Famous Foods You Must Try in Penang

Prepared By,

Sarah Dibba

Simon Ak. Kiai

Suryanie Sarmon

Fefiana Lahong Tony

Everybody knows that Penang is a food paradise especially if you are looking for an authentic street foods. With high-end restaurants and hotel dining rooms, you don’t really get to see the culture surrounding you, where as street food allows you to get a real taste of Penang’s life. Also, you can always try eating with your hands, which is far harder and much messier than you can imagine. Here are some list of foods that you must try in Penang :

1. CHAR KWAY TEOW

Penang is heaven of food. A lot of tourists come to Penang because of the foods. Char Kway Teow, considered one of the iconic dishes of  Penang Island.  Char Kway Teow also a popular street hawker dish in Malaysia.  Long time ago, Char Kway Teow is a menu from Chinese community. But, today Char Kway Teow mixed together with Malaysian ethnic. Everyone can make a good Char Kway Teow. It is basically consists of flat rice noodles stir fried with light and soy sauce, chillies, cockles, and seafoods. There are too many versions of Char Kway Teow nowadays. You can never be arrogant before you taste the delicious of Char Kway Teow.  Also, you can only find the cheapest Char Kway Teow in Penang!

2.   ASSAM LAKSA PENANG

Laksa, a favorite food in Kuching, is popular all over Malaysia. However, the Assam Laksa found in Penang stands out with its spicy and sour fishy taste. The thick rice noodles are added to a fish broth seasoned with lemongrass, chillies, and tamarind. Assam Laksa has a unique taste that is sure to be a new experience. The Long Beach Cafe at Batu Feringgi version is really addictive, with just the right amount of sourness.

3. HOKKIEN PRAWN MEE

Cooked in a fragrant stock, Hokkien Prawn Mee is a delicious noodle dish made from yellow noodles, vermicelli and large, juicy shrimp. The Hokkien Prawn Mee is originated from the Fujian province in China.The Malaysian version is considerably enhanced with better flovours, ingredients and toppings. We can find this at Long Beach Cafe at Batu Feringgi in Penang. The taste is absolutely delicious with the reasonable price.

4. NASI KANDAR

The name originates from the way nasi kandar was served back in British colonial days. Nasi means rice. Meanwhile, kandar refers to a pole or yoke that Indian vendors used to carry food for sale down the streets of Penang. Vendors would dispense food from the containers and hungry diners would order and eat right on the street. 

Nasi Kandar Line Clear was found in 1930 by S. N. Sekandar and his brother, S. N. Seeni Pakir. The shop has flourished over the years, despite its location in an alleyway and the prices staying unchanged for over a decade. 

The present-day proprietor, Zainul Halam Abdul Hamid, is Seeni Pakir's son, and his own children and nephews work for him, taking orders and cleaning tables in shifts throughout the shop's punishing 24-hour schedule.

5. HOMEMADE SPRING ROLL

Spring roll or also known as Popiah is available at just about every hawker centre but nothing beats homemade. It is a Chinese crepe that holds perfectly some cooked filing usually consists of stir-fried turnip, french beans, steamed bean sprouts and fresh lettuce leaves. Each crepe is prepared on a round thin white edible wrapper. After spreading some sweet sauce onto this thin wrapper, it will be added with fresh lettuce, following by filling and then being secured on both ends and roll almost like a cylinder. Adding up the flavour of spring roll, they usually serve it with a sweet sauce. They serve the best homemade spring roll at Long Beach Café at Batu Feringgi.

6. THAILAND COCONUT WATER

Exhausted from working the whole day? Try out this fresh coconut water, ice cold, very refreshing and scoop out the flesh with the spoon. The taste of this coconut water tend to be slightly sweeter with a much deeper, nuttier flavour from any other coconut water. It beats an ice cream for dessert any day and this can help to remove all of your exhaustion of the day.