Vegetables & Sides

How Many Calories in Taugeh Ikan Masin?

Beansprouts stir fried with salted fish and a generous amount of oil, a common side dish at Chinese kopitiams and hawker stalls.

290kcal / 1 plate (side dish)
Taugeh Ikan Masin comes in at around 290 calories per plate (roughly 210g). The beansprouts themselves are practically nothing, only 60 calories for a full 200g. What bumps the number up is the stir fry oil, which adds about 160 calories on its own, and the salted fish another 40. So yeah, this is one of those dishes that sounds healthy but the wok does most of the damage.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 plate (side dish) (210g)AmountPer 100g
Calories290 kcal138 kcal
Protein12 g6 g
Carbs14 g7 g
Fat21 g10 g

Where the calories come from

Beansprouts (taugeh), 200g200g
60 kcal
Cooking oil (stir fry), 20ml18g
160 kcal
Salted fish (ikan masin), 20g20g
40 kcal
Garlic, shallots, chilli, 15g15g
20 kcal

The real talk

So here's the thing about taugeh ikan masin. It looks like a virtuous vegetable dish, beansprouts kan, how bad can it be? And to be fair, 200g of beansprouts genuinely is only 60 calories. The problem is that nobody stir fries taugeh with love and a dry wok. The oil is where 160 of those 290 calories come from, more than half the plate. Add 20g of ikan masin for another 40 calories and you have a side dish that costs more than most people expect. To be straight with you though, this is a ballpark estimate. Hard calorie data for Malaysian hawker cooking is thin, and how much oil lands in your plate varies a lot depending on who's behind the wok that day.

What actually changes the maths is the oil, full stop. A home cook being careful might use 10ml instead of 20ml and save 80 calories. A hawker stall that keeps the wok blazing hot and pours generously could easily hit 350 calories for the same plate. The salted fish quantity also matters. Some versions are barely there, some have a proper pile of ikan masin and more than double that 40 calorie figure. The tofu variant adds about 30 calories and bumps it to 320. For a side dish this is still pretty reasonable bah, especially compared to something like kangkung belacan which often has a similar oil situation. Just don't fool yourself into thinking beansprouts equals diet food automatically.

Taugeh Ikan Masin variants, ranked by calories

VariantCaloriesNotes
With tofu (tauhu)320 kcalCommon hawker variant adds 1-2 pieces firm tofu, adds ~30kcal and extra protein
With chives (daun kucai)295 kcalAdds daun kucai (Chinese chives), negligible calorie difference but common pairing

How to eat it lighter

Common questions

How many calories in Taugeh Ikan Masin?
One plate of taugeh ikan masin (about 210g) is around 290 calories. The beansprouts are almost free at 60 calories, but the stir fry oil adds roughly 160 calories and the salted fish another 40.
Is taugeh ikan masin a healthy choice when dieting?
It depends on how it's cooked. The beansprouts are genuinely low calorie and high in water content. The problem is the cooking oil, which can push a small side dish close to 300 calories. Order it at a kopitiam where they go heavy on the oil and it can easily hit 350 or more.
Does taugeh ikan masin have a lot of sodium?
Yes, quite a lot. The ikan masin (salted fish) is the main culprit. Even 20g of salted fish carries a significant sodium hit. If you have blood pressure issues this is worth watching, but for general dieting it's the calories from oil you should track more than the salt.

Related foods

See all Vegetables & Sides 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.

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