Meat, Grills & Lauk

How Many Calories in Ikan Pari Bakar (Grilled Stingray)?

Stingray wing grilled in banana leaf and smothered in sambal belacan, a hawker classic that is honestly one of the better high-protein options at the stall if you watch the oil.

430kcal / 1 serving, hawker stall (stingray wing in banana leaf with sambal)
One hawker serving of Ikan Pari Bakar (a full stingray wing in banana leaf with sambal belacan, about 320g) comes to around 430 calories, with 44g protein, 10g carbs, and 22g fat. The fish itself is surprisingly lean at only 195 calories for the whole wing portion. The sambal and the oil absorbed during grilling are doing most of the calorie work.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 serving, hawker stall (stingray wing in banana leaf with sambal) (320g)AmountPer 100g
Calories430 kcal134 kcal
Protein44 g14 g
Carbs10 g3 g
Fat22 g7 g

Where the calories come from

Stingray wing flesh (cooked, ~230g)230g
195 kcal
Sambal belacan (chilli, belacan, lime)60g
75 kcal
Cooking oil absorbed during grilling18g
160 kcal

The real talk

Ikan pari bakar is stingray wing grilled directly on a charcoal or gas flame, wrapped in banana leaf and heaped with sambal belacan made from fermented shrimp paste (belacan), chilli, shallots, and lime. It is a hawker staple all over the peninsula, most famously in Melaka and the seafood town stalls along the coasts. The fish itself is lean and meaty, which is why the protein number (44g) is genuinely impressive for a single dish. The catch is that the calories are sitting at 430 because of 160 calories worth of cooking oil absorbed during grilling and another 75 from the sambal. Be honest: this is a solid protein source dressed up in a fairly oily sauce. These numbers are a ballpark estimate because detailed nutrition data for stingray specifically is thin, so treat the figures as a reasonable middle ground rather than lab-certified truth.

What actually changes the maths is how generous the stall is with oil and sambal. A home-style version with minimal basting and a thinner sambal layer can bring things down to around 320 calories for the same wing. On the other end, some pasar malam stalls add a margarine or extra oil baste on top, which pushes it past 550 calories. The wing size matters too: a bigger wing at 270g of flesh instead of 230g adds roughly 40 to 50 more calories from the fish alone. If you are eating this with rice, that is another 250 to 350 calories depending on how much you scoop, so plan accordingly. The good news is you can ask the stall to go light on the sambal and skip any butter baste, and you are looking at something closer to 350 calories with 44g protein, which is a pretty solid deal lah.

Ikan Pari Bakar (Grilled Stingray) variants, ranked by calories

VariantCaloriesNotes
Light sambal, less oil320 kcalHome-style or health-conscious version with minimal oil, thinner sambal layer
Standard hawker serving430 kcalTypical hawker stall portion: full wing, generous sambal belacan, some oil from grilling
Extra sambal + butter basted550 kcalSome stalls add margarine or extra oil baste on top of the sambal; popular at pasar malam stalls

How to eat it lighter

Common questions

How many calories in Ikan Pari Bakar (Grilled Stingray)?
A standard hawker serving of Ikan Pari Bakar, one stingray wing in banana leaf with sambal belacan (around 320g), comes to about 430 calories. That is 44g protein, 10g carbs, and 22g fat. These are estimates as detailed nutrition data for stingray is limited, but they represent a reasonable middle-ground figure for a typical hawker portion.
What exactly is Ikan Pari Bakar?
Ikan pari is stingray and bakar means grilled. The wing is laid on a banana leaf, smothered in sambal belacan (a paste of fermented shrimp paste (belacan), chilli, shallots, and lime), then grilled over charcoal or gas until the banana leaf chars at the edges and the fish is cooked through. It is a hawker classic across Malaysia, particularly popular at seafood stalls in Melaka, Klang, and coastal towns. The flesh is firm, slightly sweet, and soaks up the spicy sambal really well.
Is Ikan Pari Bakar a healthy option for someone trying to lose weight?
Honestly, it is one of the better things you can order at a hawker stall if protein is your goal. 44g protein for 430 calories is a good ratio. The fish itself is lean, and the calories mainly come from the sambal and grilling oil, both of which you can ask to be reduced. Compared to a plate of char kuey teow or curry laksa at similar or higher calories but much less protein, this comes out ahead. Just watch the rice portion you pair it with.

Related foods

See all Meat, Grills & Lauk calories, ranked →

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 →

Want to know how many calories you actually need?
Use The Calculator