Malaysia’s night market: The meet and eat place

A boy has trouble deciding at the desserts stall. Photos: Jo Turner

Just south of the Thai border, on the north-east coast of Malaysia, lies Kota Baru, a city of sweet, scrumptious Malay fare different from the rest of the country.

Kota Baru is the capital of Kelantan, an intensely religious state ruled by the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, and where Friday, the Islamic day of rest, is a holiday for nearly everyone. The shops are shuttered and the offices are closed, but the streets are packed with crowds gathered for sermons and prayer.