Keropok Lekor

Keropok lekor is the east coast's fish snack and Terengganu is where it belongs: mackerel or other oily fish is pounded to a paste, mixed with sago flour and salt, rolled into long sausages and boiled, after which it can be eaten as it is - soft, chewy and strongly fishy - or sliced and deep fried, which is how most visitors meet it. The thin crisp version, keropok keping, is the same mixture sliced thin, dried and fried into a cracker. Both come with a sweet dark chilli dipping sauce. Losong, on the edge of Kuala Terengganu, is the village most associated with it and has a run of stalls where the rolls are boiled and fried in front of you. The ratio of fish to sago is what separates good from cheap, and the good stuff is noticeably darker.

What to look for

• Boiled fish sausages - the soft rolls, made from pounded mackerel and sago.
• The fried version - sliced and deep fried, how most visitors eat it.
• Keropok keping - the thin dried cracker form of the same mixture.
• Losong stalls - the village where it is boiled and fried in front of you.

When to go

All year; stalls run through the day. A snack.

Practical notes

The soft boiled version is strongly fishy and chewy - not everyone takes to it. Cheap versions are mostly sago and bland. Terengganu's Friday and Saturday weekend affects opening.

Nearby

Kuala Terengganu, Pasar Payang and Pulau Duyong are close.