Non-stop eating in Penang

Dishes that embody the national spirit and essence.

Malaysian cuisine is formed from a blend of culinary styles from three ethnic groups: Malaysian, Chinese, and Indian, and is influenced to varying degrees by the Indonesian, Thai, Singaporean, Portuguese, Dutch, and British communities. Therefore, Malaysian multi-ethnic dishes are quite diverse and appealing to tourists visually, olfactorily, and gastronomically.

One quintessential national dish is assam laksa – Penang's most famous noodle dish, featuring thick, chewy egg noodles and a broth made from mackerel, flavored with sour tamarind and spicy chili, ready to "tear apart" the tongue but unforgettable after just one bite. There's also nasi kandar – a dish of Indian origin consisting of rice served with fried toppings such as fried chicken, fried fish, fried squid, fried shrimp, etc., topped with various curry sauces according to preference. The most common accompanying vegetables are okra and eggplant. The rice for nasi kandar is usually served in a wooden container and has a distinctive aroma. According to my research, "nasi" means "rice," and "kandar" means "carrying pole." The name comes from the fact that in the past, street vendors would carry two baskets of rice on their shoulders while selling their wares.

Malaysia also boasts many unique dishes such as Satay – marinated meat skewers grilled over charcoal, served with peanut butter sauce; and Hokkien mee – a noodle dish originating from Fujian, with variations depending on the region in Malaysia. Many other dishes, such as char kuey teow (stir-fried rice noodles) and wonton mee (wonton noodles), while familiar in other countries, have their own distinctive flavors.

Peranakan characteristics

Famous worldwide for its diverse cuisine, Malaysia is not widely known for another unique culinary style: Peranakan (or Nyonya). Peranakans are a group of Chinese immigrants who settled in Penang, Malacca, Singapore, and Indonesia, and married local Malaysians, creating a distinct culture that blends Chinese and Malaysian influences.

Peranakan cuisine is considered a "specialty" of George Town, the capital of Penang. What makes it different is its seasoning – a mixture created from various ingredients. While coconut milk is a prominent flavor in Malaysian cuisine, Peranakan dishes feature a rich, sour taste from tamarind.

My mother and I had dinner together at a famous Perakenan restaurant in Penang, enjoying salmon salad with carrots and seaweed, papaya salad with soft-shell crab, Vietnamese spring rolls, braised lamb, braised fish – cooked with or served with a special sauce, and finally, dessert of glutinous rice balls in purple sweet potato skin with black sesame filling. All the dishes were meticulously prepared and cooked, so they were not only delicious at first but also had a lingering aftertaste.

Satisfied with the food street.

The most famous food streets in George Town's Old Town are Chulia and Kimberly. The best bowl of laksa I've ever eaten was at Edelweiss Kafe. The restaurant's design blends Asian and European styles, elevating the laksa to an international level. I've always enjoyed traditionally cooked dishes, but I also appreciate those prepared in a more refined and delicate way. The laksa here completely won me over; it didn't have a fishy smell at all.

You'll be captivated by the aroma of baked goods and herbal egg tarts if you happen to pass by Ming Xiang Tai pastry shop – a shop specializing in handmade pastries and traditional Cantonese baked goods and cookies. I bought a chicken-filled pastry and an egg tart. My mistake that day was not eating more.

What if you're tired of rich, flavorful dishes? Amidst a sea of ​​Chinese, Indian, Malay, and Peranakan cuisine, Japanese food offers a remarkably understated beauty. And this small restaurant, Sushi Kitchen, with only about 20 seats and serving only vegetarian sushi, amplifies the understated elegance of Japanese cuisine. The restaurant's style isn't particularly striking, but the menu, though consisting entirely of vegetable dishes, made me crave them as soon as I read the descriptions. I wished I had an insatiable appetite and a huge wallet to try everything.

I believe you'll also want to try a giant bowl of ramen at My Voice. I could "smell" the aroma of starch and broth wafting through the hot New Year's air, and so, following the call of my rumbling stomach, I dragged my mother along. The ramen noodles were perfectly cooked, still retaining their chewy texture. The broth had a sweet flavor from the vegetables and a rich taste from the miso paste. A layer of golden sesame oil shimmered on top of the noodles, adding to the overall aroma. If I were to rate it, I'd give it an 11/10 because it was so satisfying.

Amazed by street food

On our last day in Penang, while walking from Beach Street to Pasar Chowrasta, my mother and I were constantly exclaiming "wow!" and "ah!" in delight, stopping for breakfast at a duck noodle soup stall. The bowl of duck noodle soup contained noodles, shredded duck meat, fish balls, onions, and cilantro, but no accompanying vegetables, as all the delicious, sweet, nutritious, and exquisite flavors were in the broth. Afterwards, we continued our... breakfast at a rice roll stall, unable to resist the nimble hands of the owner.

Pasar Chowrasta is a long-standing market in Penang, open from 7 am to 12 pm daily – where you can find interesting ingredients and enjoy unique street food.

The next thing I ate was fried dough – unlike in Vietnam, this dish isn't formed into a cake but remains loose, making it easy to wrap in a cone-shaped paper roll to hold in your hand; and… peanut egg cake – a cake with a thick, crispy, fluffy crust and a soft, fragrant, finely ground peanut filling; tofu served with molasses; soy milk served with molasses; and bakkwa – a dried meat that still retains its moisture, with a savory and sweet flavor, usually rolled thin or sliced ​​into bite-sized pieces.

I had to reluctantly walk past the wonton noodle vendor blanching fresh, golden noodles; the char siu pork vendor chopping glistening pieces of meat; the middle-aged man at the stir-fried rice noodle stall wrapping portions of rice noodles in banana leaves with bean sprouts, chili, dried fish, and Sambal chili sauce; and the woman behind the glass of the curry noodle cart waving to attract customers.

My mother and I needed to save room in our stomachs to return to Queen Street, to the humble curry shop with old, rickety tables and chairs we'd found last night, to taste the fish curry with chapathi (Indian flatbread) once more, and have two more glasses of fragrant, creamy, rich Malay milk tea before heading back to pack our bags because our short vacation would truly end tomorrow.

In this Muslim country, the main dishes are made from beef, goat, and fish, and are mostly cooked thoroughly, but that doesn't hinder the development of its unique cuisine. Malaysians – specifically those in Penang – may eat up to six meals a day, including breakfast, a few light snacks before lunch, lunch, a bowl of noodles at 4-5 pm, a main meal in the evening, and a snack at 10 pm. It must be said that food is an inseparable part of daily life for Malaysians. They love to eat! Truly! They eat non-stop, and they make tourists eat non-stop too. I wonder, what flavor would a person far from home miss the most – spicy, pungent, warm, rich, sweet, sour, or… all of them?

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