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Bak kut teh
Pork ribs and other pork parts marinated and cooked in rich chinese herbal
soup, eaten with plain steam rice or special yam rice. This dish is served
with fresh chopped garlic in thick dark soya sauce and red slice chilli. Do
not forget to order eu char koay, fried puff bread sticks which goes well as
a side dish. Bak kut teh is popular for breakfast and for supper. Priced
around RM12.00 per pot for two persons.
For the best bak kut teh in town (in no particular order): Carnation coffee
shop, Gurney Drive for breakfast and lunch; coffee shops along Dato Keramat
Roadin the evenings; and street stall in Rangoon Road beside Lai Lai
Supermarket in the evenings.
Bak chang
Steamed glutinous rice with soya sauce wrapped in bamboo leaves and stuffed
with pork, mushroom, dried prawns, salted egg yolk or just white beans. Oily
and high cholesterol delight which is a specialty during the Bak Chang
festival (fifth moon of the chinese calendar). Available all year round at
roadside stall in Swatow Lane in the afternoons. Prices range from RM1.50 to
RM2.50 per chang.
For the Nyonyas they have their own version of chang – pua kiam tea. Still
made of glutinous rice but the stuffing differs from that of the traditional
bak chang. No soya sauce is being used leaving the chang white.
Dim sum
Translated literally means “to touch your heart”. Many beautiful variations
of small steamed dumplings made with pork or pork ribs, and dough with meat
and prawn fillings. Try also chee cheong fun, broad sheet rice noodles
rolled and steamed with prawns, served with light soy sauce. This breakfast
fare, it is now available in the evenings as well. Price differs from
restaurant to street stalls, depending on the number of variations consumed.
For the best dim sum in town (in no particular order): Shangri-La Hotel’s
Chinese Restaurant in Georgetown (pricey but first-rate); Tho Yuen at 92,
Campbell Street; and coffee shops along Chulia Street, Kimberly Street,
Gottlieb Road and Golden Thai at Gurney Drive.
Evening dim sum: Coffee shop in Kampung Malabar off Penang Road and Chulia
Street.
Dumplings or pau
Dumplings with meat – the chinese version of the American burger. Other
variations include sweet paste instead of meat. Best eaten when warm.
Available at most coffee shops.
Char koay teow
Flat rice noodles fried with beansprouts, egg, prawns, chinese sausage,
cockles and chilli. A popular Penang specialty about RM1.50 to RM5.50 per
plate. Some add duck eggs rather than chicken eggs to give the dish more
aroma. Remember to insist on extra prawns! This is what makes good char koay
teow a real eating experience.
For the best char koay teow in town (in no particular order): "Sisters' char
koay teow" in Macalister Road from morning to noon time; coffee shops at
Kimberley Streetin the evenings; hawker centres in New Lane, Gurney Drive
and Lorong Selamat.
Chee cheong fun
Broad sheet rice noodles rolled and steamed. Eaten with sweet sauce and
sesame seeds. Super cheap snack for RM1.20 to RM2.00 per plate.
Curry mee
Wheat base mee in spicy coconut curry soup, garnished with beansprouts,
prawn, cuttlefish, cockles, beancurd and mint. Price per bowl: RM1.50 to
RM2.50 .
For the best curry mee in town (in no particular order): Corner coffee shop
in Lorong Seratus Tahun off Macalister Road in the mornings; hawker center
opposite of the Ayer Itam market in the marnings; hawker centres at New
Lane, Bangkok Lane and Gurney Drive.
Fried oyster
Oyster omelette with spring onions and mixed sauce. High cholesterol goodie
for the brave hearted glutton. There is only one stall in Penang that stands
tall when compared with others here in Penang. Situated in Carnarvon Street,
he sells only in the afternoon and you must taste it to believe it. Also
available at most hawker centers.
Hokkien char
Fried wheat base mee with dark soy sauce and strips of meat, prawns, liver
and vegetables. Goes very well with sambal belacan.
Hokkien mee
Wheat base mee in a special prawns and pork bones enriched soup garnished
with beansprouts, kang kong, prawns, egg and pork. Another popular dish for
RM1.50 to RM2.50 per bowl.
For the best hokkien mee in town (in no particular order): Coffee shop along
the Ayer Itam bus terminal in the mornings; hawker centers at Gurney Drive
and New Lane.
Jawa mee
Blanched noodles served with tomato based gravy, garnished with beansprouts,
potato, beancurd, egg, prawns, deep fried flour paste and sprinkled with
groundnuts. The fried version is also availble on request at most places.For
extra kick squeeze in a little lime juice. Price per bowl is about RM1.50 to
RM3.00 .
Joo hoo eng chye
Steamed cuttlefish served with hei tay (jellyfish), kang kong, sesame seeds,
groundnuts and sweet sauce. About RM5.00 to RM8.00 per plate for two
persons. Available at most hawker centers.
Koay chap
Special rice noodles (different from koay tiau) is sed in this soup based
dish which is served with duck meat, beansprout and egg.
Koay teow th'ng
Rice noodles in savoury soup with beansprouts, fish balls and slices of
chicken. Another popular dish for RM1.50 to RM2.50 per bowl.
For the best koay teow th’ng in town (in no particular order): Opposite of
the Ayer Itam Police Station in the mornings served with slices of pork,
mince pork, liver and fish balls; most hawker centers and New Lane hawker
centre served with duck meat.
Lok lok
Lok lok means "dip dip", a hawker version of a steamboat dinner. A wide
selection of fresh uncook food such as seafoos ranging from cuttlefish to
crabsticks, meat and vegetables are dipped into a central pot of boiling
soup to cook. The cooked bits of food is eaten off the skewer after dipping
into a nut based sauce and the cost is calculated according to the number of
colour coded skewers used.
Sar hor fun
Rice base noodles cut thicker (koay tiau) mixed with bee hoon, fried with
garlic and dark soya sauce topped with thick gravy and strips of meat,
prawns, liver and vegetables. Prices for both dishes range from RM1.50 to
RM2.50 per plate.
Wan tan mee
Cantonese egg noodle served with soup or “dry”. Garnished with pork or wan
tan – shrimp balls wrapped in thin dough, vegetables and char siew, strips
of sweet grilled pork meat. Try the green preserved chilli. It goes well
with the noodles. About RM1.50 to RM2.50 per serving.
For the best wan tan mee in town (in no particular order): Corner coffee
shop in Pulau Tikus opposite Church of the Immaculate Conception in the
mornings and hawker centers at New Lane and Gurney Drive.
Our exotic local cuisines for Malay cuisine, Chinese gourmet and Indian Cookery
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