Penang Food Guide

If you are looking for a foodie holidays, Penang is an ideal destination for you and this post offers the best keep secrets of Penang food guide. Penang or nicknamed as the food haven is a small isle floating on Straits of Malacca north of Peninsular Malaysia. Steep in history, rich of multicultural heritage, and similarly goes to the delicacy! Full of good food, Penang has them all. From appetizers, mains, desserts to fruits, Penang has all sorts of delectable food that you wouldn't want to miss out!

From the palette of locals, the list below are the top 10 food that you must try before leaving Penang! This post also reveals some of the hidden gems to spot the best flavor of its kind.

1. Assam Laksa
Made it to no. 7 in the list of world's 50 most delicious food in CNNGo.com, Assam Laksa is one of most remarkable delicacy of Penang. Beyond food, Assam Laksa represents a blend of Penang's geography, history, chemistry and botany. The soup is cooked from tamarind, chili, lemongrass, onion, galangal, polygonum leaf (daun kesom) and ginger flower (bunga kantan) - these are tropical ingredients, abundance in Malaysia. Fresh mackerels and sardines are served in the soup, as Penang is surrounded by sea. Tangy-spicy soup, a twist of Peranakan, Malays and Thai palette certainly explains the eating culture in the past.
Penang Assam Laksa

Insider's tips: Assam Laksa and Siamese Laksa at Nam Guang Coffee Shop, Balik Pulau Town. Offered in most Penang food court.

2. Popiah - Fresh Spring Roll
Never under estimate this simple dish made out from bean sprouts, shredded jicama, shredded carrot and french beans and strips of omelet, wrapped within lettuce, rolled in paper thin crepe. Some vendors do offer extra stuff such as shrimps or crab meat. Savory, can be taken as appetizer and always opt for soup to be served separately unless you're ready for steep spring rolls!

Insider's tips: Padang Brown MPPP Food Center. Exclusive, only offered in some Penang food market.

3. Oyster Omelet
Penang folks are blessed with fresh catch from the sea everyday and this includes oyster! With egg, tapioca flour and chopped spring onion, the batter is pan fried to golden color. This chewy and sticky oyster omelet is always good to be served with sweet-savory chilli. Quite a close brother to the famous Korean seafood pancake, except this oyster omelet may not turn out in a circle. Instead of the 'charred' Char Kuey Teow, try this for appetizer and you could be longing for more!

Insider's tips: If the queue is long and the omelet smells good, highly likely you're going to like it.

4. Nasi Lemak
Once listed as the number 1 breakfast for Malaysians, these triangular shape coconut milk rice packed with anchovies, roasted peanuts, hard boiled egg and some chili paste are indeed hot. Authentic nasi lemak is pretty hard to locate but most vendors do offer reasonably good ones to make your unforgettable breakfast in Penang.

Insider's tips: Look for triangle packets, wrapped in banana leaves, served on tables at local's coffee shops.

5. Chee Cheong Fun
Or fondly known as Pig's intestine in Chinese, the Penang's version of Chee Cheong Fun or flat noodle is pork free. Not many people agree that this delicacy should come up in top 10 food that must try but certainly worth if you spot a good vendor. What make it special is the signature sauces, that's the best secret of one compares to others. Of sweet and savory variety, the savory sauce blends in shrimp paste and crushed peanuts and the good one even leaves you wondering if they also include peanut butter. Sprinkle of sesame seeds on the serving, the sauces and chili can be requested to on the side rather spreading over the silky smooth flat noodle.
Chee Cheong Fun

Insider's tips: Genting Kopitiam, Island Glades neighborhood.

6. Banana Leaf Rice
Originated from southern India, this delicacy makes Penang its home in this century. Steamed rice is offered with an array of vegetables and curries, cooking with a mixed of spices, churning out an irresistible aroma to the diners.

Insider's tips: Passion of Kerala Restaurant, New World - Jalan Burma

Everything From Starter to Dessert in Penang Food Guide

7. Pasembur
It is exactly a salad, just of Indian origin but today it takes place in every food centers dotting the island. What makes a delicious pasembur? A bit of everything from shredded cucumber, jicama, prawn fritter, bean curd, bean sprout, potato, hard boiled egg, deep fried crab/octopus/shellfish, they are chopped in bite sizes, mixed on a platter and served with a sweet and spicy nut sauce in orange color. The Chinese version of Pasembur usually are less luxurious, not likely to offer with seafood except for some jelly fish.

Insider's tips: Gurney Drive Open Air Food Court.

8. Penang Rojak
Almost similar to Pasembur, rojak is better known as fruit salad. The locals tend to refer 'rojak' as junk or a mix of everything. Both adjectives describe it well. Cut fruits are mainly pineapple, guava, water apple, mango or vegetables includes cucumber, jicama and, jelly fish, deep fried bean curd as well as fritters are cut in bite sizes. Blending in shrimp paste, the dressing for Penang rojak is rather thick, similar to the caramel in texture, taste of sweet-savory and served with a dash of ground peanut. Perfect for fruits salad aficionados though making occasional presence in Penang hawker food guide.

Insider's tips: Gurney Drive Open Air Food Court. If you don't have gut to try, head to supermarket - grab a jar of rojak sauce and bring home.

9. Roti Canai - Flat bread
The Singapore's version of Roti prata, Penangites or Malaysians had taken roti canai to the top notch, being one of the most hunted food daily. Today, roti canai or fondly known as just 'roti' at Nasi Kandar restaurants, is a flat bread made from wheat flour, egg, water and ghee, these are kneaded thoroughly, flattened, oiled and folded repeatedly. New additions of the latest breed includes roti kaya (with coconut-egg jam), roti planta (with margarine), roti pisang (banana), roti telur (egg), roti tisu (thin and tall), roti sardin (sardine) and the list keeps going. Order a piece and certainly a good exchange for tortilla bread!

Insider's tips: Most nasi kandar restaurants offer pretty good roti but some may not serve all variations.

10. Ais Kacang or Ice Kacang and Cendol
Going for ais kacang is a perfect way to cool off in Penang. Tasty and refreshing, the ingredients that
made the base of tall shaved ice includes red bean, sweet corn, palm fruit (atap chee), grass jelly while
the sugar syrup is prepared from palm sugar syrup and evaporated milk. Opt for extra topping with
ice-creams and fruits such as banana are offered in most stalls.

Insider's tips: Stalls adjacent to a kopitiam at intersection of Jalan Penang and Lebuh Keng Kwee near KOMTAR. Or beverages stall at New World Food Court.
Balik Pulau Penang Durian

If you arrive in Penang during the fruit season, do not leave without tasting durian. Known as the spiky and stinky fruit to many, durian is one of most delicious fruits that God has ever created. Totally different from any other tropical fruits, the flesh is rich, creamy and never juicy. You can have durian for main - trust me, they are superb with steamed rice or sticky rice. Make sure you never leave Penang without experimenting to make it the 11th in your list of Penang food guide!

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