Pasar malam is a Malay word that literally means night market, “Pasar” being related to “bazaar” in Persian. A pasar malam is a market in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia that opens in the evening, usually in housing areas. It brings together a collection of stalls that usually sell goods such as fruit, vegetables, snacks, toys, clothes, movie discs and ornaments at cheap, reasonable prices. Pasar malams often open only one to a few days of the week, as the traders rotate around different housing areas on different days of the week. Haggling over prices is a common practice at such markets.
Pasar malam and night markets are not to be confused. Pasar malams mostly open on Saturdays (or other days, depends on the location) from 6pm to 11pm, around the housing areas, whereas night markets open every night. Most of the time, Pasar malams open directly at the roadside and would hinder traffic of the entire street from 6pm to 11pm. After 11pm the street is cleared and be reverted back to normal although pasar malams are usually held over a duration of a day to a week. Pasar malams are usually attended by families as a short outing.
The picture below is a typical scene of a pasar malam in my hometown, Batu Pahat. This happens every Thursday evening in Jalan Omar (also known as Old Bus Stand).
One nice feature about pasar malam is that it isn’t cluttered like certain night markets. They are split into different sections. There are sections for food, clothes, shoes, fresh produce, vegetables, fruits and etc. Below is an example of the clothes section.
There are a few food sold in this pasar malam. I will briefly go introduce them here in case anyone drops by and visit it, can go to the respective stalls.
Roti John, essentially an omelette sandwich, is a popular Malay breakfast and snack item in Singapore and Malaysia. The ingredients include minced mutton, onion, egg, tomato-chilli sauce and a baguette loaf. The mutton mince, egg and chopped onions are fried on a skillet and then placed into the cavity of a baguette halved lengthwise. The whole is then briefly pan-fried on the skillet and then served after being cut into several portions. A variant is to place the minced mutton, onions and sauce inside the baguette, then baguette dipped into beaten egg, and the whole then panfried on the skillet. You can find this lady next to a chicken rice stall. Prices are RM1.20 for either beef, chicken or sardine.
You can also try out the laksa penang (Penang Laksa) stall right beside the roti john lady. It only cost RM1.00 per packet.
‘Ayam Percik’ is a popular local delicacy, especially in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It is usually prepared by grilling chicken, parts or whole, over fire with intermittent sprinkling of the percik sauce on the chicken such that when the chicken gets cooked a pasty layer of sauce with distinct smoke flavour cover both sides of the chicken. Presently, this dish is only available at food stalls and restaurants around the country.
The Ramly Burger, also known as the Burger Ramly, is a Malaysian burger created by Ramly Moknin popular in Malaysia and Singapore. Though the term “Ramly Burger” may refer to any of the hamburgers sold in a Ramly Burger stall, it most commonly refers to the Ramly Burger Special. While the amount and type of ingredients vary greatly depending on location, a typical Ramly Burger consists of a beef or chicken patty, margarine, onions, an egg, cabbage, mayonnaise, and Worcestershire sauce. This list is subjective, however, as Ramly Burgers are famous for being highly customizable.
