I travelled thousands of miles from my Yorkshire home to discover the latest food trends in Southeast Asia

Shortly before I set off on my travels to South East Asia, I spotted that Yorkshire-born Fox’s biscuits had launched ‘Dubai-style’ Pistachio chocolate biscuits. The company may have started out selling Brandy snaps in 1853 from a terraced house in Batley, but 170 years later, the traditional brand has been inspired by global trends.

From Batley to Burj Khalifa

I live in West Yorkshire, which means a 24-hour journey via London and Dubai to reach our destination in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. You only have to look inside a shop at a motorway services or an airport to discover how ‘sandwich’ meal deals have evolved with wraps, sushi, and salads taking precedence.

Tesco reported in 2023 that demand at their supermarkets has grown so much that sushi has even replaced the smoked salmon sandwich as ‘Britain’s favourite premium lunchtime treat.’

We flew from London Gatwick to Dubai, where we had a three-hour transfer. This gave us a chance to have a whistlestop tour of the world’s busiest international airport, and spot the array of “authentic” Dubai products on offer. Shops here were, of course, capitalising on the global popularity of pistachio-flavored products and Kunafa (Knafeh), a traditional Middle Eastern dessert which is a spun fine noodle-like pastry soaked in sweet syrup. Both ingredients are now regularly fused with products worldwide.

Waitrose reportedly limited customers to purchasing a maximum of two bars per person of the Dubai-style chocolate earlier this year. Whether it was a scarcity ploy or not, there’s no doubt that this chocolate bar which started here remains popular.

I spotted another trending product, allegedly it's popular due to its additional health benefits, camel milk chocolate. Alongside products laced with pistachio and Kunafa were a range of chocolate bars made out of camel’s milk. Similar to the boom in people using Wagyu beef, a premium, and healthier meat, people are now searching for camel milk-based products. I decided to grab a bar of camel’s milk chocolate as a gift, as I have yet to see these as widely available in the UK. I had, however, bought Pistachio cream filling from Aldi before my travels to make treats at home.

We then caught our next Emirates flight to Kuala Lumpur, also a large airport but rather than bars of gold on display, here the airport is decorated in plants with its own ‘Jungle Boardwalk.’ In terms of food and drink there is an array of bubble tea and coffee shops and juice bars available, as well as Malay cuisine, including chicken and rice (Nasi Ayam).

Not only is Kuala Lumpur the capital of Malaysia, but it’s also renowned for its street food markets, including one of the largest markets in the country. It is also rich in food and culture due to its diverse population.

Heading out on the street markets of Kuala Lumpur, there’s an array of street food on offer from across South East Asia. Everything from familiar Bao buns and bubble tea to Penang-style char kwai teow flat rice noodles and stinky tofu.

Throughout our two-week trip we tried a range of street food. Here’s what’s popular at the moment:

• Cup noodles: Thanks to the booming popularity of anime, noodles, and spicy ramen have become popular. South East Asia already has noodle vending machines, and I spotted a lot of DIY noodle bars where you pick a cup noodle flavour and add your own toppings from a wide selection of protein, vegetables, and even cheesy products.

• Candied fruits: Fruit kebabs dipped in melted sugar called Tanghulu, have created hype worldwide. The Chinese desserts’ recent popularity is attributed to foodie ‘mukbang’ content creators in Southeast Asia. These were being served up at street food markets with queues of young people.

• Super sub sandwiches have been popular in recent years, and these are becoming even more gourmet with Bao buns now being loaded up with everything from cheese to chocolate and pistachio fillings.

• Crepes have long been a popular street food treat, but now people are queuing up for huge crispy Korean pancakes. Not only can the pancakes be loaded with additional ingredients but the batter can be mixed with vegetables.

• Chinese beef rotis were incredibly popular this summer too, Made up of minced beef, herbs, and spices,s and enclosed in a fluffy flatbread called roti.

• Haute dogs: Posh hot dogs were also a big thing aka hot dogs loaded with a variety of ingredients.

• Panpuri are a popular indian street food, traditionally a puffed ball filled with potatoes, chickpeas and spices. Now however they are being filled with chocolate, strawberries and even melted cheese. Perhaps a new appetiser to hit UK menus soon?

• Momos: Nepalese style dumplings made up of vegetables and spices served with a curry-like sauce. For a long time, Japanese-style dumplings called Gyoza, have also proved popular. Gyozas come from the Chinese dumplings called Jiaozi.

• Kurtos: A Hungarian chimney cake has a crunchy, sweet exterior and is often filled with ice cream and other toppings. The aesthetically pleasing presentation is likely to be a hit on social media.