How Many Calories in Amplang?

Amplang is a puffy, deep-fried fish cracker from Sabah, made with mackerel or shrimp mixed into a sago flour dough and fried until light and crunchy.

135kcal / 1 small handful (about 25g)

One small handful of amplang, about 25g, comes in at around 135 calories. That's 14g carbs, 8g fat, and 2g protein. Not a disaster for a snack, but the catch is that 25g disappears in about 30 seconds flat, and most people eat two or three handfuls without thinking twice.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 small handful (about 25g) (25g)	Amount	Per 100g
Calories	135 kcal	540 kcal
Protein	2 g	8 g
Carbs	14 g	56 g
Fat	8 g	32 g

Where the calories come from

Tapioca/sago starch (puffed cracker base)12g

50 kcal

Frying oil absorbed (deep-fried)7g

65 kcal

Fish fillet (mackerel or shrimp)5g

15 kcal

Seasonings (sugar, salt, garlic, MSG)1g

5 kcal

The real talk

Amplang is one of those Sabahan snacks that sounds innocent because it has fish in it, but bro, the fish is almost a side note. The real calorie driver here is the sago starch base and the frying oil absorbed during cooking. Out of 135 calories per 25g handful, roughly 65 of them are straight from oil. The fish content is only about 5g per serving, giving you a measly 15 calories of actual protein. If you see it being sold at Kota Kinabalu airport or a pasar malam stall, it's genuinely delicious and worth trying, especially the ikan tenggiri (Spanish mackerel) version. Just be honest with yourself about the portion. These numbers are a ballpark estimate by the way, because proper lab data for amplang is thin and most packages round off or differ by brand.

What actually moves the maths is how much you eat in one sitting. A small 25g handful is 135 calories but a typical 100g snacking session (which is easy to hit while watching TV) is around 540 calories, roughly the same as a full plate of nasi goreng. The udang (shrimp) variant runs slightly higher at about 140 calories per 25g. There is no real lower-calorie way to prepare amplang since the deep frying is baked into the product itself. Your best move is to portion it out before you start eating, put the bag away, and pair it with something filling like a cup of black coffee or tea rather than snacking from an open packet.

Amplang variants, ranked by calories

Variant	Calories	Notes
Amplang Ikan (fish/mackerel)	135 kcal	Standard version; made with ikan tenggiri (Spanish mackerel), slightly firmer texture
Amplang Udang (shrimp)	140 kcal	Shrimp variant; similar macro profile, marginally higher sodium; Peladang udang label shows same 560 kcal/100g as ikan version

How to eat it lighter

Pour a measured 25g into a bowl and seal the bag immediately. You will eat less without thinking about it.
Buy the smaller travel packs instead of the big souvenir bags. Built-in portion control without any willpower needed.
Pair it with plain kopi-o or teh-o so you have something in your hand between crackers and slow down the pace.
If you want the fish flavour with less oil, otak-otak or ikan bakar gives you actual fish protein and far fewer calories per 100g.
Treat it as a once-in-a-while thing when you are actually at the pasar or airport, not a pantry staple to graze on daily.

Common questions

How many calories in Amplang?

One small handful of amplang, around 25g, is approximately 135 calories. Scale that up and 100g is about 540 calories, most of it coming from the sago starch base and absorbed frying oil.

What exactly is amplang?

Amplang is a deep-fried fish cracker from Sabah, East Malaysia. It is made by mixing ground fish (usually ikan tenggiri, which is Spanish mackerel, or shrimp) with sago or tapioca flour and seasonings, then deep frying until puffy and crunchy. You will commonly find it sold at Sabah airports and pasar malam stalls as a regional snack or souvenir.

Is amplang a healthy snack?

It is not a terrible snack in small amounts but it is not a healthy one either. The fish content per serving is low, around 5g, so the protein benefit is minimal. Most of the calories come from starch and frying oil. For the same calorie spend you could eat a hard-boiled egg and feel fuller for longer.

Calorie and macro figures are estimates for a typical hawker or kopitiam serving. Actual numbers vary by stall, recipe and portion size. Use them as a guide, not gospel.

New to all this? Read how I went from 128kg to 86kg without cutting rice →