Ramadan bazaar calorie guide: murtabak, ayam percik, kuih and drinks

Bazaar portions are generous, and many items are fried or cooked with coconut milk. The numbers below come from the Ministry of Health Malaysia calorie list, with the serving size it uses.

Some bazaar favourites also have their own dish pages, with ranges and common versions:

Dish	Calories	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Satay10 chicken sticks with peanut sauce	560 kcal	42 g	22 g	34 g
Ayam geprek1 plate: 1 piece of fried chicken with sambal and 1 portion of rice	700 kcal	33 g	70 g	32 g
Chicken biryani1 plate with 2 pieces of chicken	600 kcal	28 g	70 g	22 g
Cendol1 hawker bowl	320 kcal	4 g	46 g	13 g

Bazaar drinks come in big bags and cups, and many are sweet. A drink can add as much as a kuih or two.

Most people shop at the bazaar in the late afternoon, after a full day of fasting. Everything looks good when you are hungry, so it is easy to buy for three people and eat for two.

Dietitians at Singapore General Hospital advise that the meal to break the fast should be a balanced meal, not a feast. They note that eating too much at iftar, especially high-fat food, may cause indigestion and weight gain. They also note that rich, fried and sugary food can make the next day's fast harder.

None of this means you should skip the bazaar. It is part of the month. A little planning lets you enjoy it every day.

1. Decide what you want before you go. One favourite fried item is enough for one person.
2. Break your fast with a few dates and a glass of water. Five dates (60 g) have about 160 kcal in the MOH list.
3. Build the main meal on the Malaysian Healthy Plate: half vegetables and fruit, a quarter protein and a quarter rice or other carbs.
4. Choose grilled food, such as satay or ayam percik, over deep-fried food more often. Watch the size: a big piece of ayam percik is about 440 kcal.
5. Share the big items. A murtabak cut into pieces feeds the whole table.
6. Drink plain water with the meal, and treat sweet drinks as a dessert.
7. Eat slowly. The SGH dietitians suggest enjoying each mouthful.

The SGH dietitians advise against skipping sahur. Without it, the fast is longer, you are more likely to feel tired and dehydrated, and you are more likely to overeat at iftar.

• Choose foods with fibre, such as wholegrain bread, oats, fruit and vegetables. Fibre keeps you full for longer.
• Add protein, such as eggs, tofu, chicken or fish.
• Limit salt at sahur, because salt makes you thirsty.
• Drink at least 8 glasses of fluids between sundown and dawn. Water is the best choice.
• Cut down on coffee, tea and cola, because caffeine increases fluid loss.

Ramadan 2027 is expected to start on Monday 8 February 2027 in Malaysia. Malaysia's 2027 public holiday list from the Prime Minister's Department shows Awal Ramadan on that date and marks it as subject to change. The final date depends on the sighting of the new moon.

The same list puts Hari Raya Puasa on 10 and 11 March 2027, also subject to change. Singapore's Ministry of Manpower lists Hari Raya Puasa on Wednesday 10 March 2027. In 2027, the start of Ramadan falls in the same week as Chinese New Year on 6 February. See our guides to Hari Raya food and CNY snacks.

Take a photo of your spread before you eat. Nibbs recognises Malaysian dishes and splits a mixed plate into each item, so the murtabak, the satay and the rice are counted on their own. Check each portion and edit it before you save.

If you share, type your part, for example "2 pieces of murtabak daging and 5 sticks of satay". Log your water between iftar and sahur, and save your usual sahur as a saved food so you can log it again with one tap.