Nyonya Kueh
Nyonya Kueh are traditional Straits Chinese delicacies which are bite-sized desserts or cakes. The Straits Chinese ladies (or Nyonya) have long been famed for their culinary prowess which harmoniously blends Chinese, Malay, Indian and Thai cooking influences which also extended to their dessert repertoire which relies heavily on coconut cream, pandan (screwpine) leaves and brown [...]


Chee Cheong Fun
World travelers to Hong Kong may already be familiar with Chee Cheong Fun, which literally means pig’s intestine noodle in Cantonese. Chee Cheong Fun refers essentially to the flat rice noodles which are served in rolls resembling its namesake, pig’s intestines. However, the Penang take on this Cantonese noodle delicacy is a rather different offering.
While [...]


Rojak
Rojak is the local fruit salad which consists of bite sized pieces of crunchy cucumber, pineapple, green mango, “Jambu Air” (Eugenia Javanica or Java Apple), turnip (jicama or yambean), bean sprouts, soybean puffs and fried dough fritters. The salad is dressed with an exotic mix of sugar, chilli, lime juice and “heh ko” or a [...]


Chendol
Chendol is a Nyonya shaved ice dessert which is an excellent treat on hot, humid days. While it may strike the first time traveler to Penang as bowl of green worms, this dessert is much more pleasing to the tastebuds than first impressions! Chendol refers to the translucent jade green gelatinous noodle that is the [...]


Oh Chien
Oh Chien is essentially a Chinese oyster omelete. The additional ingredient to the omelette is tapioca flour which lends a sticky and slightly gooey texture to the dish. The watery tapioca flour batter is ladled into a hot wok and is flash fried before the eggs are added into the mixture. Meanwhile, small oysters are [...]


George Town Festival 2011
George Town Festival 2010 Revisited
The George Town Festival 2011 is less than 24 hours away. The event is held annually in the month of July to celebrate the anniversary of the declaration of George Town as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Since today is the eve of the festival’s first day, we thought we would share some of our photos from last year’s festival.
There were handicraft and cultural stalls too as well as other forms of street entertainment. We especially liked the modern Nyonya Kebaya and the Manek Kasut displays.
Real Char Kway Teow vs Wannabe
I have recently been spending some time in a nearby island republic. During my stay, my mind at meal times would always stray to the food that I missed most – Penang streetfood! My misery was made worse one night when I decided to take a chance and try the “Penang Char Kway Teow” served at an establishment supposedly famed for its version of Penang’s most famous dish.
As you can imagine, I was bitterly disappointed. Can you tell the why I was disappointed from the image above?
Naturally, I had to make up for it the moment I landed back in Penang. The result was an overindulgent dinner that contributed a kilogram or two to my prosperity.
Here are more lip-smacking pictures: