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Sub-link: Penang Chinese Food

Penang Assam Laksa


As you all would've guessed, Penang Assam Laksa would be my first food to be blogged about. Well, how can I not? It is after all, the proud of our country to be in the CNN food list. Anyway, I'll start this post off by feasting your eyes with a bowl of Assam Laksa.

Ok, first, I'll define what a bowl of Assam Laksa means, the wiki way:

Penang laksa (Malay: Laksa Pulau Pinang), also known as asam laksafrom the Malay for tamarind, comes from the Malaysian island of Penang. It is made with mackerel (ikan kembung) soup and its main distinguishing feature is the asam or tamarind which gives the soup a sour taste. The fish is poached and then flaked. Other ingredients that give Penang laksa its distinctive flavour include lemongrass, galangal (lengkuas) and chilli. Typical garnishes include mint, pineapple slices, thinly sliced onion, hε-ko, a thick sweet prawn paste and use of torch ginger flower. This, and not 'curry mee' is the usual 'laksa' one gets in Penang.

Now you have it, Wikipedia's definition. But what is MY definition of Assam Laksa? It's a bowl of goodness which makes me salivate by just smelling it. The soup has to be very fragrant, has to have the right acidity, and of course the right amount of HEAT! A good Assam Laksa has to have GENEROUS amount of fish. Last but not least, probably the most important component, is the shiny black prawn paste which brings a whole new level of goodness to the dish.



Penang Hokkien Har Mee (prawn noodles)

Confucious once said, 'The best way to start your day off is by having a good bowl of Har Mee'. Alright, that was made up, Confucious never said that, but ONLY because he has never tasted Penang Hokkien Har Mee!

Yet again, I'll kick it off with a mouth watering picture of Har Mee :

From the name of the dish, it is obvious that prawns are the main ingredient for this bowl of wonder(not exaggerating). Prawn are not only used as the garnish, but as the stock for the soup! Prawn shells are lightly fried and then boiled as a stock for many hours.
Anyway, the secret to a good Prawn noodle lies in the stock. It HAS to be packed with flavour, prawn flavour of course.
Traditionally, small cubes of fried pork fat are added to the soup, but this is now less common due to health concerns. It is garnished with prawns, fish cake, leafy greens, pork ribs, squid, vegetables, crisp deep-fried shallots, spring onions and fresh lime. The dish is served with sliced red chili, light soy sauce and sambal.
Another reason why we know Har Mee is a fantastic dish - instant noodles maker, Ibumie made an instant noodle version of Har Mee! Haha i do find this funny.

Penang Hokkien Har Mee is find throughout Penang, either at hawker stalls by the road or in coffeeshops.


Dim Sum

If you’re a Malaysian or Chinese, chances are you’re already very familiar with what Dim Sum means. For those who don’t, Dim Sum are Chinese snacks in many forms, may it be steamed dumplings, steamed bread, fried spring rolls or even braised chicken legs! They’re served in bamboo baskets which they are steamed in.

Dim Sum are served only during breakfast or lunch, and they are served with Chinese tea. Penang’s Dim Sum is famous for it’s freshness of ingredients and served steaming hot fresh from the large steamers. Many argues that Dim Sum in Penang are cheaper than in KL’s, and with a larger portion too!







Char Koay Teow

As you can see, Char Koay Teow is a plate of stir fried flat noodles with baby clams, bean sprouts, eggs, chili paste and soy sauce and prawns, garnished with scallions. This is truly a Penang specialty as the cooks in Penang claims Char Koay Teow anywhere else does not taste as good as theirs. A good plate of Char Koay Teow has to have fresh ingredients, just the right amount of seasoning and the right volume of heat. Although Char Koay Teow is known for being unhealthy due to it’s fat content, that doesn’t stop Malaysians and even foreigners to indulge in this truly original Penang dish.

Sub-link: Penang Desserts & Snacks

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Objective: 

To let people know about desserts that we can find out at the Penang Island.

Description:

Dessert is a course that typically comes at the end of a meal, usually consisting of sweet food but sometimes of a strongly-flavored one, such as some cheeses. The word comes from the Old French desservir, "to clear the table." Common desserts include cakes, cookies, fruits, pastries, ice cream, and candies.

Findings:

Ais Kacang

Ice kacang is a traditional dessert served in Malaysia and Singapore. A bowl of shaved ice drizzled with Gula Melaka and coconut syrup on a hot day instantly refreshes. The Lee brother now helm the Ice Kacang stall which their grandfather started in 1923. Moving along with times, the two creative brothers create more that 30 different Ice Kacang flavours.

SiKua Teng

Farlim Chinese herbs teas like Longan, Si Kua Teng and so on. Everybody is recommended to have some after finished eating a bowl of spicy Laksa. There are many ingredients that can be added on into the ice-cold Longan or Si Kua Teng. And it is fantastic because it is up to you whatever types of ingredients you want to add on!

Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul

This is a common sight in front of the 60-year-old Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul stall – perennial crowd and every one gulps down his bowl Chendul. Chendul is made from grinded rice and vanilla sauce in their colouring flovour with no artificial colouring. Drizzled with sweet-tasting coconut syrup, Chendul refreshes and cools you down on a hot day.

Tang Yuen

These hand-made "TANG YUEN" (A TRADITIONAL SWEET ROUND RICE CAKE SOUP DESSERT) are smooth, succulent YET do not glue to your teeth. According to Michael, his grandmother  has been in the business for more than 60 year's, peddling on the streets and now he is managing the business since 1978. It used to be in yellow and white then, now there are even larger one's filled with sweet crushed peanuts or black sesame seed paste and specially served with either ginger or sweetened brown sugar soup plus a noticeable fragrant of "pandan" (screw pine) leaves. Consuming it whole is the trick with one glup to savour its goodness is what Micheal has suggested as the family business has been dishing out bowls after bowls of "TANG YUEN" ever since.

Jeruk / Pickles

Penang has been famous for its 'buah jeruk' i.e Pickles for many years. Some claim this is due to Nutmeg (Pala) growing in abundance in Penang, which is one of the main pickle options. The types of pickles vary, obviously based on fruits. It is nicely marinated. 

References:

http://www.penang-online.com/pages/penang-hawker-food/snacks-drinks-desserts.php

http://makan2food.blogspot.com/2011/01/jeruk-in-penang-pickles.html

Flowchart:

Sub-link: Penang Indian Cuisine

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Flowchart:

Findings:

Nasi Kandar

When you are visiting Penang in Malaysia, your tour might remain incomplete without savouring the Penang food. Though food in Penang is popular as that sold by the hawkers, you will get plenty of other cuisines here varying from Nyonya, Chinese, Indian, Malay, Hakka-styled Western and seafood. However, if you want to have the best of hot and spicy food, do visit the Indian Restaurants in Penang.

Interestingly enough, most of the Indian foods are famous here are banana leaf Nasi Kandar. People from other states of Malaysia take a brief stop-over here to try out these dishes. Indian cuisine offers a distinct blend of the Mughals, Christians, British, Buddhists and Portuguese dishes with the aromatic spices as the unique trait. So whether you are looking for Rajasthani dishes, traditional Indian dishes, Tandoor delicacies or spicy hot curries, visit the Indian Restaurants in Penang.

  Banana Leaf Nasi Kandar

Flour Bread

Besides that, the food became the focus is the Nan bread, thosai, chapatti and much more. Bread made from flour kneaded by own. They eat with a variety of curries, such as chicken curry, mutton curry, and also they eat with tandoori chicken.

Thosai

 Nan Bread

Rojak

This is our very own local salad, sometimes known as “Indian Rojak”. It is sometimes refer#ffff00 to as “cheh hoo”, literally translated to “green fish” is raw fish, because that used to be one of the constituents. Originally these were two different dishes, but time and cultures have blended the two, and they are now more or less the same thing. Whatever name you know it by, up here in Penang, pasembor is the mixture of sliced-up dough and cucuk udang (prawn fritters), bean curd, boiled potatoes and hard-boiled egg served atop a bed of roughly-julienned vegetables, primarily cucumber and bangkwang (yam bean).

As soon as the salad is served to you, toss it to ensure the sauce mixes well with all the layers. It also softens the crispy fritter edges and flavours the vegetables at the same time. Although slightly sweet for some, the combination of carbohydrates and vegetables (and grease notwithstanding), is quite tasty and relatively healthy, as there is plenty of fresh crispy greens. Like other hawker foods, it’s available everywhere, and of course practically every hawker centre, along with Mamak stalls and food courts, many with their own loyal clients who have been eating there regularly for the past few decades. Pasembor is a wonderful potpourri of all things Malaysian, and particularly popular as a tea time treat.

 Rojak Pasembor

Flowchart

Mood Board

Findings: Penang Local Cuisines

"Having a reputation as a food paradise, be it haute cuisine, or cuisine bourgeoise (hawker fare), Penang offers a heady and exotic mix of delicious cuisine to choose from.

In a word, Penang food is both famous and fabulous. When people mention Penang food, they are more often than not referring to hawker food and coffee shop dining. It's true that some of the hype is overblown but it cannot be denied that Penang is home to many uniquely delicious chow.

Ironically, hawkers in other states or towns have been known to pull the crowd by simply advertising their food as hailing from Penang, regardless of its authenticity or quality. Then there are the Penang hawkers who advertise their cusine as specialties from another state, like Johor bak kut teh, Ipoh chicken and bean sprouts or laksa Kedah. In short, an infinite variety of dishes are yours to savour – all you need do is pick and choose. 

Penang hawker food can be broken down roughly into several varieties, with each being attributable to Penang's multi-cultural character: Nyonya, Chinese, vegetarian, Indian, Malay, Hakka-styled Western, seafood and desserts. Hybrids are also known to exist, and some famous examples are Malay style chicken rice and char koay teow, and Chinese satay and nasi lemak. Prices are cheap and reasonable.

With fishing being a major economic activity on the island, Penang is naturally a haven for sea food, and a handful of restaurants have already achieved legendary status among locals and foreigners.

Tucked away in remote corners, these eateries are not easy to find without local guidance but are definitely worth the extra effort seeking out.

Desserts play a major role in Penang gastronomy. There are as many varieties as there are races in Penang! To mention a few would do injustice to the rest, so you'll just have to let your eyes and your nose be your guide. A word of warning though – most local desserts tend to be sweet and rich, as coconut milk, flour and sugar are main ingredients.

Thanks to early Chinese migrants, Chinese cuisine ranges from Cantonese to Teochew to Hokkien to Hainanese to Szechuan cooking. There's also Penang Nyonya food, which is a combination of Chinese, Malay and some Thai. The Penang variety of Nyonya food, apparently, is different from the Malaccan or even Singaporean versions. For a touch of luxury, try a five or ten-course Chinese meal at one of the restaurants or hotels in town.

Indian cuisine goes by two names generally – banana leaf rice and nasi kandar. Both are hot and savoury with rice being the main staple, and a menu from north Indian tandoori and nan bread, to South Indian rice and capati.

Nasi kandar is famously popular with Penangites, and many restaurants selling it are well known not only to those on the island but those in other states as well. It is quite common to find people from other states detouring to Penang just to stop for a meal of nasi kandar before proceeding on their journey elsewhere."

Indulge! Savour!

Adapted from: Local Food Paradise