Penang and hawker food are inextricably linked. Never the two be torn apart! It is not very surprising then that when one thinks of Penang food, the mind automatically conjures up visions of freshly cooked hawker fare. Whether you are a local or a tourist, hawker fare has something to satisfy many palates. Best of all, eating out at hawker stalls would not break the bank.
The varieties of hawker fare and hawker centres are seemingly endless, and there are plenty to choose from at almost any time of the day. It is prudent to leave your stomach with a little room for some of Penang’s famous dessert or snacks – before or after a meal.
Ice kacang
Ice kacang, the mother of all Malaysian desserts, is also known as ang tau s'ng (Hokkien for iced red beans) or ABC (ais batu campur in Malay). Although “kacang” means beans in Malay, this jubilant offering contains more than just ice and beans. Brimming in a bowl, the colourful concoction is made of a tower of shaved ice swirled with a mixture of red beans, leong fan (grass jelly or cincau in Malay), creamy sweet corn, chewy tapioca pearls and translucent attap chee (nipa palm fruit), smothered with at least two types of syrup and evaporated milk. You can further top it with a scoop of ice cream (especially durian, making it even more sinful).
If you are visiting Penang, this is a super-cool dessert that you have to add to your list of must-try items. It makes a rewarding icy treat especially in the tropics when the sun shows no mercy. Ice kacang is available at most food courts throughout Penang including some roadside stalls. Here are some venues where you can enjoy a bowl of good ice kacang (in no particular order):
Cendol/Chendul
Cendol/chendul is an iced sweet dessert that contains strands of green jelly served with fresh coconut milk and fragrant gula Melaka (palm sugar) syrup. This humble-looking offering certainly has its irresistible charms. Cendol tastes even better under the sweltering tropical heat. The cool, refreshing concoction is commonly found throughout Penang. Some stalls offer additional toppings such as boiled kidney beans/red beans, pulut (steamed glutinous rice), sweet corn, sago pearls, diced jackfruit, ice cream and even durian.
For good cendol (in no particular order):
Rojak
Fruit and vegetable salad consisting of cucumber, pineapple, nutmeg, unripe mango, cuttlefish and jambu air (rose apple), mixed in a potent sauce of prawn paste, chilli, belacan and crushed groundnuts.
You could also ask for a slice of bang kwang (turnip) topped with rich rojak sauce and grounded peanuts. This is very popular among local kids.
For good rojak (in no particular order): Hock Seng Rojak King at Gat Lebuh Cecil, Gurney Drive Hawker Centre and Esplanade Food Court.
Sotong bakar (grilled squid)
Thin strips of dried squid gently roasted over a charcoal fire eaten with a sweet and spicy sauce, topped with grounded peanuts. The texture of this fishy delight is crispy, brittle and uber delicious. For the best sotong bakar in town, head over to the hawker stalls at Gurney Drive and Esplanade.
Tong Sui (Chinese dessert)
Tong Sui is a Cantonese term to describe sweet soup or custard. It literally means ‘sugar water’ but contains more than just syrup. Tong Sui covers a wide range of Chinese desserts of fruits, beans and jellies in syrup served hot or cold. The choices are bountiful such as red bean soup, peanut soups, almond milk soup with eu char koay (deep-fried cruellers), bee koh moy (black glutinous rice porridge served with coconut milk), gandum (pearl wheat porridge with palm sugar) and bubur cha cha (pearl sago, sweet potatoes, yams, bananas, black-eyed peas cooked in coconut milk) and Leng Chee Kang (a lovely dessert with dried longans, snow fungus, gingko nuts and lotus seeds).
Other goodies
Take the opportunity to savour these specialities listed below
Apom balik and apom manis are among the most lovely delicacies that should never be missed.
One of the most popular apom balik vendors in Penang has to be Apom Guan at Lebuh Burma. Due to the sheer popularity of his apom, expect to wait for a while. Ah Guan adds pieces of bananas and sweet corn in his palm-size apom before folding it in half to form a delicious semicircle of goodness.
Apom manis is a wonderful snack in Penang originating from India that resembles crepes. Swee Kong Coffee Shop at Solok Moulmein in Pulau Tikus serves up good Apom manis. The family-run business has been for over 80 years. There are also many apom stalls dotted all over Penang. The key to a good apom is its crispy skirting and fluffy centre. These paper-thin pancakes are made of eggs and coconut milk – key ingredients in kuih kapit, thus the similarity in its fabulous aroma. Catch skillful apom makers in action as they swirl batter on clay pots.
Eu char koay (deep-fried Chinese crullers) is crispy when fresh and best eaten with a cup of kopi-o. It is also served with porridge, almond cream soup, bak kut teh and even in rojak. These golden brown Chinese puff breadsticks could also be stuffed with various fillings and cook as a dish. Top-quality ingredients and good heat control are key in making good eu char koay.
Available at most markets such as Ayer Itam, Lip Sin and Jelutong. 76, Cintra Street, and Kedai Kopi Kwai Lock in Pulau Tikus also offers good eu char koay.
Gado gado is an Indonesian salad of blanched or steamed vegetables, hard-boiled eggs, potatoes and fried tofu served with a savoury peanut sauce dressing. Sample this delectable dish at Mews Cafe, 77 Muntri Street and Cafe Lagenda at 43, Campbell Street.
Ham chim peng in Cantonese literally means "deep-fried salted dough-bread". It is a deep-fried snack made from salty and sweet dough, filled with red bean paste or glutinous rice. The strong five-spice powder gives ham chim peng its distinct flavour. This popular street food is absolutely delicious when eaten hot.
It is available at most marketplaces and hawker centres. However, the most famous in Penang is at a little unassuming stall located at the junction of Cintra Street and Campbell Street. It opens only in the evenings. This stall also sells pak thong kou (white sugar steamed cake).
Muah chee is made from glutinous rice flour. When cooked, the soft sticky-gooey dough is diced into small pieces and rolled around in a sandy mixture of grounded peanuts, sugar and roasted sesame seeds. These nice little golden nuggets are soft and taste even better when topped with fried shallots.
Uncle Chee Muah Chee at 2, Lebuh Cannon seems to be popular. Sometimes at hawker centres, you can find muah chee vendors on motorcycles or bicycles.
Pie tee or "top hat" is a beautiful and petit hors d'oeuvre of deep-fried pastry shell 'hat' generously filled with a mélange of julienned vegetables topped with fried shallots and a dollop of sauce. The filling and ingredients are almost similar to that of poh piah and it is not surprising if some poh piah vendors do serve pai tee too.
Available at Nyonya eateries and most of the food courts in Penang.
Goreng pisang - crispy golden-brown, deep-fried banana fritters are difficult to stop once you start munching on one. Best fried fritters are extremely crispy. Besides banana, try yam, sweet potato, cempedak, green pea, tapioca rolls and tnee kuih (glutinous rice cake) sandwiched between a slice of yam and sweet potato fritters. This snack food is commonly available with street vendors throughout
Penang.
Popiah – fresh Chinese spring roll with a filling of grated bang kwang (turnip), carrot, bean sprouts and a sprinkling of shredded omelette, diced bean curd and fried shallots. The name popiah in Hokkien means "thin wafer", which refers to the white crêpe skin which is made from wheat flour. You would find them at most hawker centers.
Putu piring is a rice flour cake with jaggery filling cooked by steaming and best eaten with freshly grated coconut and brown sugar. Besides the traditional saucer-shaped putu piring, there are also other various shapes available. If you see a green version, then pandan extract is added to offer a fragrant aroma to the dish. Usually, putu pring vendors would also sell putu mayong or putu mayam (string hoppers).
You can sample some of these humble yet wonderful offerings at stalls located at Pulau Tikus market area, Jalan Pasar at Little India enclave, Apollo market at Jalan Raja Uda and night markets throughout Penang.
Local fruits
There is nothing quite like a serving of refreshing local fruits, packed around with crushed ice to end a meal. It is also a good opportunity for one to experience the wide variety of local fruits that are in season. Because they are naturally rich in vitamins, minerals and fibres, you could find fresh fruit stalls at virtually every food centre. Should you decide to get some for later, wet markets and supermarkets would be an ideal place to shop.
Tropical Fruit Farm in Teluk Bahang list that they have over 250 types of tropical and sub-tropical fruits. That is indeed a fantastic place to visit of have a feast on local fruits. Recommended local fruits include durian (an acquired taste), rambutan, starfruit, campedak, nangka (jackfruit), mangosteen, dragonfruit, jambu air (rose apple), dukung, chiku, banana, guava, nutmeg, nona (custard apple), soursop, papaya and pomelo.
If you love pickled fruits (locally known as jeruk in Malay), head down to Chowrasta market in Penang Road. Pickled nutmeg, papaya, guava, mango, kedondong, salak, asam kelubi and cermai are among those you should try. They are also available at night markets.
Lipsmacking local biscuits
When talking about Penang's biscuits, tau sar piah (pneah) reigns supreme. It comes with a roll of five pieces. They are available in two varieties – with green (mung) bean filling or with lotus paste filling. Tambun biscuits are a miniaturised form of tau sar pheah with green bean filling and are sold in a box of 16 or 32 pieces.
Freshly baked tau sar piah has a crumbly flaky crust. The savoury green bean paste filling should be soft and moist with a distinct aroma of fried shallots. Simply divine and suitable to be eaten any time of the day. They would also make great gifts.
Coming in at a close second at the popularity stakes is hneoh piah (pneah) – a flattish biscuit with a flaky crust and sticky caramel filling. Both biscuits are available from most shops selling local products or better still, get them fresh, directly from the source:
Check out Little India for a variety of Indian crunchies like savoury muruku and kacang putih. If you have a craving for sweet and savoury nibbles Malay style, try pisang manis sira gula, bahulu, pisang abu masin, kerepek ubi masin, kerepek ubi and tempeyek. Available from Chowrasta, Lorong Kulit flea market and night markets (pasar malam) throughout Penang.
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Written and photographed by Adrian Cheah © All rights reserved
Updated: 7 March 2019
I am game for all things durian. Durian egg tarts are delicious. Homemade durian ice cream is such a sinful treat, especially eaten with crispy kuih kapit (love letters). Passion Heart Cafe bakes one-of-a-kind Fresh Cream Durian Cake; it is a sponge cake layered with fresh cream and creamy durian paste, topped with durian kaya (coconut jam). This is one of my favourite cakes at the cafe.
Different people crave different varieties of durians. However, I truly relish durians from older trees as they bear fruits that have buttery-smooth, thick and creamy flesh, often with a stronger "fragrance" and flavour. Even from the same tree, durians can vary from season to season as the trees are influenced by soil conditions and weather. Over different seasons, the Or Chi (Black Thorn) fruits do not necessarily taste the same.
Ban chien kuih, a popular street snack in Penang is easily available throughout the state. In Hokkien, ban chien kuih 慢煎粿 (or ban cien koay, ban chean kueh, ban chang kuih or ban jian kway) literally means "slow-fried cake".
The constant stream of customers to Kim Leng Loh Mee in Perak Road indicates its popularity among locals. Located at Joo Huat Restaurant, this famous lor mee stall is only a stone's throw away from the bustling Perak Road morning market.
In 1989, Mr Lim Chong Beng, the only son in the family, took over the family Hokkien mee business from his parents when they were too old to carry on. A bowl was then selling for a mere 80 cents.
When my seven siblings and I were young, my late Dad would cook up a storm for breakfast, having many hungry mouths to feed. French toast was one of his popular breakfast dishes.
Ice kacang, the mother of all Malaysian desserts, is also known as ang tau s'ng (Hokkien for iced red beans) or ABC (ais batu campur in Malay). Although “kacang” means beans in Malay, this jubilant offering contains more than just ice and beans. Brimming in a bowl, the colourful concoction is made of a tower of shaved ice swirled with a mixture of red beans, leong fan (grass jelly or cincau in Malay), creamy sweet corn, chewy tapioca pearls and translucent attap chee (nipa palm fruit), smothered with at least two types of syrup and evaporated milk. You can further top it with a scoop of ice cream (especially durian, making it even more sinful).
Cendol/chendul is an iced sweet dessert that contains strands of green jelly served with fresh coconut milk and fragrant gula Melaka (palm sugar) syrup. This humble-looking offering certainly has its irresistible charms. Cendol tastes even better under the sweltering tropical heat. The cool, refreshing concoction is commonly found throughout Penang. Some stalls offer additional toppings such as boiled kidney beans/red beans, pulut (steamed glutinous rice), sweet corn, sago pearls, diced jackfruit, ice cream and even durian.
Let us make some creative sandwiches celebrating Penang's diverse culinary culture. Well, there are no rules here except good food between two slices of bread, bun, mantou or even puff pastry. And being in Penang, the choices of fillings available are aplenty.
In Penang, "oh chien" (in Hokkien) means "fried oysters" but it commonly refers to the oyster omelette dish. There are many varieties available in Malaysia and even more so throughout Southeast Asia, China and Taiwan.
The main ingredients for Penang-style oh chien include a batter (tapioca flour, rice flour or a mixture of both), chopped chives, eggs, fresh oysters and a special blend of seasoning. The dish is usually stir-fried over high heat and served with a garlic chilli sauce on the side. Some stalls garnish their dish with coriander leaves, adding more aroma to the omelette.
Penang laksa is extremely popular, especially among locals for its wonderful balance of spicy, sweet and sour flavours. This is strictly a hawker treat, as one is unlikely to find great laksa in a fancy restaurant.
Taste is very subjective and since Penangites are spoiled with choices, their discerning palate is indeed well-tuned to great food. Should you wish to see them enraged and in full disgust, just serve them a plate of something ordinary, or if you dare, something horrible. This only goes to illustrate how passionate they are about food, especially the local delicacies.