Why the names get confusing
In a Malaysian pasar, the same piece of beef can have three or four names. A Malay butcher says peha, an imported box says topside, and a Chinese restaurant might call it 后腿肉. Some names cover a whole area of the animal, others one muscle. This chart puts them side by side so you can order with confidence.
Want to see where each cut sits? Our interactive cut chart lets you tap any part of the animal.
Beef cuts chart
| Malay | English | Chinese | Best for | How we supply it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leher | Neck | 牛颈肉 | Rendang, sup daging, curries, stews | Bone-in or boneless chunks |
| Bahu | Chuck (shoulder) | 牛肩肉 | Rendang, kebab blend, burger mince, stews | Whole primal, cubes, mince |
| Rusuk | Rib / ribeye | 肋眼 | Steak, BBQ, yakiniku slices | Whole rib, steaks portioned by gram |
| Sirloin | Sirloin / striploin | 西冷 | Steak, premium sate, black pepper beef | Whole striploin, steaks |
| Batang pinang | Tenderloin | 牛里脊（菲力） | Premium steak, premium sate | Whole tenderloin, steaks |
| Punggung | Rump | 臀肉 | Sate, kebab, stir fry, BBQ | Whole rump, steaks, sate cubes |
| Peha | Topside & silverside (round) | 后腿肉 | Sate, masak hitam, dendeng, mince | Whole primal, steaks, sate cubes (marinated or plain) |
| Dada | Brisket | 牛胸肉 | Sup, rendang, smoked brisket | Whole brisket, cubes |
| Tetulang | Short plate / short rib | 牛小排 | Sup tulang, short ribs, BBQ | Bone-in strips, cut short ribs (frozen) |
| Perut | Flank | 腹肉 | Stir fry, bulgogi, fajita, shabu slices | Whole flank, thin slices |
| Betis | Shank / shin | 牛腱 | Sup gearbox, sup tulang, rendang, kuzi | Cross-cut with bone, boneless (frozen) |
All chilled cuts are kept at 0–4 °C and are best used within 3–5 days. Frozen cuts are blast frozen to −18 °C. See our fresh beef page to order.
Fast-cooking and slow-cooking cuts
A simple way to remember the chart: the muscles along the back do little work and are tender, and the legs, neck and chest work hard and need slow cooking.
- Quick and hot (grill, pan, sate): batang pinang, sirloin, rusuk, punggung, peha.
- Low and slow (rendang, sup, kuzi): leher, bahu, dada, betis, tetulang.
- Slice thin across the grain: perut and peha for stir fry and masak hitam.
For a dish-by-dish answer, read the best beef cuts for sate, rendang and soup.
A note on 牛腩 and other local names
Some words mean different things in different places. 牛腩 in Hong Kong-style cooking usually means flank and belly meat with tendon, while some Malaysian Chinese shops use it for brisket. If you order 牛腩 from us, tell us whether you want brisket (dada) or flank (perut), or simply say the dish.
Malay names vary too. "Daging batang" can mean different lean cuts depending on the butcher, and some markets call the whole hind leg "peha". When in doubt, describe what you are cooking and the weight you need.
Reading the label on an imported carton
Imported beef often arrives in cartons labelled with the exporter's cut names, which can differ from what you hear at the pasar. Here are the ones you will see most often and what they mean at the counter.
| Carton label | What it is | Malay name at the counter |
|---|---|---|
| Topside, Silverside, Outside flat | Lean muscles of the back leg | Peha |
| Knuckle, Thick flank | Round muscle above the knee, lean and firm | Peha (often used for sate) |
| Chuck roll, Chuck tender, Blade | Shoulder muscles | Bahu |
| Brisket point end, Navel end | Front and back of the brisket | Dada |
| Shin, Shank, Gravy beef | Lower leg, rich in gelatine | Betis |
| Striploin, Cube roll | Sirloin and ribeye | Sirloin, rusuk |
If a carton name is new to you, send us a photo of the label on WhatsApp and we will tell you what it is and what to cook with it.
Lamb and mutton cuts in brief
Lamb (bebiri) and mutton (kambing) use similar names. The main cuts are:
| Malay | English | Chinese | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bahu | Shoulder | 羊肩肉 | Kambing golek, shawarma, nasi mandi, briyani |
| Kaki | Leg | 羊腿 | Sate kambing, kebab, roast |
| Rusuk | Rack | 羊排 | Lamb chops, grill |
| Pinggang | Loin | 羊里脊 | Chops, premium sate kambing |
| Betis | Shank | 羊腱 | Lamb shank kuzi, sup (350–450 g each) |
See all lamb and mutton cuts on our fresh lamb and mutton page.
Ordering tips
- Say the dish and the weight, for example "peha for sate, 10 kg, cubed".
- Say chilled or frozen. Chilled is best within 3–5 days; frozen suits bulk buying.
- Ask for local, Australian or Indian buffalo (kerbau). Buffalo is always labelled as buffalo.
- Check the label on every pack: cut, weight, batch and pack date.
- Trade accounts start from 10 kg per delivery, and home boxes from 3 kg. Order by 6 pm for next-day delivery.
Buying sate meat ready to grill? See our sate meat.