Local Drinks

1. Teh tarik

   Teh tarik ("pulled" frothy milk tea)

   Usage

   Malaysia's best-known drink: milk tea poured back and forth between two vessels until frothy. A fixture of mamak shops and roadside stalls (warung)

   Grammar Note

   It is "teh susu yg ditarik" — milk tea that has been pulled; the verb "tarik" is used directly in the name

2. Teh O

   Teh O (black tea with sugar, no milk)

   Usage

   The "O" comes from Hokkien for "black" and means no milk is added. For no sugar either, ask for "teh O kosong"

   Grammar Note

   "Teh O" is colloquial (bp) for plain tea, without milk.

3. Teh C

   Teh C (tea with evaporated milk)

   Usage

   The "C" marks the use of unsweetened evaporated milk (susu sejat) rather than condensed milk, so it is less sweet than teh tarik

4. Teh O limau

   Teh O limau (tea with lime)

   Usage

   A mamak favourite. For the iced version order "teh O limau ais" (also written "teh O ais limau")

5. Teh halia

   Teh halia (ginger milk tea)

   Usage

   Milk tea with ginger; many stalls pull it to a froth the same way as teh tarik

6. Kopi

   Kopi (coffee with condensed milk)

   Usage

   Ordering plain "kopi" gets you sweet coffee with condensed milk. Say "kopi O" if you want it black

7. Kopi O

   Kopi O (black coffee with sugar)

   Usage

   Coffee with sugar but no milk. For no sugar say "kopi O kosong"; iced is "kopi O ais" (or, in Hokkien, "kopi O peng")

8. Kopi C

   Kopi C (coffee with evaporated milk)

   Usage

   Made with evaporated milk (susu sejat) and sugar — lighter and less sweet than plain kopi

9. Kopi putih

   White coffee (Ipoh style)

   Usage

   From Ipoh in Perak: beans lightly roasted with margarine and no sugar, served with condensed milk. "White" refers to the milk, not the bean colour

   Grammar Note

   Also called "Kopi putih Ipoh"; shop signs usually print the English "white coffee" alongside

10. Sirap bandung

    Sirap bandung (rose syrup with milk)

    Usage

    Rose syrup mixed with milk or condensed milk into a sweet pink drink, standard at weddings and at breaking of the fast in Ramadan. "Bandung" means "paired together" and has no link to the Indonesian city

    Grammar Note

    Sirap means syrup; sirap bandung is "air sirap yg dicampur dgn susu" (syrup drink mixed with milk). Stalls also write "air bandung".

11. Air tebu

    Sugarcane juice

    Usage

    Pressed to order at stalls, usually with lime (limau nipis) and ice. A staple of Ramadan bazaars

    Grammar Note

    Also called "Jus tebu"; stalls and newspapers normally say "air tebu"

12. Air kelapa

    Coconut water

    Usage

    Served straight from a freshly opened nut; the young version is "air kelapa muda". Sold at beach and roadside stalls

13. Cendol

    Cendol (green rice-flour jelly in coconut milk and palm sugar)

    Usage

    Green rice-flour-and-pandan jelly with coconut milk, palm sugar syrup (gula Melaka) and ice. A speciality of Melaka and Penang

    Grammar Note

    Treated as both a cold drink (minuman sejuk) and a dessert (pencuci mulut); menus usually list it under drinks.

14. Air batu campur

    Air batu campur / ABC (shaved ice dessert)

    Usage

    Shaved ice topped with red beans, sweetcorn, grass jelly, syrup and condensed milk. Menus write the abbreviation "ABC" or "ais kacang"

15. Cincau

    Cincau (grass jelly drink)

    Usage

    Chopped black grass jelly in sweetened water; the iced version appears on menus as "cincau ais"

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