62 g	21 g
Curry laksa1 bowl	550 kcal	22 g	52 g	28 g

Dim sum is a breakfast favourite too. A basket of siu mai (4 pieces) is about 210 kcal, and one egg tart is about 200 kcal.

Here are more breakfast dishes from the Ministry of Health Malaysia calorie list.

The lightest choices are steamed, boiled or served in a clear soup.

• Idli with sambar. Two idli with sambar are about 250 kcal. Idli are steamed, so they have almost no fat.
• Bubur ayam. A 500 g bowl of chicken porridge is about 180 kcal in the MOH list.
• One roti canai with dhal. A plain roti canai is about 300 kcal. Half a cup of dhal adds about 50 kcal in the MOH list.
• Wonton noodle soup. A small bowl of wonton noodle soup in clear broth is about 360 kcal.

Calories are not the only thing to compare. A plate of nasi lemak has about 15 g of protein, while a plain roti canai has about 6 g. If you want more protein in the morning, add an egg. In the MOH list, a half-boiled egg (50 g) is 80 kcal.

The morning kopi or teh is easy to forget, and many people have two. Condensed milk and sugar add up fast.

Two kopi a morning with condensed milk come to about 300 kcal. Switching both to kopi O kosong saves almost all of it, because black coffee without sugar counts as 0 kcal in the KOSPEN calorie bank. Our kopitiam drinks guide explains kosong, kurang manis, siew dai and the other order words.

Breakfast gets heavy through add-ons more than through the main dish.

• Fried chicken with nasi lemak. In the MOH list, a fried chicken breast piece (127 g) is about 310 kcal on top of the plate.
• A second piece of roti. Two plain roti canai are about 600 kcal before any curry.
• Coconut milk soups. Curry laksa is about 550 kcal, mostly because of the santan in the soup.
• Kuih on the side. In the MOH list, one karipap (40 g) is about 130 kcal, a piece of kuih lapis (87 g) is about 130 kcal and a piece of kuih seri muka (99 g) is about 190 kcal.
• The sweet drink. A Milo ais adds about 230 kcal.

1. Ask for nasi sikit (less rice) with your nasi lemak, and choose a boiled egg over a fried one.
2. Have one roti, not two, and pick dhal over a mixed curry.
3. Choose noodles in clear soup over noodles in coconut milk soup.
4. Order your drink kosong (no sugar) or kurang manis (less sweet).
5. Leave the kuih for a day when the rest of breakfast is light.

Your daily calorie needs depend on your size, age and activity. Our guide to TDEE explains how to work out your number, and Nibbs does the maths for you when you set up your plan.

Once you know your target, look at breakfast as one share of it. For example, a nasi lemak with a teh tarik is about 630 kcal. Two idli with sambar and a kopi O kosong come to about 250 kcal. Neither is wrong. The lighter one leaves more room for lunch and dinner.

Take a photo of your breakfast before you start. Nibbs recognises Malaysian dishes such as nasi lemak, roti canai and kaya toast, and it splits a plate into each item, so the rice, the egg and the sambal are counted on their own.

You can also type it, for example "nasi lemak with boiled egg, kopi O kosong". Check each item and portion, edit anything that looks wrong, and save. If you have the same breakfast most days, save it as a saved food and log it again with one tap.

For more dishes, see our dish calorie pages or the mamak food guide.