Love our food | Penang Cuisine
Love our food | Penang Cuisine | ||||
|
FOOD ... the four letter word that Penang is renowned for. The endless varieties of mouth-watering Malay, Chinese and Indian foods reflect the different cooking styles and tastes of this multiracial population. Known as a hawkers' paradise, the ubiquity of hawker stalls along the streets of Penang makes piping hot treats available anytime of the day. Beginning in the 19th century, the hawker food culture developed when itinerant male hawkers began to sell food to the largely transient male population from China and India. Today, Penang is so popular for its hawker food that favourites such as Hokkien Mee, Char Koay Teow and Penang Laksa are sold all over the country. Besides hawker stalls, Chinese restaurants offer Cantonese, Szechuan, Hokkien, Teochew and Hainanese food delicacies like dim sum, rice porridge, fried oyster and omelette. If you want to indulge in authentic Malay food, try the Nasi Lemak, a popular breakfast of coconut-flavoured rice, egg and chilli paste, often uniquely packed in brown paper or banana leaf. Another delight is the Rojak. As reflected in its Malay name, it is a mouth-watering mixture of different fruits, vegetables, cuttlefish and pounded groundnuts in a sweet and spicy dark sauce. Heading the Indian cuisine is a spread of different breads such as naan, puree, chapatti and roti prata.These breads are usually served with thick curry gravy or chutney and often savoured with teh tarik (tea freshly brewed and stretched). Aside from breads, you may want to have a curry meal with rice and accompanying pulse dishes piled high on a banana leaf. Your utensil is your right hand, which allows you to savour a different dining experience altogether. Another must-try local favourite is the Nasi Kandar, originated from the Indian Muslims in India. This wide choice of spicy meat and vegetable dishes are mostly available at 24-hour restaurants and queues of people at these food counters are typical daily sight. The nasi kandar business has flourished from its humble peddling days to a multi-million dollar industry. For an international selection, choose from the multiple Japanese, Korean, Thai, Indonesian posh restaurants conveniently located around the island. To cool down after a hearty spicy meal, try the Chendol, a refreshing desert made with shaved ice, coconut milk, stripes of bean pastes, brown sugar and red beans. A not-to-be-missed delight is the Durian, known as the King of Fruits. Its yellow creamy flesh exudes an exotic flavour close to none. A commercialised creativity of this fruit is the durian cake – a tasty, slightly spongy, brown congealed cooked mass of durian, coconut flower water, coconut milk, palm sugar, and glutinous rice. Besides the durian cake, frequent visitors never fail to buy packets of Tau Sar Pia (green bean biscuits), a popular local product that makes a sweet souvenir for your loved ones back home. The nutmeg fruit, which is used to make preserved nutmegs and nutmeg oil, is another infamous local treat that are popular buys among locals and visitors. The nutmeg plantations of today were planted from seeds gathered from the Moluccas Islands. It is evident that once in Penang, you'd be truly missing much if you don't venture beyond the food you're most accustomed to. Visiting Penang evokes your senses – the smells from the open fire kitchen plus the sight and taste of the food promises a culinary adventure late into the night. | ||||
