Jawa Mee (Java noodles), this dish of boiled yellow noodles in a thick rich tomato gravy has evolved to become very much a Penang hawker fare with local flavours. The Jawa Mee is almost like Mee Rebus (boiled noodles) but is slightly different with additional ingredients that set it apart in taste and appearance. The origin of this hawker fare is unclear but its name suggests that it is linked back to the heydays of the Java Peranakan as its… Read More »Soup Jawa Mee
The Clan Jetties will be one of the first thing you see if you arrive Penang island by the ferry. These water villages are over a century old and is in the UNESCO heritage core zone. Each jetty is named after a Chinese clan – the Chew Jetty is the most tourist-friendly with the most stilt-houses and the longest walkway. The Clan Jetties is used to be eight jetties until one was demolished by fire and one was demolished to… Read More »Clan Jetties
Chapati is a very filling flatbread and paired with vegetable or meat curries. Although this Penang hawker food is an Indian diet, this savoury food is hugely popular with other races too. It is usually taken for breakfast or dinner. Chapati is an unleavened flatbread originating from the Indian subcontinent. In Hindi “Chapat” means slab, which describes the traditional way to preparing this thin dough goodness and how chapati got its name. Today it’s a staple food that is immediately… Read More »Chapati
It looks alike chai tow kway aka fried carrot cake but it is not. The Penang char koay kak is something that you can only find in Penang even though some hawkers in other states try to cook it. But like many other Penang hawker food, it is not easy to replicate. It is often mistaken as chai tau koay (radish cakes) but the char koay kak here is mostly made from rice cakes, not radish cakes, and prepared differently… Read More »Char Koay Kak
Whenever durian season comes around, many of us go on a durian hunt, looking for their favourite type of durian. Durian is a popular snack in Southeast Asia. However, while we love the King of Fruits, some seem to have a different take on it as they find the fruit smells stinky like a garbage fume or rotten food and the taste is too heavy. Every year, between May and July, hundreds of makeshift durian stalls will pop up all… Read More »Durian
This is a meal that pairs the fragrant rice cooked with yam with a sourish soup of pork and salted vegetables. The yam rice is fluffy and so tasty, you can eat it as it is. Add on a few dishes especially the salted vegetable soup that is bound to add some zest to the meal. This yam rice with sourish soup dish are available mostly in the mainland side of Penang, particularly in Bukit Mertajam. There are also few… Read More »Yam rice with kiam chia soup
The boiling aromatic pot of tender soft bak kut (pork ribs) simmering in hot claypot and spices, bak kut teh in Penang is not as well-known as Klang but unsurprisingly, it is one of the hawker foods that locals have enjoyed for breakfast and supper. Bak kut teh will keep your tummies warm and cravings satisfied. Bak kut teh literally means Pork bone tea soup and is a Chinese herbal soup dish believed to be introduced into Malaysia in the 19th… Read More »Bak Kut Teh
They look exactly like the common rice vermicelli, except for its softer, more fragile texture. It may seem plain and tasteless looking coils of white rice noodles but do not underestimate this addictive delicacy. The Putu Mayong, sometimes also known as Putu Mayam, used to be sold by travelling vendors on pushcarts, and even bicycles in recent times. The Putu Mayong’s origin can be traced back to Southern India where it is also known as string hoppers. This simple dish… Read More »Putu Mayong
