Penang Street Food - Part 2

Penang Street Food - Part 2

More Penang Street Food that I've tried during other visits to Penang, Malaysia, continuing from Part 1.

This list includes dishes not listed in Penang Street Food - Part 1. Cuisine is mostly Chinese, Malay, South Indian, and Peranakan.


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The Biryani in Malaysia is similar to the version in Singapore, being a fragrant South Indian rice dish that is flavoured with spices. In Penang, it can be eaten along with other dishes as part of a Nasi Kandar meal. The long-grain basmati rice is infused with a medley of spices, such as garlic paste, ginger paste, salt, cloves, cinnamon, powdered red chili, cumin seeds, clarified butter / ghee, powdered coriander, powdered cardamom, powdered turmeric, powdered mace, powdered nutmeg, bay leaves, star anise, fennel seeds, and black pepper. Has a loose fluffy texture, with grainy earthy sweet savoury spice flavour. The dish will feature a single type of meat, such as bone-in mutton bold meaty savoury salty spice flavour, and optionally a hard boiled chicken egg with eggy sweet flavour and bouncy texture. Several side dishes are served together, usually cool cucumber mint yoghurt raita, thick curry gravy (derived from choice of meat), or vinegar-brined pickled cucumbers.

Biryani

Biryani

There are various street stalls / kiosk selling burgers. Most commonly known to Singaporeans as the 'Ramly Burger' concept, but so much more tasty here. Each Burger Special contains a thick yet tender meat patty, wrapped in soft egg omelette, within fluffy burger buns garnished with juicy red onions, crisp lettuce, soft tomatoes, pliant cheese, and a variety of sauces including black pepper sauce, mayonnaise, and chili sauce. Naturally, the Chicken Egg Cheese Special has a chicken patty, the Beef Egg Cheese Special has a beef patty, and the Lamb Egg Cheese Special has a lamb patty.

Burger - Chicken Egg Cheese Special

Burger - Chicken Egg Cheese Special

Burger - Beef Egg Cheese Special

Burger - Beef Egg Cheese Special

Burger - Lamb Egg Cheese Special

Burger - Lamb Egg Cheese Special

The Cuttlefish Kang Kong is a simple side dish that is usually served to accompany a meal. It features blanched slippery cuttlefish and crunchy water spinach / kang kong, served with juicy pickled mustard greens and a thick fermented shrimp paste / hae ko, garnished with crunchy crushed peanuts, which lends its primary taste profile of savoury sweet salty vegetal shrimpy flavours. A rather uncommon dish here.

Cuttlefish Kang Kong

Cuttlefish Kang Kong

The Malaysia Hock Kian Prawn Mee differs greatly from the Singapore style Hokkien Mee and Prawn Noodles. The version in Penang features chewy yellow egg noodles and ailky thin rice vermicelli noodles, in a flavourful soup / broth made from prawn shells, dried shrimp, water, pork ribs, salt, white sugar, shallots, minced garlic, and red chili powder, resulting in a shrimpy sweet savoury salty spice flavour. Garnished with crisp bean sprouts, crisp kang kong / water spinach leaves, tender sliced pork, crunchy deshelled prawns or chewy dried shrimp, bouncy hard boiled chicken egg, and crisp deep-fried shallots, combining for a meaty savoury shrimpy salty vegetal earthy sweet herbal flavour. Tasty!

Hock Kian Prawn Mee

Hock Kian Prawn Mee

Hock Kian Prawn Mee

The Penang, Malaysia style Loh Mee differs slightly from the Singapore style Lor Mee. The thick starchy braising gravy is made with a blend of water, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, white sugar or palm sugar, salt, garlic, ginger, 5-spice powder, shallots, pork bones, prawn shells, and cinnamon, thickened with corn starch or tapioca starch, but without the use of black vinegar, resulting in a thick sticky gloopy texture with robust meaty savoury salty sweet herbal spice flavour. Garnished with chewy thick flat yellow noodles with grainy sweet flavour, crisp blanched bean sprouts with vegetal sweet flavour, tender pork loin slices with meaty savoury flavour, bouncy braised chicken eggs with eggy salty sweet herbal flavour, and springy fish cake slices with sweet savoury salty flavour.

Loh Mee

Loh Mee

The Malaysian version of Nasi Lemak is similar to the Singaporean version, with functionally the same ingredients. The long-grain white rice is infused with coconut milk or coconut cream, water, pandan / screwpine leaves, salt, ginger or galangal, and optionally, white sugar or lemongrass. The result is a warm fluffy moist loose texture, with enticing grainy earthy floral nutty herbal sweet flavour to the coconut rice. Typical garnishes include juicy cucumber with vegetal sweet flavour, crunchy deep-fried ikan bilis / anchovies with fishy salty savoury flavour, firm roasted salted peanuts with nutty savoury salty flavour, and a tender wobbly hard-boiled chicken egg carrying eggy sweet savoury flavour. A chunky grainy sambal tumis / stir-fried chili paste lends bold sweet savoury salty earthy spice flavour. If meat is added, it could either be a crisp tender deep-fried chicken wing with meaty savoury salty spice flavour, or tender chunky chicken curry with meaty savoury spice flavour.

Nasi Lemak

Nasi Lemak

The Tau Sar Pneah / Tambun Biscuit is popular as a dessert pastry, and is made with ground / mashed green bean paste, stuffed within a crisp, flaky pastry shell. These round, oven baked dessert balls can either be savoury or sweet, and is often cooked with vegetable oil.

Tau Sar Pneah / Tambun Biscuit

Tau Sar Pneah / Tambun Biscuit

Tau Sar Pneah / Tambun Biscuit

The Beh Teh Saw / Horse Shoe Biscuit is a traditional Chinese pastry biscuit, also known as Horse Hoof Biscuit. Traditionally, it used to be stuck on the side of the oven to bake, resulting in one side being thicker than the other. The pastry crust is crisp and flaky, so fragile that it crumbles easily when bit, or even when roughly handled. Stuffed with a sweet, sticky, sesame malt sugar filling, it's best eaten when hot and fresh!

Beh Teh Saw / Horse Shoe Biscuit

Beh Teh Saw / Horse Shoe Biscuit

Beh Teh Saw / Horse Shoe Biscuit

Beh Teh Saw / Horse Shoe Biscuit

The Ayam Goreng / Malay Fried Chicken is a Malay style fried chicken, coated in a flour and spice batter, then deep fried in coconut oil. This locks in moisture to the chicken meat, while giving the skin a flavourful crunch, and a distinctive savoury taste. Spices used include shallots, garlic, bay leaves, turmeric, lemongrass, tamarind juice, candlenut, galangal, salt, and sugar.

Ayam Goreng / Malay Fried Chicken

Ayam Goreng / Malay Fried Chicken

Ayam Goreng / Malay Fried Chicken

The Cabbage Thoran is a common, South Indian style dry curry vegetable dish, originating from Kerala, India. It's made by stir-frying cabbage, powdered turmeric, shallots, chili, curry leaves, salt, grated coconut, cumin seeds, and mustard seeds, in hot coconut oil. The result is a flavourful, bright yellow coloured side dish, often eaten along with white rice. It's commonly served in Singapore and Malaysia as part of an Economic Rice (Indian) / Thali meal. In Penang, it may be eaten along with other dishes as part of a Nasi Kandar meal.

Cabbage Thoran

Cabbage Thoran

Cabbage Thoran

Coconut Ice Cream is commonly sold along the streets, and is a popular dessert to stave off the hot weather.

Coconut Ice Cream

The Coconut Tart is a traditional Chinese style pastry, the big double-crusted pastry shells are flaky, stuffed with a generous amount of grated coconut, which has a nice balanced sweetness. The most famous stall in Penang to get these snacks / desserts is at Leong Chee Kee, in C8 Lebuh Cintra.

Coconut Tart

Coconut Water is sold along the streets by vendors, usually in a hollowed out coconut, and is a refreshing, thirst-quenching drink in hot weather.

Coconut Water

The Gulai Sotong / Coconut Curry Squid is a Malaysian Indian style dish, usually served as part of a Nasi Kandar meal. This mild, wet curry is made with fresh squid, tomatoes, coconut milk, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, curry leaves, salt, shallots, and chili.

Gulai Sotong / Coconut Curry Squid

Gulai Sotong / Coconut Curry Squid

A common street snack, the Kaya Puff is a traditional Chinese style pastry, with a crisp, flaky, hollow puff pastry shell, spread inside with a pandan kaya spread / screwpine leaf coconut egg jam. Sweet and tasty.

Kaya Puff

Kaya Puff

The Penang / Malaysia style Mee Goreng Mamak differs slightly from the Singapore style Mee Goreng. The version here typically has fewer ingredients, but more emphasis on wok frying skills, resulting in a slightly more savoury, tastier dish. Also, they include the use of dried cuttlefish, which lends a depth of flavour. The Penang / Malaysia style dish is also more spicy than the Singapore version.

Mee Goreng Mamak

Mee Goreng Mamak

The Nasi Kandar originated from Penang, Malaysia, and is an economical meal of steamed White Rice served with curries and several side dishes of choice. The white rice for a nasi kandar dish is often placed in a wooden container, giving it a distinctive fragrant aroma. Side dishes may include Ayam Goreng / Malay Fried Chicken, Cabbage Thoran, Gulai Sotong / Coconut Curry Squid, Rendang Beef, Rendang Mutton, Vendakkai Meen Curry, Telur Ikan / Capelin Fish Eggs, Cucumbers & Pineapples, Sotong Goreng / Fried Squid, Salted Egg, and more. The range of dishes is usually extensive, numbering over 30 dishes at any point in time. Nasi Kandar is almost always served with the selected 2 - 5 side dishes on a single plate.

Nasi Kandar

Nasi Kandar - White Rice

Nasi Kandar - Telur Ikan / Capelin Fish Eggs

Nasi Kandar - Cucumbers & Pineapples

Nasi Kandar - Sotong Goreng / Fried Squid, Salted Egg

Nasi Kandar - Gravy & Curry

Nasi Kandar

Rendang, whether Beef or Mutton, is a common Malay style side dish, eaten along with white rice and other ingredients as part of a Economic Rice (Malay) / Nasi Padang meal in Singapore, or as part of a Nasi Kandar meal in Malaysia. In Penang, the Rendang is typically tender, but with a slight gamey taste. This spicy, wet or dry curry meat dish is normally made by marinating then stewing the meat (beef or mutton) for hours, in a spice mixture of coconut milk, ginger, galangal, turmeric leaves, lemongrass, garlic, shallots, grated coconut, and chilli.

Rendang Beef

Rendang Beef

Rendang Beef

Rendang Mutton

Rendang Mutton

Rendang Mutton

A traditional Chinese pastry, the Salted Egg Pandan Lotus Biscuit consists of a pandan / screwpine leaf flavoured lotus seed paste, stuffed within a crisp, flaky, pastry shell along with a salted egg yolk. The contrast of salty, savoury, and sweet makes this dessert pastry very delightful.

Salted Egg Pandan Lotus Biscuit

Salted Egg Pandan Lotus Biscuit

Salted Egg Pandan Lotus Biscuit

A common dish in Southeast Asia, the Satay here features grilled skewers of meat, normally chicken or mutton, seldom beef or pork. Served alongside garnishes of vegetables (cucumbers and onions), as well as a satay gravy, which is a chunky ground peanut gravy.

Satay

Satay

The Cantonese Chinese style Siew Bao Roast Pork Bun features barbecue / roasted / grilled marinated pork loin meat, stuffed within a crisp, flaky, pastry shell which resembles a bun. This savoury treat is often sold along the streets here.

Siew Bao Roast Pork Bun

Siew Bao Roast Pork Bun

The South Indian style Vendakkai Meen Curry, or Okra In Fish Curry, is a spicy wet curry dish, served as part of a meal. It features whole lady's finger / okra and sea beam fish fillet, in a spicy orange-red curry made from fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, garlic, ginger, onions, chili, tamarind juice, tomatoes, coconut milk, salt, and coriander leaves.

Vendakkai Meen Curry

Vendakkai Meen Curry

The Teochew Chinese community here has created a Yam Taro Puff, essentially the dessert Yam Taro Paste Orh Nee, but spread within a crisp, flaky, puff pastry shell. This dessert pastry is thus easily eaten on the go, and much cheaper than the actual dessert which tends to be sold only in restaurants here.

Yam Taro Puff

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