When it comes to Penang’s iconic dishes, we tend to take them for granted. It is easy to imagine that they have always been there and will always be. In reality, Penang food, like any other part of culture, has a history to it.
Some of these have been around for longer than we have realised. Others have interesting backstories and this listicle is just the tip of the iceberg of facts:
- Char kway teow
Image Credit: Anson Chew on Google Review (Left), Alvin Lim on Google Review (Right)
This stir-fried noodle is probably the king of all Penang food. It is the first thing which comes to mind when we talk about Penang cuisine. But did you know the smoky, umami delight is tied to the history of the Teochew people?
When the Teochew first migrated here, they brought their love for flat rice noodles and oyster omelettes. Kway teow is almost cooked over a roaring fire, just like in the old days. This gives it its deep, caramelised flavour.
Because of its high energy content, kway teow was traditionally served to labourers who worked long hours in the day. Nowadays, it’s a comfort food for everyone. Loaded with prawns, lap cheong, bean sprouts and chives, some stalls throw in duck eggs for extra goodness.
- Assam Laksa
Image Credit: Penang Road Famous Laksa on Google Review (Left), Ly N on Google Review (Right)
There are so many types of laksa in Malaysia that it’s worth an article of its own. Penang’s version is bold and tangy, replacing coconut milk with tamarind. The result? A sweet-sour broth that refreshes you.
The dish traces its origins back to the Chinese Peranakan community. Its flavour comes from the flaked mackerel broth, shrimp paste, lemongrass, turmeric, ginger flowers and galangal. Also needed are the rice noodles and toppings like cucumber, chilli, pineapple and laksa leaf.
What you have in the end is a colourful, spicy and mildly sweet delicacy. Little wonder that CNN actually ranked it as among the world’s best dishes in 2021. One hopes more tourists visit Penang just to have a little taste!
- Hokkien Mee & Loh Mee
Image Credit: CM Kon on Google Review (Left), Kelvin Ying on Google Review (Right)
A dish claimed by the Hokkien community, these two noodle soups were brought over by Fujian immigrants fleeing a violent China back in the 19th century. Hokkien Mee always has a shrimp head broth, with pork bones, onions and chilli paste added in.
Typically, Hokkien mee has a deep orange hue. The taste? Rich, savoury, and slightly spicy. More often than not, people top the noodles with sliced pork belly, hard-boiled eggs, fried shallots, and kangkung.
Meanwhile, Loh Mee has a thicker, starch-based gravy infused with Chinese five-spice. This is what gives it its aromatic, soothing taste. In Penang, people often mix the two broths together and call it “Hokkien cham lor,” creating a dish that is both deeply spicy and silky smooth.
- Nyonya Cuisine
Image Credit: Gator on Google Review (Left), Chai Choong Leong on Google Review (Right)
All Nyonya dishes have such a rich history that it was hard to pick which one ought to have been on this list. Since Nyonya cuisine in general deserves recognition, we chose to include all of the dishes here.
Peranakan culture is the result of Chinese and Malay cultures fusing together. So, for the cuisine, you have Chinese ingredients being cooked with Malay spices. Typical Nyonya dishes are aromatic and complex in terms of taste.
Staples of the Nyonya kitchen are otak-otak, assam fish, inchi kabin and pork in cincalok. What’s the difference between Melaka and Penang Nyonya cuisine? Penang has more Thai influence, meaning food is tangier and slightly spicier.
- Nasi Kandar
Image Credit: Alwin Leow on Google Review (Left), Calvin Gung on Google Review (Right)
This rice dish is everywhere nowadays, but it still is very much a mamak thing. Back in the day, nasi kandar was a simple but hearty meal for labourers. Vendors would typically carry plain white rice balanced on bamboo poles (kandar), paired with a curry dish.
People today can hardly call nasi kandar simple. More like a feast, with how people pile their rice with curries, meats and fried goodies. The kuah campur makes an authentic nasi kandar, as the rice is doused with multiple curries, creating a super aromatic flood of flavour.
- Curry Mee
Image Credit: Alex Choo on Google Review (Left), Anthony Teoh on Google Review (Right)
Penang’s take on curry mee has both Cantonese and Peranakan influence. Hence, the combo of creamy coconut-based soup with spicy, fragrant seasonings. Also called curry mei fun, this noodle soup usually consists of half yellow noodles and half rice vermicelli.
Both noodles would absorb the curry broth perfectly. People then eat them with cockles, tofu puffs, shrimp, and sometimes cuttlefish. Penang’s version, which grew popular around the 1960s, is lighter and whiter compared to the thick and heavy version you find in KL.
You should also check out: If you’re a true Char Kway Teow fan, then you know at least half of these 8 KL & S’gor stalls
Feature Image Credit: Royen Lock on Google Review
