15 Negeri Sembilan Dishes You Should Try Before You Die

From spicy Minangkabau-style dishes to flavourful meats, it's no wonder people make frequent road trips to Negeri Sembilan just to, well, eat!

Cover image via Instagram @sweetieyee / Instagram @bloggerkacak

1. Seremban siew pow

Seremban siew pow is available in many places across Malaysia, but nothing beats those from where it originated. A crispy baked pastry bun with meat filling (pork, chicken, curry chicken, or vegetable), it's best eaten piping hot while the pastry is still crunchy, light, and flaky.

Where: Empayar Seremban Siew Paw, Warong Seremban Siew Pao, Kedai Siew Pau Asia, and Kee Mei Siew Pow.

Image via

2. Beef noodles

Seremban beef noodles come in dry and soup versions, with the noodles are homemade daily with no preservatives. The dry version consists of noodles topped with slices of beef tendon, tripe, lean meat, as well as a thick, spicy gravy made by braising beef for hours and topped with peanuts, salted vegetables, and sesame seeds. It also comes with a small bowl of soup made from beef and preserved salted vegetables.

Where: Stall No. 748 @ Pasar Besar Seremban, King's Beef Noodles, and Quinn Seremban Beef Noodles.

3. Meehoon sotong

Also a specialty food in Seremban, meehoon sotong consists of rice vermicelli (beehoon) swimming in an abalone-flavoured broth, topped with pieces of fresh cuttlefish, slices of braised pork, and stalks of mustard greens (sawi).

Where: Stall 787 and Stall 753 (Hioong Kee) @ Pasar Besar Seremban.

4. Hakka mee

Said to have originated from Seremban, Hakka mee is a simple noodle dish where flat yellow noodles are tossed in light pork gravy and then topped with minced pork and spring onions.

Where: Tow Kee Hakka Noodles @ Pasar Besar Seremban.

5. Yi poh mee

Yi poh mee is made of thick noodles greased in lard and then tossed in thick, dark sauce. The noodles are then topped with minced pork and BBQ pork slices (char siew). It is usually served with a small bowl of soup and a side of sambal.

Where: Restoran Yi Poh.

6. Curry laksa

Curry laksa may be available anywhere in Klang Valley and in Penang (known as curry mee), but it is said that the curry laksa from a particular restaurant in Seremban makes one of the best curry laksas in the country. Coconut-based curry is poured over yellow noodles and/or beehoon, shredded chicken, cockles, beansprouts, tofu puffs, hard-boiled egg, and a dollop of chilli paste on top.

Where: Restoran Asia Laksa.

7. Smoked meats and fish (daging salai, ayam salai, itik salai, ikan keli salai, burung puyuh salai etc.)

Image via Explo Rasa

Smoked meats and fish are a traditional way of cooking in Malay culture in Negeri Sembilan, giving the meats - chicken, duck, beef, and fish - a fragrant and smoky flavour. These meats are frequently cooked in rendang and masak lemak cili padi.

Where: Roadside stalls in Kuala Pilah and on the way to Bahau.

8. Masak lemak cili padi (also called gulai in Negeri Sembilan)

Masak lemak cili padi with chicken.

Image via Aynora Blogs

A staple dish among the Malay community inspired by spicy Minangkabau flavours, masak lemak cili padi is usually made by cooking fish, seafood, meat (usually chicken), smoked meats and fish, eggs, mushrooms, and/or vegetable in coconut milk blended with turmeric and ground cili padi.

Where: Various Malay restaurants, eateries, or food stalls in Negeri Sembilan. You can also make your own.

Gulai ikan sembilang salai.

Image via Nadia Mingguan Wanita / Karangkraf

10. Gulai tempoyak pucuk ubi

Gulai tempoyak pucuk ubi is made out of finely shredded cassava leaves and turmeric shoots cookes with fermented durian (tempoyak), lemongrass, shallots, garlic, santan, turmeric, and cili padi that has been pounded together. Sometimes, petai and pumpkin can be added in.


11. Rendang

Ayam rendang cili padi.

Image via Sajian Dapur Bonda Blogspot

The Negeri Sembilan version of rendang, which is cooked in Minangkabau style, is different in the sense that spices are seldom used. Instead, it is cooked with lots of ginger, galangal, lemongrass, and santan. Additionally, conventional rendang is usually cooked with meats like chicken and beef, rendang in Negeri Sembilan uses ingredients which are not frequently used such as ferns, duck, and cassava shoots (pucuk ubi).


Chicken rendang with pucuk ubi.

Image via mamakitchen-makcikmanggis Blogspot

12. Sambal gesek

A staple condiment in Negeri Sembilan, sambal gesek is made by pounding fried anchovies (ikan bilis), cili padi, onions, and garlic together and then fried until fragrant.


13. Apam johol

Apam, a fluffy cake made with rice flour, yeast, santan, and brown sugar, is steamed in sheets of rambai leaves. The sweet snack is best eaten with sambal tumis.


14. Wajik

Traditionally an Indonesian snack, wajik is made with steamed glutinous rice cooked in palm sugar, coconut milk, and pandan leaves. The sticky rice cake is usually cut into the shape of a diamond or rhombus


15. Kuih sopang

Kuih sopang is a traditional snack made with glutinous flour, bananas, and gula melaka with grated coconut filling. It is usually served swimming in thick coconut milk.


What is your favourite Negeri Sembilan dish and where is your favourite place to have it? Let us know in the comments below!

How many of these must-try dishes from other states in Malaysia have you tried?

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