Best Food in Penang: A Thorough Culinary Guide

The savory Hokkien Mee, the spicy and sour Laksa, the curry-flavored Nasi Kandar and the cool and refreshing Cendol - don't you think any of these dishes will catch your attention? Take and action quickly, no matter where you come from, Penang's food will surely satisfy your taste buds.

What Are the Top Foods to Eat in Penang?

Penang is the famous food capital of Malaysia, which has a wide variety of cuisines, among which Penang street food is even more mouth-watering. Here are a few of the famous Penang cuisines for you to fully experience the beauty and happiness of this place.

1. Char Kway Teow

Char Kway Teow is one of the most popular cuisines in Penang. It uses flat river noodles that are stir-fried in a pan with lard, soy sauce, chili sauce, scallops, bean sprouts, scallions and eggs.

Nowadays, Char Kway Teow has become healthier with chefs adding more vegetables and reducing excessive oil. Stores selling fried kway teow can be found everywhere in Penang, so you can choose any one of them and it will not disappoint you.

2. Laksa

Laksa is one of the most famous foods in Penang, a representative of Penang's Nyonya cuisine.

There are two types of laksa: Curry Laksa and Assam Laksa. Assam Laksa is a thick soup made from fish with a slightly sour flavor. Compared to Assam Laksa, Curry Laksa is less sour and less spicy. While Nyonya Lesha is added with coconut milk, and shrimp, fish fillets and coarse rice flour are added when eating.

Laksa

3. Nasi Kandar

Nasi Kandar is also one of the must-try cuisines in Penang. It is an Indian Muslim delicacy where the rice is made of aromatic Indian rice cooked with spices and accompanied by a tangy curry sauce.

Ingredients include chicken, meat, fish, vegetables and also fried chicken. The vegetables and rice are served on a plate and the rice is drizzled with sauce for a mellow flavor.

Nowadays, there are many different ways to make Nasi Kandar and you can choose the type of curry you want to put on top of the rice, almost anything you can think of, so come and try it.

4. Cendol

In the streets of Penang, you can find stores selling "Cendol" everywhere. Cendol is a traditional Penang summer dessert. It is a green vermicelli made from the juice of the leaves, which has a strong grassy flavor.

Cendol is also very simple to make, starting with a bowl filled with smoothies, followed by red beans, corn, fruits, and topped with green vermicelli made from variegated leaves to finish it off. The colorful matching look is so beautiful that you must remember to take a photo with it. When you take a bite on a hot summer day, the coolness that runs from your tongue to your body is unforgettable.

5. Hokkien Mee

Hokkien Mee is a traditional Penang delicacy, loved by a wide range of diners for its unique taste and rich ingredients. The yellow noodles are strong and smooth and are served with fresh ingredients such as pork, bean sprouts and eggs for a delicious taste and rich side dishes. When you get to the last bite, you won't be able to resist the urge to drink all the soup.

Where to Taste the Dishes in Penang?

Kimberly Street

If you want to try traditional Chinese Hokkien dishes, then don't miss Kimberly Street. Kway teow soup, fried kway teow, duck kawy teow, almond sweet soup are some of the famous dishes here and many tourists come here every day.

Lebuh Pasar

If you want to try Indian food, then go to Lebuh Pasar, for example, fish head curry, Indian rice cake and Laddu, Muruku are all delicious foods that can't be missed.

Gurney Drive

If you want to try some local Malaysian food, you can choose Gurney Drive. Not only is it located in the center of Penang, but it also has a very wide range of cuisines to choose from. For example, fried kway teow and Hokkien prawn noodles. There is also a stall that specializes in oyster omelettes called Asam Laksa, a delicacy where the oyster meat is fried into thin pancakes.

Esplanade

If you want to find a place where you can see the Straits of Malacca and eat all kinds of food at the same time, don't miss Esplanade. There are open-air seats here and is divided into two areas of food, one is the Chinese section and the other is the Malay section. There are barbecued fish, rice noodles, prawn rolls, fish cakes and so on. You can choose according to your favors, by the way, Green Tomyam is very popular here.

Ice Snack

What to Eat for Breakfast?

Start your day with a delicious Penang breakfast. Locals here like to eat all kinds of charcoal-baked bread, such as Hainan bread, coffee bread, whole wheat bread and chocolate bread. Baking bread with a charcoal fire on the stove, the unique aroma of the bread baked over the coals of the fireplace is unparalleled. Besides, you can also choose sauces with different flavors, such as coffee coconut sauce and butter.

Different restaurants will make some changes, or add other flavors of ingredients.

Besides these, there are iced coffee and traditional milk tea to try.

What to Eat for Lunch?

Nyonya cuisine is a good idea for lunch which can offer an authentic Malaysian taste.

It is a cuisine based on sweet, sour, pungent, and hot flavors, with a uniquely flavored sauce made from a dozen or so strong spices.

Sambal Kangkong is a representative of Nyonya cuisine. Crisp Kangkong is stir-fried together with the Malay specialty sambal sauce, it is layered with rich flavors and is extremely tasty. You can also add Beef Rendang to your table, which is very tender and juicy.

What to Eat for Dinner?

Explore an Indian-inspired restaurant for a variety of choices. The chicken and lamb Biriyant are a must-try. You can also order a cup of masala milk tea to cut down the spicy, which has a light spice flavor and is not very sweet. Parotta is a specialty of Indian cuisine, which is richly layered, soft and flavorful.

Soft and sticky coconut milk rice, satay kebabs covered in peanut sauce and Laksa are all good choices. You must also try the Malai Lala Tea, which is frothy and smooth, and you won't be able to stop thinking about it after you've had it.

What Kind of Dessert to Try?

The dessert here offers a fusion of English afternoon tea and Nyonya cuisine. Apart from the fluffy strawberry muffins and Tiramisu with a strong alcoholic flavor, the local cendol is another sweet you may want to try.

Cendol is one of the popular desserts in Penang and you can see this dessert no matter where you are in the streets of Penang. It looks very bright, mistakenly thought that pigment is added. But pure cendol is pigment-free and made from natural Pandan juice. Green vermicelli made of Pandan juice is the star of this bowl of dessert, accompanied by cold coconut, and a variety of dried fruits, so that a colorful Cendol is completed.

Tofu pudding is a dessert made from soybeans that are ground into a paste and then solidified. The beancurd is smooth and has a strong bean flavor accompanied with syrup, such as yellow sugar, ginger sugar, or chrysanthemum sugar. The smooth and tender tofu puffs can also be served with toppings such as chopped peanuts, fairy grass, ginkgo, sesame seeds, and red beans.

Tips for Penang Foodie Trip

1. About Tipping

In Penang, some restaurants charge 6% government tax and 10% service tax, and there is no extra tip for roadside stalls and food centers.

2. About packing

Penang is the only state in Malaysia that implements "No Plastic Bags Day" every day, so don't forget to bring your own environmental protection bags when shopping.

3. About business hours

Eid al-Fitr in Malays and the Chinese Lunar New Year are both long holidays, at least for one week, and some stores have a rest during this period.

Malaysian Crab Dish

Get Ready to Explore Penang Food

Penang is known as Malaysia's gourmet paradise. Not only does it combine the specialties of many different countries, it also preserves and passes on its own traditional cuisine. If you want to embark on a malaysia culinary journey, then travel with Odynovo! Let's experience the charm of Penang, the city of food.