Penang cuisine
Encyclopedia
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
cuisine is the cuisine of the multicultural society of Penang, Malaysia. Most of these cuisine are sold at road-side stalls, known as "hawker food". Among the most famous Penang dishes are:
- Penang LaksaLaksaLaksa is a popular spicy noodle soup from the Peranakan culture, which is a merger of Chinese and Malay elements found in Malaysia and Singapore, and to a lesser extent Indonesia.- Origin :The origin of the name "laksa" is unclear...
(Malay: Laksa Pulau Pinang), a dish of thick round rice noodles in a spicy and sour tamarind-based (or assam fruit-based) fish soup. The dish is garnished with mint, cucumber, onions, shreadded lettuce and pineapple.
If you are in the city, the stall at Lorong Selamat off Macalister Road is a premium choice. Another famous stall sits behind the Gama department store.
For years, the market- place in Ayer Itam, next door to the famed Kek Lok Si Temple, has been the place locals congregate to enjoy their feast of beef and other meat. Another famous place to go is Gurney Drive where visitors will be spoilt for choice.
- Tari Burger - Penang is also famous for its local style burger which is usually served by burger stalls by the roadside. This type of burger is quite different from a mainstream western burger. The roadside stall's burger is way cheaper and can be customized to satisfy one's taste. The most famous burger stall in PenangPenangPenang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
was Tari Cafe but now shunned due to being overpriced. The best burger that you could find in Penang currently is served by a burger stall beside the Pos Malaysia office in Jelutong.
- Lor Bak - Marinated minced pork, then roll in thin soybean sheets and then deep fried. Usually served with small bowl of Loh (a thick broth thickened with corn starch and beaten eggs) and chili sauce.
- Ching pu leang thang shui or Ching Pu Leang Dessert (Chinese: 清補涼糖水) - Ching pu leang thang shui means a cooling and rejuvenating dessert. Most people simply call it ching pu leang. It is a type of healthy dessert consisting of sweet potatoSweet potatoThe sweet potato is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the family Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting, tuberous roots are an important root vegetable. The young leaves and shoots are sometimes eaten as greens. Of the approximately 50 genera and more than 1,000 species of...
es, red beanRed beanRed bean may refer to:* Azuki bean, commonly used in Japanese and Chinese cuisine, particularly as red bean paste* Kidney bean, commonly used in Indian and North American cuisine, such as chili con carne and red beans and rice...
s, jelly, white fungus, sago, atapchi, longanLonganDimocarpus longan, commonly known as the longan, is a tropical tree native to South and Southeast Asia, in the Indomalaya ecozone known for its edible fruit.-Vernacular names:The fruit is known as longan or longyan in English...
, ginkgo, winter melonWinter melonThe winter melon, also called white gourd, ash gourd, or "fuzzy melon", is a vine grown for its very large fruit, eaten as a vegetable when mature. It is the only member of the genus Benincasa. The fruit is fuzzy when young. The immature melon has thick white flesh that is sweet when eaten...
, rambutanRambutanThe rambutan is a medium-sized tropical tree in the family Sapindaceae, and the fruit of this tree. It is native to Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and elsewhere in Southeast Asia, although its precise natural distribution is unknown. It is closely related to several...
and many more. The syrup of the ching pu leang is made from longan and sugar. There is a very famous stall in Penang that sells ching pu leang called Mat Toh Yau (whose name means complete, because the stall sells many high quality ingredients of ching pu leang), opposite Jelutong Market. There is also a branch of Mat Toh Yau at Terengganu Road. There are many stalls copying or trying to be better than Mat Toh Yau since it is very popular in Penang. Mat Toh Yau even has branches in the capital city of Malaysia, Kuala LumpurKuala LumpurKuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
. Its Penang branches sell the dessert only at night and the Kuala LumpurKuala LumpurKuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
branches sell the dessert in the morning and afternoon at some places, and at night at most night markets.
- SataySataySatay , or sate, is a dish of marinated, skewered and grilled meat, served with a sauce. Satay may consist of diced or sliced chicken, goat, mutton, beef, pork, fish, other meats, or tofu; the more authentic version uses skewers from the midrib of the coconut palm frond, although bamboo skewers are...
(Malay: sate) - the famous meat-on-a-stick, is a traditional Malay food typically made from marinated meat - chicken, mutton or beef, skewered onto bamboo sticks and grilled over hot charcoals. Chinese hawkers serve a variant of satay made from pork. A fresh salad of cucumbers & onions are served together with a spicy-sweet peanut dipping sauce for dipping. KetupatKetupatKetupat or packed rice is a type of dumpling from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines , and Singapore.-History:It is made from rice that has been wrapped in a woven palm leaf pouch and boiled...
, a Malay rice cake, is sometimes served together with satay.
- Ikan Bakar - is a general term meaning grilled or barbecued fish. A popular local fish for grilling is Ikan Kembong (Mackerel Fish). The fish is usually marinated in spices, coconut milk, sometimes stuffed with sambal, then wrapped in banana leaves and grilled over hot charcoals.
- Otak-otakOtak-otakOtak-otak is a cake made of fish meat and spices. It is widely known across Southeast Asia, where it is traditionally served fresh, wrapped inside a banana leaf, as well as in many Asian stores internationally - being sold as frozen food and even canned food.-Distribution:Otak-otak is found in...
- fresh fish fillets are blended with light spices, coconut milk, kaffir limeKaffir limeThe kaffir lime, Citrus × hystrix, Rutaceae), is also known as combava, kieffer lime, limau purut, jeruk purut or makrut lime,...
leaves and other aromatic herbs, into a sort of fish mousse. The fish mousse is wrapped in banana leaves and steamed or grilled. It is stated that the dish originated from Johor.
- Nasi KandarNasi kandarNasi Kandar is a popular northern Malaysian dish, which originates from Penang. It is a meal of steamed rice which can be plain or mildly flavored, and served with a variety of curries and side dishes....
- an Indian-Muslim (Mamak) dish of mixed rice with an assortment of meat seafood and vegetable curries, the secret of which is in the mix of curries. Among the most well-known is a place called Line Clear, off Penang Road.
- Mee Goreng Mamak - also a cuisine of Mamak origin,fresh yellow egg noodles are stir fried with mutton or lamb, vegetables, tomato ketchup and spices, giving this fried noodle dish a distinctly unique Indian flavor.
- Mee Rebus - a rich gravy made out of sweet potatoes, is ladled over fresh yellow egg noodles and bean sprouts. It is garnished with cooked squid, prawn fritters, boiled egg and fried shallots. A squeeze of a fresh local lime before serving.
- Char kway teowChar kway teowChar kway teow, literally "stir-fried ricecake strips", is a popular noodle dish in Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and Singapore. The dish was typically prepared at hawker stalls especially in Penang, Malaysia.It is made from flat rice noodles of approximately 1 cm or...
(Chinese: 炒粿条) - fried flat rice noodles with chili spices with seafood typically prawns and cockles (and typically with fried eggs). (A stall at a corner along Chulia Street which uses distinctive narrower noodles than other vendors.)
- Hokkien MeeHokkien meeHokkien mee refers to fried noodles cooked in Hokkien style. Hokkien mee is served in many Southeast Asian countries and was brought there by immigrants from Fujian province in southeastern China.-Types:...
' or 'Hae Mee (Chinese: 福建面 in Penang, 虾面 in Kuala Lumpur) - rice and egg noodles, served together with hard boiled eggs, small prawns, meat slices, bean sprouts and kangkung (water spinach) in a spicy prawn & pig bone (Chinese: 肉骨) stock. The signature stall operates at Burmah Road/ Lorong Selamat with branch opposite Padang Brown along Perak Road. One stall at Macalister Road is famous for using small mantis prawns.Sometimes depending on location if the stall sells Loh Mee or Hokkien Mee you can request for them to mix half Loh Mee sauce with the Hokkien Mee soup
- Loh Mee - rice and egg noodles in broth thickened with corn starch and beaten eggs, served with eggs (some feature duck eggs), meat slices and bean sprouts. The noteworthy stall is located next to the Goddess of Mercy Temple, with branches in Jones Road and Pulau Tikus.
- Koay Teow Th'ng (Chinese: 粿条汤) - fresh flat rice noodles are served in a clear soup broth, topped with fish balls, slices of pork, chicken, golden brown garlic bits and chopped scallions. A condiment of sliced fresh red chilies in soy-vinegar usually accompanies the dish.
- Chee Cheong Fun (Chinese: 猪肠粉) - usually eaten as breakfast, flat sheets made from rice flour, sometimes with some dried shrimp embedded, is steamed soft then cut up and topped with sweeten sauce, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, chili sauce, thick black prawn paste and sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds.
- Wan Than Mee (Chinese: 云吞面) - also known as Tok-tok Mee from the sound of knocking bamboo sticks made by the vendors in former times to draw attention to their food, of a dish of egg noodles and wontonWontonNot to be confused with WantonA wonton is a type of dumpling commonly found in a number of Chinese cuisines.-Filling:...
s with sliced barbecued pork and vegetables. It is served either dry with soya sauce and sesame oil, or in a clear pork stock. In Penang, many spellings exist for "Wonton", some examples being "Wan Thun", "Wan Tan", "One Ton", and so on. (Cantonese as: 馄饨面), Penang Wan Than Mee or Tok-tok Mee is also a spin off from Hong Kong, but Hong Kong style is served with dumplings (馄饨) or either with sliced barbecued pork (叉烧).
- Ice kachangIce kachangAis kacang is a Malaysian dessert. Traditionally a special ice machine is used to churn out the shaved ice used in the dessert, originally hand cranked but now more often motorized....
(Malay: Ais Kacang) - sweet red beans, seaweed jelly, barley pearls, sweet corn and fruits are covered with shaved ice, then laced with rose syrup, brown sugar syrup and sweetened condensed milk. Certain stalls make the Ais Kacang Uniquely "Penang" by adding shredded nutmegNutmegThe nutmeg tree is any of several species of trees in genus Myristica. The most important commercial species is Myristica fragrans, an evergreen tree indigenous to the Banda Islands in the Moluccas of Indonesia...
(A native fruit to Penang) pickle and raisins or sultanas over it.
- CendolCendolCendol is a traditional dessert originating from South East Asia which is still popular in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar , Singapore, Vietnam, and Southern Thailand where it is called lortchorng singapore ลอดช่องสิงคโปร์).-Etymology:There is popular belief in Indonesia that the name "cendol" is...
- a dessert with green noodles in coconut milk, brown sugar and shaved ice. There's a very famous stall along the busy street of Penang Road near the "spider" pedestrian bridge leading to KOMTAR. Another not so famous 'cendol' stall is located just opposite to it.
- RojakRojakRojak or Rujak is a traditional fruit and vegetable salad dish commonly found in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore...
is a fruit and vegetable salad tossed in a special sauce. Simply labeled Rojak Sauce, the sauce is made from a thick black prawn paste. This is combined with palm sugar, tamarind paste and other ingredients. Pineapple, apple, guava, green mango, jicama and cucumber are tossed in this sauce with crushed peanuts and sesame seeds.
- Lok-lok is a variant of the steamboat/hotpot meal, except that the food served is skewered and the skewered food is dipped into a hot boiling pot of water to be cooked. This is then dipped into a variety of sauces provided for you. A wide selection of food is served, ranging from seafood and meats to vegetables. The food is eaten off the skewer.
- Chow Mei Fun is a dish of rice noodles with pork minced meat served in a tasty pork soup. A variety of specialty or exotic pork parts may be used as well.
- Lau Hau Peng, Penang's infamous Iced Nutmeg juice.
