Food, Penang hawker food

Many, many years ago - I believe it was in 1996 or 1997 - I had a webpage on Penang food. It was hosted on the old Malaysia Online portal, long before the domain name was sold off. When they sold off the domain name, I lost my webpage and I never got round to reproducing it anywhere else.

I suppose this blog is as good a place as anywhere else for me to attempt to reproduce my take on the best of Penang food. But of course, much of the information will require an update because even food stalls come and go. So, here it is ... my collection of the best Penang food. Call it the SS Quah Penang Food Award, if you like.

A quick intro to anyone who is not yet into Penang food: Penang is a paradise for food lovers who come from all over Malaysia, Singapore and overseas. The first thing that people do when they cross the border by land, sea or air, even before they check into a hotel, is to ask: "Penang food, where, ah?"

Ais Kacang. Not many stalls can beat the one at the new New World Park Hawker Centre. It comes with the usual sweet red kidney beans (large ones!!), attap nuts and sweet corn, all covered with shaved ice and laced with rose syrup, brown sugar syrup and sweetened condensed milk. For a bit more indulgence, ask for ice cream and sliced fruits like bananas and papayas. The Ais Kacang stalls in Lorong Selamat also serve irresistible versions.

Apong. Originally cooked by Indians in small claypots over charcoal, most apong stalls use small metal woks over gas fires nowadays. To meet, it's not so interesting anymore and the taste is somewhat different. But it's still possible to find apong, the old fashioned way at the coffee shop at the Burmah Road/Moulmein Road junction (same coffee shop selling the Hokkien Mee described below). Available in the mornings until about 9am, after that, habis!

Bak Moy. It's more than moy (or broth) that the hawkers sell. Normally, I'd go for the mee suah. But no matter whether its moy or mee suah, the stall at Jalan Kampung Malabar, off Penang Road is my absolute favourite. It's worth waiting 30 or 40 minutes just to enjoy a bowl. 

Banana Leaf Rice. This is of ethnic South Indian origin and comes served on a banana leaf with a standard serving of two or three types of vegetable dishes and papadom. You can usually choose between fish, chicken and mutton as a main dish or if you prefer, go vegetarian all the way! One of the oldest banana leaf rice restaurants is the Shusi Restaurant in Penang Street. It's been my choice for traditional Banana Leaf Rice for the last 20 years. Nearby is the Sri Ananda Bahwan Restaurant and the food's cooked by real Indian nationals. So, it is about the closest you'll get to authentic Indian food cooked by authentic Indians. But my vote still goes to Shusi Restaurant. Btw, it's undergoing renovation and should reopen by Chinese New Year.

Char Koay Kak. For one of the best plates of this dish, you must go to MacAlister Lane. You can't miss this stall. You'll see it immediately on the left side of the road as you turn into it (it's a one-way street). For an alternative, you should try the stall at the junction of Burmah Road / Tavoy Road. In the mornings, the stall at the SuperTanker food court in Taman Lip Sin.

Char Koay Teow. Too close to call but my vote goes to the stall outside the coffee shop at the MacAlister Road/New Lane junction or the one at Lorong Selamat. Big delicious prawns but beware of the pieces of fried lard that's mixed into the fried koay teow. They're cruchy and gives a distinct taste to the food but it's too oily for people watching their cholesterol. I've also rediscovered one of my favourite Char Koay Teow seller who has relocated to a coffee shop at the China Street / Penang Street junction. BTW, give the Two Sisters stall in MacAlister Road a real miss. Serious! It's an over-hyped stall and they can even cheat you over an egg. Just watch them fry three plates together and use only two eggs. Huh!

Chendol, a dessert to cool down your hot days, made with green pandan-flavoured noodles and large, red kidney beans in coconut milk, brown sugar and shaved ice. There's a very famous stalls along Keng Kwee Street, a side road off busy Penang Road. There's another not-so-famous one opposite it. If you want better service, try the less famous one. The quality is absolutely the same, so I dunno why people keep going to the other side of the road!

Chicken Rice. This seller used to have a stall in a small coffee shop at kampung Malabar but has now gone Big Time with his own shop in Cintra Street. A very popular place and I do not see any reason to disagree with its popularity. Friends from KL used to come by just to taste a bowl of the rice first, before diving into the chicken.

Fried Oysters. My favourite is the stall outside the Seng Thor coffee shop at the Carnarvon Street / Kimberley Street junction. Its reputation goes back decades as the business was handed down from father to son.

Hokkien Mee. I don't know why Pulau Tikus seems to be the best place for a bowl of Hokkien Mee - noodles served with eggs, small prawns, meat slices, bean sprouts and kangkong in a spicy prawn stock - but if you are around this area, do try the stall at the coffee shop at the Burmah Road/Moulmein Road junction. There are two coffee shops, so make sure you go to the right one. It's the one on the right and it is usually sold out by 8.30am. You may also want to try the stall at the Burmah Road/Bangkok Lane junction.

Koay Teow Th'ng. One of the best I've taken is at the Chai Leng Park market. It's served with slices of pig entrails, meat balls and minced meat. At night, I've been frequenting a stall along Kimberley Street quite often. Location is that short stretch of road between the Kimberley Street/Rope Walk and Kimberley Street/Cintra Street junctions. You can order pig intestines and chicken feet as side dishes.

Mee Goreng and Mee Rebus. The stall at the coffee shop at the Burmah Road / Bangkok Lane junction serves good Indian mee goreng and mee rebus. There's also one at the Mamak food court at Gurney Drive, claimed to be from Edgecumbe Road originally. For the more adventurous, try the Mee Kuah Ketam along the Kulim Road on the mainland. It's just before the junction to the Bukit Mertajam Country Club. This place is packed in the afternoons, except Fridays when it's closed!

Nasi Kandar. Unfortunately, nasi kandar is too commercialised today and many of the old-style Indian Muslim sellers are no longer around in the land of its origin. Nevertheless, among the most well-known is a place called Line Clear, off Penang Road. One of the quaintest characters there is their boss (I think) who will speak to you in Hokkien or Cantonese, depending on your inclination.

Penang Laksa. People say the stalls in Ayer Itam or Balik Pulau are the best, but I swear by the stall along Lorong Selamat. It's generously garnished and the Lemak variety is the best I've ever tasted.

Po Piah. The best on the island so far is at the Padang Brown food centre. If you are on the mainland, do go the stall that's inside the one-storey coffee shop at the junction of Jalan Bunga Raya and Jalan Pasar in Bukit Mertajam. It's only available from 3pm until everything runs out! Others? I'm not very impressed but these two stalls makes me go crazy thinking about the po piah!

Rojak. Never had a strong liking for rojak but I'm quite partial towards this stall in Bukit Mertajam that's curiously called Rojak Orang Hitam Putih. Don't know why it's called that way, but the stall's located within the same coffee shop where you can find the Po Piah that I've described above. P.S. While you are there waiting for the food, order the local coffee. Now, that's my type of coffee: thick and delicious and guaranteed to keep you abuzz better than any expresso!

Wantan Mee, or Tok Tok Mee from the sound of sellers knocking bamboo sticks together to draw attention to their ware. My favourite stall on the island is located at the first coffee shop you see on the right-hand side as you turn into China Street from Jalan Kapitan Kling mosque. It's available from 7am daily, except Sundays. On the mainland, one of the stalls at the Seberang Jaya food centre beside the Seberang Jaya wet market is worth a try.

Yong Tau Foo. The only authentic Penang yong tau foo stall is located at the Padang Brown at the Anson Road / Perak junction. Others are poor imitations and there's really no competition for this stall. Try it for a memorable lunch or tea.