Hello again, my dear Ramblers
I hope last month's sumptious post about ten of the delectable street foods you can acquire in "the Pearl of the Orient", Penang made your stomachs grumble and mouths salivate like Niagara Falls. I was, originally, going to put all of these foods into one post, but decided to split into a series. There are a LOT of delicious foods that can be had.
To continue from the Hungry, Yet?!? blog (click here to peruse), here are ten MORE delicous street foods of Penang. Without further ado:
11) Satay
Who could say no to delicious meat on a stick? Especially when you have just watched it being cooked over a charcoal grill? By "watch", I also mean watch with your nose. Earthlings call that "smell". Satay is a popular dish in this part of the world. It originated in Java, Indonesia, but has since spread to other nations.
Here in Penang, you can commonly find satay stalls grilling chicken, beef, or mutton in the food courts and pasar malam, or night markets. In the "non-halal" stalls, you'll even find pork satay. Ramblers, when I say "non-halal", it means that Muslims cannot consume it. In Malaysia, 70% of the population are Muslims, so you see the terms "halal" and "non-halal" quite often.
In any case, strips of meat are seasoned in a tumeric
marinade, giving the meat it's characteristic yellow color. Then, when you place your order, the hawker will place the skewers over a charcoal grill. They will periodically fan the charcoal to keep it hot. When they are done, they will be plated as shown above. Accompaniments will be slices of cucumber, pineapple; as well as a sweet peanut sauce for dipping.
12) Char Siew
I'll give you a moment to gaze upon this lovely photo of char siu, or roasted pork. Done?? The term "char siew" or char siu" means "fork burn/roast". It is long strips of seasoned boneless pork that are skewered and placed in a covered oven or over a fire. Today, the shoulder cut of pork is used. It is prepared with a mixture of honey, five-spice powder (a staple of Chinese cooking), hóngfǔrǔ (red fermented bean curd), lao chou (both dark soy sauce and hoisin sauce. Red food coloring is used, as well. All these seasonings turn the exterior layer of mean that delicious dark red color; and rice wine. That is from Wikipedia..hehe.
In Malaysia, you will typically find char siew in Chinese shāolà (烧腊) stalls. One such stall in Penang is located at the Sky Hotel on Chulia Street. They are typically open from morning to whenever the char siew is finished, usually mid-afternoon. During that time, they will serve char siew with roasted duck and crispy roast pork (that will be another blog). They will also give you a plate of rice, leafy veggies (choy sum) cooked in oyster sauce, brown duck sauce, chili sauce and pork bone soup.
Come early to avoid the large crowds and parking problems of lunchtime. It is VERY popular.
13) Ais Kacang
Enough food..let's get on with dessert!!
Pictured here is one of Malaysia's most popular desserts (another is cendol, below). Ais kacang (pronounced "ice k-uh-chung") is perfect for a hot, tropical Malaysian afternoon. You can find this cooling treat along the street (haha..it rhymes), coffee shops, hawker centers and indoor mall food courts.
With a lot of Malaysian fare, it is fun to watch this being made. Typically, an ice shaver will shave a large block of ice into a pile of what resembles snow, actually. (Snow will be the last thing on anyone's mind in the tropics, though).
What goes on next could be any number of things. There are quite a few variants of ais kacang (this reflects Malaysia's diversity of races, religions and ethnicities). Even from stall to stall, the toppings can vary. Attap chee, or palm seed, red beans, sweet corn, grass jelly and agar agar. Other places could have aloe vera, nata de coco, plus a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Then evaporated millk, condensed milk; or coconut milk, is drizzled over the ais kacang, as well as red rose syrup and sarsi syrup. All of these make ais kacang that brightly-colored frozen treat that will surely cool and refresh you.
14) Cendol
Cendol (chen-duhl) is another quintessential dessert of this tropical land. You can find this delicious treat at similar venues as to the above-named ais kacang. In Penang, a very famous cendol stall is known as Penang Road Famous TeoChew Cendol. Their main roadside stall is located just off Penang Road, near the center of George Town. There are six other locations in Penang. Plus, if you are "outstation" (local vernacular for being away) from Penang, you can also find them in Perak, Selangor, Johor and the capitol city of Kuala Lumpur.
The dessert, itself, also consists of a mountain of shaved ice forming a frozen island in a sea of coconut milk. Also along for the ride is the actual cendol--jelly rice-flour noodles colored green by pandan leaf, widely available here; palm sugar (the locals refer to it as gula melaka) and red beans. The above-named shop also serves two variants of this dish. I, actually, had the opportunity to try one such variant--a white coffee cendol. Unlike it's traditional counterpart, this variant didn't have red beans or coconut milk. It was the cendol noodles, shaved ice and white coffee--a very popular, if not ubiquitous, beverage in Penang. They also have a variant featuring the very popular "King of Fruits", the durian.
15) Chu Char
Here in Penang, the term "chu char" means to cook and fry. It is a multitude of dishes, both meat and veggie fried in a number of sauces. There are a number of chu char restaurants around Penang. In fact, there is a so-called "Chu Char Trail". This is the different chu char restaurants in town that you can try each one over time (if you are blessed with sufficient time here). One of the most famous chu char restuarants in Penang is called "Tek Sen". Located on Carvarvon Street in George Town, it is usually open for lunch and dinner on most days. They have a number of delicious dishes, such as twice-cooked crispy pork, stir-fried morning glory in sambal belacan (bel-ah-CHAN) and prawns; which is a shrimp-based chili paste. Also, they feature curry fish head and fried tofu and cutlet served in a clay pot.
Of course, there are other delicious chu char restaurants around town. You can find them simply by typing "chu char restaurants in Penang" in the Google search field. Of course, for my Ramblers too exhausted to do so, I have done the work for you. You can find the list here.
16) Hainanese Chicken Rice
What can I say about Hainanese chicken rice? Well, I can say this: YUM!!
According to the folks at Penang-Online.com, chicken rice is usually associated with Malaysian and Singaporean cuisine. It is named for the Hainan province in China, as it's roots can be traced from there. It was spread by Hainanese Chinese migrating overseas to what we now know as Southeast Asia. In Malaysia and SIngapore, this can be found in many roadside stalls and restaurants. The latter country even considers this as their national dish.
The rice, itself, is cooked in a chicken stock specially made for it. This results in a flavorful and oily rice, sometimes adding pandan leaves. It involves steeping the entire chicken at sub-boiling temperatures in a pork and chicken bone stock, reusing the broth over and over and only topping it up with water when needed, in accordance with the Chinese preferences for creating master stocks. They are authentically served in Singapore with a hot chilli sauce dip (made up of freshly minced red chilli and garlic). The dip is usually topped with dark soy sauce and a heap of freshly pounded ginger. Fresh cucumber in chicken broth and light soy sauce are served with the chicken. They are now served mostly boneless in Singapore or Malaysia.
17) Nasi Lemak
Ah, nasi lemak. A dish I consider "the breakfast of champions". It is one of Malaysia's iconic dishes. It is usually served for breakfast, but you can find it anytime of the day. It is a fragrant rice dish that is cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf; both commonly found in Malaysia. It is also popular in the neighboring countries of Brunei, Indonesia and southern Thailand.
The name nasi lemak is Malay for "fatty rice", as the rice is soaked in coconut milk, then steamed and cooked with pandan leaves. This lends it a distinctive flavor in a land of distinctive flavors. It is traditionally served with sambal on the side. Accompanying the sambal are fresh cucumber slices, small fried anchovies (or ikan bilis), roasted peanuts and a hard-boiled egg. Depending on where you go to get this, it can also have fried chicken or ayam goreng, sambal sotong or cuttle fish in chili, small pieces of fried fish (watch out for bones), cockles and sometimes beef rendang, which is beef cooked in coconut milk and spices. It is then wrapped into a triangle shape by a banana leaf, which makes for easy transport, for my on-the-go Malaysian Ramblers!
I have included this informative YouTube video exhibiting how to create a great nasi lemak.
18) Assam Laksa
Ever since I first stepped foot on Penang soil, I have had the privilege of trying this delicious dish. If you ever get the opportunity to grace these shores with your presence, this is one dish that is a "must-try". In Penang, there is a local variant of this dish. Other parts of Malaysia use coconut milk instead of tamarind paste. I have found it to be a combination of tastes..spicy, sour and sweet all in one spoonful. This dish starts with fat udon noodle that is immersed repeatedly in a tamarind stew (sweet). Within that stew, you can find cucumber, onions, red chillies, pineapple, lettuce, common mint, daun kesum (a Vietnamese mint or laksa mint) and pink bunga kantan (torch ginger).
All photos property of the author, unless indicated below.
19) Roti Kaya
When I first came to these lands over three years ago, I had this for only my second meal (the first since sunrise). Although it was at a restaurant in Terminal 2 of Singapore Changi Airport, I still found this to be quite the pleasing way to welcome my taste buds to the culinary treasures that awaited me.
This meal is simply two slices of toasted bread, with butter and "kaya" sandwiched in between. Kaya is a coconut spreadable jammade with pandan, egg and sugar. It has a mildly sweet flavor and creamy, eggy texture. It is served with a soft-boiled egg in a bowl or cup. You, then, sprinkle some white pepper onto the egg, mix in some soy sauce, then you dip the slices of roti kaya into the egg and yum yyumm YUMM! Part of the magic of this happens when you dip the roti kaya into the egg. The heat of the egg semi-melts the butter; which blends with the kaya. This is all brought together by the egg. You usually accompany all of this with some delicious coffee. You can even dip the roti kaya into the coffee, if you want. Either way, I guarantee this would be a great start to anyone's travels to this exotic and delicious land.
As for the kaya itself, it is very popular here in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. One variety, the nyonya kaya, is a little greenish due to the coloring of the pandan leaf. Another version is the Hainanese version. This is a darker brown color, as caramelized sugar is used to make it. Both are readily available here and can be enjoyed any time of day, not just for breakfast.
20) Kuih
As you can see here, kuih (also spelled "kueh" are snack-sized desserts and pastries that are commonly found in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia (there, called kue), Thailand; as well as Fujian and Chaosan provinces in southern China. As with other foods in this part of the world, it can vary in color, taste and texture. For example, in the northern part of Malaysia, kueh are usually sweet; while in the southern states of Melaka, Negeri Sembilan and Selangor, it is of the savory variety.
In almost all Malay and Peranakan kuih, the most common flavoring ingredients are grated coconut (plain or flavoured), coconut cream (thick or thin), pandan (screwpine) leaves and gula melaka (palm sugar, fresh or aged). While those make the flavour of kuih, their base and texture are built on a group of starches – rice flour, glutinous rice flour, glutinous rice and tapioca. Two other common ingredients are tapioca flour and green bean (mung bean) flour (sometimes called "green pea flour" in certain recipes). They play a most important part in giving kuihs their distinctive soft, almost pudding-like, yet firm texture.
As stated above, it can come in a wide variety of colors, flavors and textures. They can also be filled, coated, wrapped, sliced; as well as layered kuih. A few varieties I will list below:
a) Kuih Lapis--a sweet steamed caked made from rice flour, coconut milk, sugar and various shades of edible food coloring done in many layers.
b) Kuih Serimuka--a two-layerd kuih with steamed glutinous rice forming the bottom half, plus a green custard layer made from pandan juice
c) Apam Balik--a turnover pancake with crisp edges, typically cooked on a griddle and topped with caster sugar, ground peanut, creamed corn and grated coconut in the middle. See second kuih photo.
d) Curry Puff--a small pie filed with chicken, potatoes and a curry filling. It is usually deep-fried and baked. You can even find these at the Ikea in the Kota Damansara area of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Had these plenty of times, as the wife loves to go to Ikea whenever we visit KL..hehe.
e) Kuih wajid or wajik--a compressed Malay confection made of glutinous rice cooked with coconut milk and gula melaka (again, palm sugar).
f) Pulut Inti--A pyramid-shaped mass of blue-colored glutinous rice, with grated coconut candied with palm sugar. These are a favorite of mine
Of course, there are plenty of other varieties that exist. You just have to Ramble on over here, explore these exotic lands and try as many varieties as you can find. Make it a bucket list item if you would like. Remember, part of the fun is the journey, not just the destination.
All watermarked photos are property of the author. Non-watermarked photos are credited below.
Cendol, uploaded by Popo le Chien via Wikipedia
Chiu Siu taken by Simon Shek, 26 November 2005. Uploaded to Wikipedia.
Nasi Lemak video courtesy of the MEATMENsg. Published via Youtube on September 29, 2015.
Penang Assam Laksa by Bee Yinn Low. Photography by Jennifer Chong for Rasa Malaysia, February 1, 2008.
"Nyonya Kuih in Different Colour" by Yun Huang Yong from Harbord, Australia - Dat colour :D. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nyonya_Kuih_in_Different_Colour.jpg#/media/File:Nyonya_Kuih_in_Different_Colour.jpg
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