5 pancakes that are totally Malaysian

A fresh batch of lempengs being fried up at D Cengkih, which serves up delicious lempeng kelapa and lempeng pisang. - D Cengkih

A pancake is different things to different people. In America, pancakes are thick and fluffy discs made with flour, butter, eggs, milk and sugar, eaten drizzled with maple syrup or honey and a smear of butter or cream. The French equivalent is a paper-thin crepe, made with more or less the same ingredients, and enjoyed with orange sauce.

In Malaysia, the pancake foodscape is much more interesting. What can be termed a “pancake” comes in all shapes, sizes, textures, colours and flavours, both sweet and savoury. Some are infused with pandan, others are similar to crepes and some look a little more like bread – think roti canai and murtabak. Truly, we live in pancake paradise. Pancake Day, generally considered to be Feb 28, should be a national holiday! Let’s fete our totally uniquely, local pancakes; featured here are five of our most iconic.