Food..Delicious food.
Here in Penang, food is king. This tropical locale, known as "The Pearl of the Orient", has some of the best street food in Southeast Asia. In the capitol city of George Town on Pulau Pinang, or Penang Island in Malay, locals and tourists alike can find a vast number of food choices. This is due to the fact that, in Penang, there is a mix of ethnicities and religions. Most like to dine at roadside stalls and experience the lively buzz of the city center. Of course, if the weather is just a bit too hot for you, then you can dine in "air con" comfort ("air con" is the local shorthand for air-conditioning) of one of Penang's finest shopping malls or fine indoor restaurants. You can find any ethnicity of food--from Thai, Indian, Chinese, Baba Nyonya (local ingredients prepared with Chinese cooking methods) Taiwanese, Indonesian, Korean, Japanese, western--there is even a MEXICAN restaurant!
Today, I want to highlight some of the delicacies that make people from near and far come to this verdant food paradise.
1) Char Koay Teow
This dish can be had throughout Malaysia, but the one in Penang I find to be the best.
Consisting of flat rice noodles, "koay teow", prawns, bean sprouts, Chinese sausage, green onion, chili and garlic; char koay teow is cooked in a brown sauce in a "seasoned" wok. A "seasoned" wok is one that has been cooking for a long time. If a new wok is used, it can affect the taste of the finished product. Most stalls around town use gas to cook. However, there is one famous "uncle" who actually cooks his char koay teow with charcoal! Some say that the charcoal makes the char koay teow taste better. This was one of my first dishes when I initially arrived in Penang three years ago. This is one of Penang's most iconic dishes, by the way.
2) Rojak
In the local Malay language, "rojak" means "mixed". This dish is popular in both Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Depending on where you are, the version of rojak will differ. A popular version in Penang is the rojak Penang. It is a mix of local fruits, such as water apple, guava and pineapple; as well as other tart fruits like green apple and young mango. It is slathered with a thick brown sauce that consists of "belacan" or shrimp paste, sugar, chili, lime juice and water. Then, you know your rojak is almost finished when they sprinkle on chopped peanuts!
3) Roti Canai
Roti canai (the "c" is pronounced "ch") is a type of Indian flatbread that is served at most mamak stalls in Penang. "Mamak" is derived from the Tamil word for "shopkeeper" and there are a number of these stalls; as Penang is home to a sizable population of ethnic Indians. It is even fun to watch it being made. It starts as a lump of dough coated with margarine (although if you ask nice, they can make it with ghee, a type of butter). It is, then, tossed and spun in the air; similar to how pizza dough is made. It is then flattened on an oiled surface. The flattened disk is then cooked on a hot griddle with margarine (or ghee).
It is usually served with dhal, avlentil curry; as well as chicken and mutton curry. As with anything else here, roti canai is very versatile, as a number of sweet or savoury fillings and toppings can be had with it.
Some of the variations of roti canai are:
a)Roti Telur--A roti canai filled with egg. "Telur" is Malay for egg.
b)Roti Tisu--A very thin roti canai that is flaky. Usually served with sugar.
c)Roti Bom Bom--A smaller and thicker roti wound in a spiral. It is usually served with sugar and margarine.
d)Roti Sardin--A roti that is filled with canned sardines and served with either ketchup or sambal, a spicy shrimp-based chili paste that is popular here.
Of course, there are many more variations out there.
4) Lok Lok
Lok lok consists of various meats, veggies, mushrooms, etc. that is skewered, as shown at left. You can get it in two forms: either from a covered food truck or at a table at a lok lok stall in one of the kopitiams. Whichever form you find, both have boiling pots of water. You simply select what you want. Note: the skewers are color-coded by price. Then, you stick your selections into the boiling water to cook. Some items take a bit longer to cook than others. Just make sure you keep an eye on your food. Otherwise, it can be hard to retrieve your food from the roiling boil. (They have strainers to help retrieve loose food from the water. Be careful, as it is very hot.) There are a number of sauces to accompany your lok lok. It is quite cheap per stick, but it can get pricey if you, in the words of 80's band Depeche Mode, "just can't get enough"!
5) Fried Oyster
Who doesn't like an omelette filled with fried oysters? Apparently, a lot of people do, as fried oysters are one of the most popular dishes in Penang. You can find them in most hawker stalls around George Town. One such place is the outdoor kopitiam next to Gurney Plaza. There, you can find this, as well as many other, delicious foods. It is usually cooked with egg and starch for that "gooey-er" texture. As in the photo, it is served with a chili sauce and chopped parsley.
6) Hokkien Mee
What better comfort food can be had than a steaming bowl of hokkien mee. This dish is named, as it originates from the Chinese province of Fujian; where Hokkien Chinese were originally from. Usually, you will find Hokkien mee in soup form. In your bowl, you will find both rice and egg noodles swimming in a red shrimp-based broth. Alongside your noodles, you will have a slice of a hard-boiled egg, pork slices, fish cake slices, leafy greens and sometimes prawns. That red broth is usually made with dried shrimp, plucked prawn heads, white pepper, garlic and other assorted spices. There is also a dry version, called "Hokkien char". Instead of the soup broth, the noodles are cooked in a dark sauce with cubes of pork fat until it is crispy.
7) Char Bihun
Bihun (or sometimes you will see it spelled "bee hoon") is what westerners know as vermicelli pasta. The "char" in char bihun simply means that when you order this, you will get a plate of fried bihun noodles, usually cooked in a dark soy sauce. Different stalls will have their own variations; some places will put chicken in it and others will include a fried egg. There is even a stall that will cook it with diced chili padi to give it that spicy kick. It is usually served with crispy strips and diced banana peppers, which are not as hot and a bit sweeter than regular chili; sambal paste and half a lime to squeeze over the noodles. Char bihun is a quick and cheap snack for those that are "on the go". It will usually cost from RM 4-5, depending on the portion size.
8) Wanton Mee
There are many different spellings for this delicious meal, but one thing is clear..it is GOOD! Wantons are little packages of meat filling wrapped in a little piece of dough. They can be served either steamed or fried in a wok. I, personally, have made wantons at home before and let me tell you, it is very time-consuming. Thus, I have a new-found respect for those wanton mee hawkers that have to make those little treasures each day to satisfy the cravings of hundreds of hungry customers. Wantan mee is one of my most-ordered dishes whenever we eat out.
Usually in Penang, it will be egg noodes that are cooked in boiling water and chicken stock. From there, you can order it dry or soup-based. I, usually, prefer the latter. The dry version is said egg noodles in a plate of dark soy sauce and sesame oil. Along with it, you will find leafy green vegetable slices, and slices of roasted pork, as shown below. I have also had the wanton mee during a trip to KL. There, they use sweet barbecue pork and the finished products looks a bit different as the photo. Some stalls will give you both fried wantons, and a bowl of steamed wantons and chicken broth and spring onions.
They will also give you a soup spoon of banana chili to accompany.
9) Pisang Goreng
Pisang goreng is the Malay term for "fried banana--pisang=banana; goreng=fried..see you learn something new by being a Rambler! It is simply a banana, dipped in batter and deep fried to a golden, delicious brown. There are a few places that sell it on the roadside. A famous stall is located in the northern part of Penang Island, an area known as Tanjung Bungah. Come early, as the popular dish will be sold out, usually by late afternoon. In addition to the pisang goreng, you can also smack your lips on fried yam, fried sticky rice cake and fried cempedak (ch-em puh dak), a local seasonal fruit.
The address of the stall is: Jalan Tanjung Bungah, 11200 Tanjung Bungah, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
10) Nasi Kandar
This dish that is called nasi kandar can really fill your belly up. Although it is a bit more expensive--about RM 15-25 depending on what you order. The term "nasi" is Malay for "rice". The first thing you will be served is the nasi. That rice is kept in a three-foot tall wooden or plastic container. You can select between white rice and yellow briyani rice. Once you select your rice base, you, then, have the daunting task of choosing between the many different items to adorn your chosen rice. Items ranging from chicken, both fried and steamed and cooked in a red curry broth; fish, lamb, eggs, seafood and assorted vegetables such as lady fingers ("okra" as Americans know it as).
A good number of these items are bathing in their own color of curry or brown sauce. Once you have finalized your selection, you can tell the stall owner, "champo". The utterance of that phrase will entail that he will take a large serving spoon of several of the curry sauces and pour them onto your food. The smell of the different curries in the air, the steam, the giant pots of chicken curry and the cacophony of the people placing their orders..it all lends to the flavour of this Indian mamak meal.
There are plenty of nasi kandar stalls around town; the most famous is called Line Clear, located at the intersection of Penang Road and Chulia Street in George Town. It is open 24 hours, so if you have a craving for some good hearty food, then this is the place to go. Another stall is NS Nasi Kandar located on Burma Road. It is also a 24-hour establishment. It will be on your right-hand side. It is not a dish to be missed!
Images:
Top, Mamak Rojak by Stu Spivack via www.flickr.com
Second, Lok lok image courtesy of Decoding Galvin Loves Tech, Food & Travel
Third, Fried Oyster by Cheryl Tan Photography
Fourth, "A bowl of Penang Hokkien Prawn Noodles or Hokkien Mee" via Wikimedia Commons
Fifth, Hokkien Mee Singapore-style via Wikimedia Commons
Sixth, Pisang goreng Alexa P. Photography for FriedChillies Wed, December 15, 2010
Bottom, Malaysian food Nasi Kandar by L joo via Wikipedia.
The remaining watermarked photos are property of the author.
As always, please feel free to leave questions and comments in my Comments section.
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