Nasi Lemak Inspired Creations Ranked: Variety or Absurdity?

By Bella Chin  •  in Listicle
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We know, we know. Malaysians love their Nasi Lemak. It’s impossible not to fall head over heels for the traditional Malaysian dish, with its simple combination of hard-boiled egg, pandan-scented rice, sambal, fried peanuts, cucumber, and ikan bilis, what’s not to love? Some people go so far as to call it Malaysia’s national dish, which is sort of true since most tourists are vaguely familiar with it.

But perhaps Malaysians have gone a tad too far with their Nasi Lemak obsession, because these Nasi Lemak-inspired creations are absolutely batshit crazy.

Here are the most absurd Nasi Lemak alterations ranked:

10. Nasi Lemak Burger

I’m pretty sure you’ve all heard about McDonald’s release of the ‘Nasi Lemak’ burger in Singapore. The burger launched on 13 July this year and sold out in less than two weeks due to the overwhelming demand. Enough that Malaysians have made several renditions of their own Nasi Lemak burger. However, compared to the other Nasi Lemak variations on the list, the Nasi Lemak burger is pretty tame.

9. Nasi Lemak Sushi

Ruyi & Lyn’s Nasi Lemak sushi is a pretty cool concept, for people who enjoy eating bite size delicacies, you’d totally enjoy the Nasi Lemak sushi. For those who pocket food in like champions, this bite-sized Nasi Lemak is completely absurd. Go big or go home, right?

8. Nasi Lemak Pizza

Brulee Brasserie runs wild with creativity as they come up with an entire menu of pizza variations. And of course, they came up with the Nasi Lemak pizza. With the average pizza crust, Brulee Brasserie uses fried peanuts, hard-boil eggs, cucumber, and rice for toppings, and finally sambal as the pizza base. What a mouthful, don’t you think? The combination of rice and dough… is interesting.

7. Nasi Lemak Ice-cream

Oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Things are starting to get weird here, and this is only the beginning. Picture this: A bite of creamy, rich, heaven-like coconut ice cream… AND THE TASTE OF SPICY SWEET SAMBAL, CRUNCHY IKAN BILIS, CUCUMBER, AND PEANUTS, WITH AN EGG ON TOP. Yeah… no. Just, no.

6. Nasi Lemak Cheesecake

Cheesecakes are gifts sent from heaven above. They are blessings from God. But this is a catastrophe. An abomination. The Nasi Lemak-flavoured cheesecake was available at Lepaq Lepaq Cafe, which is now unfortunately closed down. Lepaq Lepaq had an entire menu of delicious cakes, but the Nasi Lemak cheesecake was definitely not one of them. Love the creativity, just not the cake. #sorry

5. Nasi Lemak-Flavoured Tea

It was weird enough to eat Nasi Lemak burgers, sushi, pizzas, ice cream, and cheesecake. But to drink Nasi Lemak-flavoured tea? We’ll definitely pass on this one.

4. Nasi Lemak-Inspired Dress: Miss Universe Malaysia Edition

Enough with the food, now let’s pull out the big guns. Starting off with the Nasi Lemak dress Samantha Katie James, reigning Miss Universe Malaysia, will be sporting in the National Costume segment of the Miss Universe 2017 beauty pageant this 26 November. Miss Malaysia pulled off the look, just barely. Give the girl a cup of teh ais and she’s runway ready.

3. Hermès Nasi Lemak Bungkus Clutch

Consider us completely, whole-heartedly confused. Hermès. HERMÈS. The renowned prestigious fashion brand came up with a series of quirky handbags, and this particular one has an uncanny resemblance with the well-loved Nasi Lemak Bungkus. Coincidence? WE DON’T THINK SO. #nasilemaktakeover

2. Nasi Lemak Phonecases

Digi came up with a quirky campaign to keep our phones safe from theft, and what caught our attention was the Nasi Lemak lookalike phone case. They capped the campaign off with a tagline, “Latest innovation to keep smartphones safe: DiGi UndrCovr.” With this phone cover, we can now place our phones on the table boldly without the fear of it being pocketed away by a passerby, seeing as the phone will be hidden conspicuously by the Nasi Lemak disguise. It probably works, but that doesn’t mean that the idea isn’t bizarre. Guess that’s how it works in the world of advertising.

1. Nasi Lemak condoms

Mind = BLOWN. Malaysian condom company Karex Berhad will be releasing their Nasi Lemak-inspired condom later this year and we are not entirely sure how we feel about it. The Nasi Lemak-inspired condom definitely tops our list of crazy Nasi Lemak-inspired creations. We know Nasi Lemak is delicious, but… well, to each their own. Those intrigued with the concept of Nasi Lemak-flavoured condoms should definitely be on the lookout for this one to test their privates’ resistance to spiciness.

Well folks, we’ve reached the end of our list of absurd Nasi Lemak alterations. Should the trend go on? Or are there enough Nasi Lemak-inspired creations out there already to last us until the next food trend takes over? Let us know what you think in the comments section!

Read more about the Nasi Lemak flavoured condom here: