FOOD of Malaysia: Part I- Saya Makan Semua- “I eat everything”

Makanan~Food

Malaysians are very proud of their food. One of the first things they will ask a visitor is:" What do you think about Malaysian food?” Malaysian cuisine pulls in many flavors from China, India, and the Malaysian archipelago. Where I live, in Terengganu, much of the cuisine is straight-up Malay. 

Unlike neighboring Thailand and Vietnam, Malaysian cuisine is very heavy. Most dishes are either fried, contain coconut, or both: certainly not heart-friendly. The good thing is- I'm building up a tolerance for very spicy foods.

A real Southeast Asian food experience does not involve western-style sit-down 'restaurants.’ The best food in Malaysia is street food. You usually have no idea what you are eating, but it is all delicious. One of the best places to sample Malaysian cuisine is at the outdoor market. Every town has its own Pasar Malam (or night market) where rows of hawker stalls line up selling their freshly-made wares. Sometimes towns also have a Pasar Pagi (or morning market) which specializes in produce, cakes, and breakfast treats. Food at the market is cheap (a good meal never costing much more than a dollar) making it an even better place to try new things that you might be wary of dropping money on. The custom of open-air night markets is one Malaysian practice that I wish would take hold back in America. Maybe it can replace cupcake cafes or bacon-flavored chocolate as the next new food trend.

The Main Ingredients

Rice (nasi) is the basis of any Malay meal (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), though the preparation can be as varied as the sauces that accompany them. Rice can be thickened or lemak, with coconut milk; or flavored with aromatics like star anise in nasi beriani; or fried in nasi goreng. Glutinous (sticky) rice- pulut- is also a common ingredient in desserts, and cakes (kuih) are made with rice flour- tepung beras. 

Noodles also play a large part on the Malaysian stage. Meehoon (or bee hoon) is like rice vermicelli. Round yellow egg noodles are simply referred to as mee. There is also white rice noodles commonly referred to as laksa (and often served in a spicy, coconut soup). Other dishes feature ramen-like instant noodles called maggi. 

Protein: Fish (ikan), chicken (ayam), prawns/shrimp (udang), and squid (sotong) are the primary elements of daily eating. (Any beef (daging) you will find is usually slow cooked in stews, though it is often too chewy to consume easily.) 

Chilies- in dried or fresh form are used in sauces and pastes such as sambal (chilies and shrimp paste)   

Coconut- Coconut milk (santan) is used in many sauces and in cakes. Its dried flesh is used in many sweets, donuts, etc. You can always find the fresh water of young coconut (kelapa muda) with bits of the mild, soft-textured flesh at roadside beverage stalls. Coconut is also the main ingredient for one of Malaysia’s most popular condiments- Kaya (literally translated as ‘rich’): a thick coconut and egg jam (did I mention my fear of acquiring heart disease here?).  

Fishy flavors: Malaysians love their seafood, as is evident by entire of sections of markets devoted to dried fish. If you detest fish you are mostly out of luck- as fish sauce, dried fish, fish paste, fish crackers, or whole fish make their way into almost every Malaysian dish.

belacan- dried shrimp paste (used in one of my favorite dishes, laksa Terengganu)

Ikan bilis- tiny, crispy anchovies dried whole. They are sprinkled atop noodle and rice dishes. 

Gula Melaka: a dark brown sugar made by boiling the sap collected from the cut flower stalks of the coconut palm. This delicious smoky syrup is used in many sweets and ice desserts. 

Sweetened Condensed Milk: we have bread and butter in the west. The Malays have their sweetened condensed milk. Used in practically every beverage, dessert, and baked item, SCM is as it sounds: sickeningly sweet; thick, goopy and condensed; one wonders if milk is actually an ingredient.  

Malay Dishes

 Nasi Lemak

Every morning (and usually evening too) most Malaysians eat Nasi Lemak, the unofficial ‘national dish’ of Malaysia. Rice is steamed with coconut water, and topped with ikan bilis, peanuts, sliced cucumber, sweet-hot sambal, and half of a hard-boiled egg.

(Another breakfast option, which I personally shy away from, is watery rice porridge (congee or bubur) served with various savory condiments.)

 Rojak Ayam

My favorite Malay dish so far has been Rojak Ayam: a noodle dish with a concoction of chicken, potatoes, cucumber, lettuce, chunks of delicious deep-fried batter, and smothered in a somewhat spicy, dark red peanut sauce (rojak sauce). It’s a little difficult to find, but usually is featured at a good Pasar Malam (night market). This stuff is soooo good. 

(Just FYI: You will more commonly find Rojak [without the 'ayam'] as a fruit salad topped with the peanut sauce and sometimes pickled.)

Kerepok Lekor

 

Kerepok is a popular fried snack in Terengganu. It is made of fish meat, ground to a paste, and mixed with sago. Kerepok is prepared using two different methods: 1) long chewy (sausage-looking) ones are called kerepok lekor 2) the thin, crispy (chip-like) ones are called kerepok keping. Kerepok lekor is best eaten hot with its special sweet chili dip. A trip to Malaysia’s east coast will inevitably involve many offerings of this local specialty. 

 Roti Canai

A popular snack is Roti Canai- an amazing Indian-derived buttery flat bread served with a curry dipping sauce. Wheat flour is kneaded into a dough, which is then twirled and flung in the air (á la pizza tossing) or simply stretched in order to thin it out. Ghee is constantly added to the process to prevent the dough from breaking as it gets thinner. The dough is then folded into a circular shape and is slightly charred on an iron pan. Roti Cani is served with dhall (lentil curry) or just a red curry sauce. Though its origins are obviously Indian, Malaysians have absorbed roti canai into their national cuisine. This treat can set you back a whopping RM 1.00. You may order your roti, with egg inside (roti telur) or with sardines (roti sardin). You might opt for the more filling and, what I find to be divine, murtabak- a slightly thicker version, stuffed with a mixture of egg, beef, and onions. Or you may have a sweet tooth and order up some a roti tissue- but this time your roti will come extra thin and crispy in a cone shape, smothered in either sweetened condensed milk, or butter and sugar, or honey.

 Satay at a night market 

You can find satay (Malaysian-style kebab) at any street market. The skewers of chicken (though you can also find fish) are grilled over a charcoal fire and are flavored simply and subtly with turmeric (which gives the dish its characteristic yellow color). The satay is served up with a delicious peanut sauce (which, despite my distaste for peanut butter, I absolutely adore). This is probably the most famous Malay dish outside of Malaysia.

Satar

Satar is a blend of boneless fish marinated in spices, with a little coconut, wrapped in banana leaves and grilled over a charcoal fire. It is both sweet and savory and light tasting.

Otak-Otak

Otak-Otak- literally ‘brains’- is fish mashed with coconut and chilli and steamed in a banana leaf. It is more savory than sweet satar. 

My favorite Malay squid dish- very traditional and a little hard to come by

I live right by the sea and squid is big in Terengganu. It seems like a novelty in the U.S. to serve fresh squid (apart from the often poorly-done, yet ever-popular fried calamari.) Squid is in everything here- even making it into picnic baskets. My favorite squid dish is Sotong Pulut Santan: whole squid stuffed with sticky rice and topped with coconut-milk gravy.

A pile of fried bananas- pisang goreng

Fresh vegetables are lacking as part of a daily Malaysian diet. Okra is a popular vegetable. They call it lady fingers (must be a British thing). Eggplants are also commonly used in curry sauces. Sweet potato (ubi) is fried and topped with sweet crumbs of fried dough, and served with a sweet- spicy sauce. Bananas (pisang) are abundant. They are also often in fried form as the always popular snack pisang goreng. They also fry fermented tapioca root (which tastes similar to a cooked pear). These fried treats can be found at nearly any beach side food stall.    

Sweets

Air Kelapa Muda

Unfortunately, there isn’t a big dessert culture in Malaysia. Bakeries usually have more savory options than sweet, such as shredded chicken rolls. More often than not, the only dessert offered will be a plate of fresh watermelon, honeydew, pineapple, and papaya. These fruits grow year round and are abundant. Mini bananas also grow year round and are packed with flavor. They have a ton of fresh fruit juice. Sugar cane juice, fresh soy milk, lychee drink, corn juice, rose syrup drink, and guava juice grace hawker stalls all over Malaysia. My personal favorite is air kelapa: fresh coconut water is mixed with shavings of soft, mild young coconut flesh, sweetened lightly with clear sugar syrup, and served on ice. Put me on a beach with one of these and I'm in heaven.

 This image is taken from ilovedurian.com- one of the fruit's many fan sites

Durian...Durian is often referred to as the 'king of fruits', the most beloved of all among Malaysians and southeast Asians for that matter. Hotel signboards prohibit the fruit on the premises. Why? The smell is atrocious- something like bad body odor... and the taste isn't much better. There is an essence of rubbish and you might think the fruit has already gone rotten. But, alas, this is durian. You either hate it- which most westerners do- or love it. Durian is often described as a 'hot' food, meaning quite literally that it heats the body when eaten. Durian on its own is straight up offensive, but if it is used more subtly, as an actor in a dessert dish, such as pulut durian (a sweet glutinous and durian soup), it verges on enjoyable and I dare say, closely approaches appetizing. I will never have the extreme love that Malaysians have for this king of fruits, but I think the king and I are working on a better relationship.

 Traditional Malaysian Kuih- desserts

Lots of rice, pandan (a green leaf, sometimes referred to as ‘Southeast Asian vanilla’ for the light, slightly sweet essence it lends to sweets), coconut, and cane sugar are used in desserts. Corn and green bean (not our green beans, aka mung bean, which is more akin to Asian red bean) are used in a lot of sweet dishes as well.

Chinatown had a plethora of sweet treats for Chinese New Year- my favorite being a flaky, buttery pastry filled with cooked pineapple.

Ais kacang or cendol is probably my favorite Malaysian dish here- a dessert (of course) of shaved ice topped with all sorts of syrups, red bean, corn, fruit, jellies, sweetened condensed milk, etc. Yum! And with the combination of a spicy dinner and the hot weather- it is the perfect ending.

Bubur Cha Cha is a dessert soup: sweetened coconut milk with pieces of sweet potato, yam, and tapioca balls. This is a more baba-nyona or Chinese-Malay dish, so it’s rarer to find in my neck of the woods.

Etiquette Miscellany

Pig-eating is prohibited in the Islamic faith so all pork options are thrown out the window, and sometimes replaced with wannabe alternatives like beef ‘bacon’ and chicken sausage. Not to fear, you can get your pork fix in any good Chinatown, away from the Malay establishments. They have stores completely devoted to bacon- in flat squares, round tubes, or sliced chunks. Not to mention the delicious Chinese steamed buns filled with barbecued pork (which you can find all over KL).

Malaysians eat with their hands, except of course, when eating soup or sometimes when eating noodles. They only eat with their right hand (“because the left hand is used for the toilet”). It is difficult for me to sop up sauce and rice in one hand gracefully so I ask for a fork (garfu) whenever I can. This invites strange looks, as even when they use silverware, Malaysians would use a spoon (sudu), not a fork, for rice. Knives are non-existent at the dining table. It is proper to take a drinking glass with your left (clean) hand, while eating.

Mealtimes are the following: anytime in the am for breakfast; late afternoon (around 2) for lunch (there is no noon rush at restaurants); early evening for tea-time; 6 or 7 for dinner; and 9 -11 for super.

The classic way to sample multiple Malay curries is to eat nasi campur, a buffet of various meat, fish, and vegetable sauces to top your helping of white rice.

There is no tipping at restaurants. Any fine-dining establishment will include a service charge in the bill.

Let’s just say: ‘thank god I’m not a vegetarian.’ You will not only get many confused looks, but Malaysians tend to resent vegetarians.

Bali Hi

I just returned from heaven- Bali, Indonesia- where I spent my week-long March vacation from school. Indonesia is a collection of various islands and archipelagos. Bali is literally a small Hindu island in the middle of a sea of Islam (as Indonesia is the largest Muslim country in the world). Bali is the most popular destination in Indonesia for westerner visitors and I can absolutely see why. A pounding surf breaks against this tiny volcanic island, carpeted in emerald green rice terraces and dotted with distinctive temples and charming inhabitants. 

4 of my ETA friends and I journeyed a grueling 20 hours on plane, night bus, ferry, and taxi from the airport in east Java (where we got cheap flights on AirAsia- Asia’s discount airline- like Europe’s Ryan Air) to our destination of Ubud in central Bali. (Let’s just say that next time- and there will indeed be a next time- I hope to fly to Bali directly)

Ubud- Bali’s cultural hub- is known for its artistic, hippie-chic scene. Organic restaurants, live music, and art galleries mingle with ancient moss-covered stone temples and palaces. We stayed in a bungalow, hidden off of the main street behind a winding alley, amid quiet gardens and a large infinity pool. The main street in Ubud is Monkey Forest Road, because there is indeed a large forest inhabited by hundreds of mischievous macaques. Ubud is great for wandering in and out of eclectic shops and art galleries, where you can see beautiful examples of Indonesian batik, wood carving, painting, etc. Ubud is also a great place to take in a traditional Balinese dance performance. At night there are at least a half a dozen performances at various venues across the town, all performed by different dance troops in different Balinese dance styles. We attended a Kecak and fire dance. There were no musical instruments throughout the entire dance; instead men used chanting, sometimes singing, and various vocal tricks to provide the background sounds. About a hundred men, all ages, dressed in checkered sarongs with flowers in their hair stepped out into the open air temple complex and created a circle around a sort of enflamed stone chandelier on the ground. The dancers then emerged in elaborate costumes to perform the tale of the Ramayana- the famed Hindu romance epic, in which the monkey god helped Rama save his beloved Sita from the evil king Ravana. The story was followed by a trance dance, in which little girls danced with their eyes closed throughout the entire piece. The spectacle ended when they lit a pile of dried coconuts on fire and a man riding a wooden horse danced, barefoot, through the flames, splattering hot embers everywhere as he went. It was quite a good show.

One day in Ubud we hired a driver, which is a cheap and convenient way to see the Balinese countryside. We toured around central Bali for 8 hours stopping at places of interest along the way. We drove through miles of rice paddy terraces as we journeyed to various ancient temple sites. It is as if the land of Bali is carpeted in bright green. We saw the Kintamani volcano aka Gunung Batur, towering ominously above a small lakeside town, a thin veil of clouds enshrouding its peak. We took a coffee break, most appropriately, at a coffee plantation, where we were able to sample the famously thick black Balinese coffee grown and roasted right there, as well as the plantation’s special concoction of ginseng coffee, ginger tea, lemongrass tea, and hot chocolate- all grown on site. Besides growing coffee, herbs, spices, fruits, cocoa, macadamia nuts, vanilla beans, etc. the plantation also produces the infamous and lavishly priced kopi luwak. This delicacy is made from the beans of coffee berries which have been eaten by a small mammal creature called a civet then passed through the animal’s digestive track. This process imbues the still intact beans with a unique and prized aroma and provides, oddly enough, for a delicious brew. Other stops along our tour included a wood-carving studio, the ancient ‘elephant cave’ ruins hidden in the jungle, a silver-working factory, and many beautiful Hindu temples- including the mother temple- Besakih, the holiest place on the island.

Temples are ubiquitous in Bali, as are fragrant flowering trees. The most prized Balinese flower is the sweet, sexy-smelling frangipani. These divine white and yellow blossoms are called bunga japun in Bahasa Indonesia, and bunga kemboja in Bahasa Malaysia. Another Balinese bloom is the equally perfume-worthy cempaka flower. Flowers of every color and fragrance are scattered everywhere: tucked into the crevasses of statues, adorning the hair of Balinese women, and sprinkled in decorative patterns in ornamental water bowls. Flowers are abundant and the supply is refreshed daily.

Every day the spirits of Bali are presented with tiny canang sari - palm leaf trays containing of flowers, aromatic pandan leaves, incense, and rice as a token of hospitality. These offerings are placed not only around temples, but storefronts and sidewalks. These beautiful little bundles were virtually everywhere around Bali, and are again refreshed daily.

Did I mention we got massages? A glorious hour massage at an Ubud spa will set you back a whopping $9.

We hired our driver to take us from Ubud to Kuta- the tourist capital of Bali. On the way we made two amazing detours. We had a 3 hour visit of the Green School. I cannot say more positive things about Green School. Please check out their website: www.greenschool.org The Green School is an international school in Bali. What makes it special, among many other reasons, is the fact that it is almost entirely sustainable. The school buildings are made of bamboo, each class has their own garden (including the 3^rd graders’ pizza garden of vegetables and herbs meant for pizza toppings) and helps to care for a different set of animals living at the school (oh ya, did I mention the school also serves as a sanctuary and breeding center for a nearly-extinct species of bird). Toilets are compostable, food is organic (they have an awesome school café where I tried freshly-made strawberry bread), and they are beginning to harness hydroelectric power (they also have a methane gas extractor to use on animal and human waste). Bamboo classroom buildings are open air and instead of using pvc pipe white boards, they use recycled car and truck windshields. Fourth graders study human rights and kindergartners are encouraged to play in their purposefully-made mud-wrestling pit. The school embraces its location by celebrating Balinese culture throughout their curriculum, by providing Balinese student scholarship, employing local teachers and aids, and by using local building materials and products. The school has been gaining international attention (CNN, NY Times, BBC, ABC, etc.) not only for its green ideals and innovative educational philosophy, but also for its breathtaking bamboo architecture. From the moment we stepped on the school grounds and saw the students playing tug of war and rehearsing for the Wizard of Oz, we were in love. And after an almost 2 hour tour by the admissions director, we were getting business cards and asking about employment opportunities.

We also fell in love with our next detour on the way to Kuta. On the southwestern shore of Bali lies a collection of temples built upon rocks in the ocean- Pura Tanah Lot. The sun sets dramatically upon waves of mindboggling-size curls, behind the marooned temples. I cannot convey the scene as sufficiently as my photos can attest. Tanah Lot is, in fact, Bali’s most photographed sight…

Kuta was an entirely different experience. Partying all night; clubs were invaded by Australian surfer bros with tan bodies, blond hair and tank tops. These frat boys of the east stumbled drunkenly in and out of the club strips of Kuta, where the concept of a closing time seemed unworkable. We were made dizzy by the freely flowing shots of Arak- the local Balinese liquor, which some describe as palm-sugar firewater. Kuta nightlife offers everything from happy hour at an island dive, to sunset cocktails at a swanky lounge, and hours of techno dance beats at multilevel megaclubs (including the first gay club I’ve seen here in southeast Asia) to chill live music at a smoky Reggae club. Kuta, however, is lacking in daytime offerings.  The beach was teeming with vendors ready to pounce at tourists. You cannot even close your eyes for thirty seconds without being bombarded with sellers and their wares- ranging from massages to sarongs. Elderly women balance baskets of fruit atop their heads as young men try to lure you into a surfing lesson. The ocean, however, is not for swimming. The heartpoundingly huge waves are meant only for boards, and the waters are completely littered with trash. The Kuta beach was disappointing, but it was a good place to try some local cuisine. You can find some of Indonesia’s favorite dishes at the small food carts underneath the shady palm trees. 

So you may disregard my visit to Kuta, as I have done. And instead, focus on the picturesque Bali, the real Bali. The people, the scents, the volcanoes, the art, the temples, the rice paddies, the dancing, the taste of coffee, coconut, banana, vanilla bean…is this real life? 

 Nicest Starbucks ever.

 A lotus pond

Offerings to the gods of the island

 Beautiful Balinese woodcarving

 At the elephant caves site in the jungle

 Freshly roasting coffee beans

 Batur volcano

 Rice paddy terraces everywhere

 Sea, waterfall, rice paddy, volcano- Bali in a nutshell

 Balinese sunset

 Pura Tanah Lot

 Pura Tanah Lot

 Pura Taman Saraswati

Bali Babi and Other Foods

And now for my favorite part!

Bali is famous for its suckling pig- babi guling. Every foodie from Anthony Bourdain to the wide world of food bloggers has heard about Ibu Oka- a little warung (local restaurant) famous for its whole roasted pig, which you can witness being carved up- snout, curly tail, and all as you enter. Sitting on bamboo mats, rubbing elbows with locals and visitors alike, you will dine on a simple, yet elegant meal of pork goodness. The house special comes with the obligatory helping of rice, topped with a hefty serving of fatty, juicy pork, a piece of the crispy amber skin, a slice of sausage (the contents of which remain, thankfully, unknown), pork crackers (slightly reminiscent of Fritos), and a mixture of local green veggies in a light and slightly pickly sauce. I washed this deliciously satisfying meal down with an Indonesian drink of choice- Tehbotol: a smoky, sweet, almost overly-brewed bottled ice tea. Going to Ibu Oka fulfilled a) my desire to follow Anthony Bourdain (one of my idol’s) global food trail and b) my hankering for pig, after having been deprived of it in Malaysia (where I sometimes dream of my prosciutto-filled days in Rome). 

Another Balinese specialty (which brings me to my favorite category of food: dessert) is black rice pudding. The pudding is sickeningly sweet from a more than healthy dose of palm sugar, sometimes flavored with vanilla bean, and topped with thick coconut cream. This is rich- great with some unsweetened coffee.

Gado-gado is a food found all over Indonesia. Loaded with vegetables, it is a healthier alternative to a predominately fried cuisine. The sauce is the best part. Women use large mortals and pestles for the gado-gado sauce made-to-order. Peanuts are ground up and a chilli pepper (or two) is added for heat, as well as sugar, lime juice, and a little water to loosen the paste. The dish itself is comprised of green beans and sprouts combined with tofu and tempeh. Slices of glutinous sticky rice, which have been cooked in banana leaves, are added to the sauce-coated mixture. Yummy.

Bakso is a popular Indonesian dish. The bakso is a meatball made from beef, chicken, or fish and combined with tapioca flour making it light grey in color. Bakso is usually served in a soup with vermicelli noodles (meehoon), or yellow noodles (mee), salty vegetables, and chunks of fried tofu.

A popular Balinese snack is fresh snake fruit (Salak): a teardrop-shaped, the salak has a brown, scaly skin and a slightly bitter taste.

Penang: Livin in a Gastronomic Paradise

I spent Chinese New Year in Penang- an island off of the west coast of Malaysia- once called the ‘Pearl of the Orient.’ Penang is known- in fact it is famous- for its delicious, cheap street hawker food. And so, my adventures in Penang revolved around a continuous ‘food crawl’ between the various food stalls, street markets, and food courts this culinary mecca had to offer. 

Penang is known for having a Chinese majority population, and therefore, for being the best destination in Malaysia to celebrate Chinese New Year. The year of the rabbit began February 3 and lasts 15 days. Even though my state of Terengganu contains next-to no Chinese people, all of our schools had both Wednesday and Thursday off for the Holiday, because it is a national Holiday. Most people spend the holiday returning to their hometowns with their families. I was incredibly lucky though to be able to spend the holiday in the center of Chinese life in Malaysia. Everyone was extremely friendly- almost like visiting America during Christmas-time: everyone seemed to be in the festive spirit. The streets were smoking with the intense aroma of incense. Oranges were practically everywhere- adding to the sweet aroma. The doors of Chinese homes stayed open, men sat on their patios peeling fresh water chestnuts, bright red lanterns hung from building to building, giant gold Chinese letters read Gong Xi Fai Chai- or ‘Happy New Year.’ Fire crackers and fireworks exploded sporadically, and huge lion/dragon dances paraded through the streets, accompanied by loud drums and cymbals. The various temples throughout the city were almost suffocating with incense and burnt offerings, flaming inside huge fire pits. 

After an overnight bus from Kuala Terengganu on the east coast, we (my fellow English Teaching Assistant friends and I) arrived in Georgetown, the capital of Penang, around 5am. Not able to check in to our accommodation, we wandered the streets and watched the city slowly come to life. Luckily we found a 24-hour eatery (which they have quite a few of in Penang), that was famous for its Nasi Kandar. To many, Nasi Kandar is synonymous with Penang. A middle-aged Indian Malaysian man wore a cowboy hat and an apron as he scooped out a pile of rice onto my plate. He grabbed a big piece of fried chicken and a hard-boiled egg, and smothered my dish with a curry-smelling red sauce studded with whole pieces of okra (which they call ‘lady fingers’ here). The dish originated from the hands of Indian Muslims who immigrated to the island way back when, and it can be served with anything from chicken, to seafood, or beef.  I washed down my breakfast of champions with a chrysanthemum soda. As we ate in the alley of ‘Line Clear Restaurant’ rats ran past us, an old man sharpened his knife on the pavement, and the chef blew a whistle that hung around his neck- just to give us a the extra wake-up call we needed before sunrise. 

 Some of the best Nasi Kandar in town

 Our 5am breakfast 

My culinary exploits continued to get better and better. Char Koay Teow is probably the most popular street hawker dish among the locals. It is perfectly satisfying. Flat, silky rice noodles are wok-fried (in pork fat- yum) with crispy bean sprouts, fluffy egg, briny cockles, chewy Chinese sausage, plump shrimp (prawns here in Southeast Asia) and flavored with hints of chive and chili.  This is like amped-up comfort food. They serve it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner- like most dishes in Malaysia. 

 Char Koay Teow

Our breakfast of yummy Penang noodles

Probably the most popular dessert treat in all of Malaysia, and especially in Penang is Ais Cendol (pronounced ‘ice chendol’). It was very sunny and hot while we were there and a Cendol is just what you need to cool the heat, and quench your thirst. It is made from shaved ice topped with these green, chewy, worm-looking things called ‘cendol’ made from pandansantangula Melaka (a smoky black palm sugar syrup). (a mild-tasting green leaf used frequently in Malaysian sweets) and rice flour. The ice and cendol are topped with red beans (which are cooked down so they are tender), (coconut milk) and gula Melaka (a smoky black palm sugar syrup).

 A famous ais cendol and ais kacang stall

 Ais Cendol

Other Penang specialties which I was lucky enough to indulge in, include Hokkien Mee: mee (noodles) in an intensely-flavored prawn soup, served with more prawns, hard-boiled egg, pork, crispy fried shallots, and a spoonful of chili paste. Most of the Chinese people in the state of Penang are Hokkien and speak the Hokkien Chinese dialect. Another Penang classic is wanton mee- basically wantons (meat and shrimp dumplings) with wheat and egg noodles- served either dry (with a light soy sauce element) or wet (in a broth soup). Both dry and wet wanton mee are served with barbequed pork and some leafy vegetables. I could go on and on for hours about the food…

Whole pigs hung from market ceilings and a man used an axe to chop off fish heads on a wooden stump. Giant jackfruits were hacked apart to retrieve their juicy pockets of fruity flesh; sugar canes were put through a grinding mill to retrieve the saccharine juice inside, which would be served on ice; young coconuts were opened and scooped of their soft flesh and put in blenders to make the most amazing coconut shake you could dream of.  Tables flowed with cakes of bright pink, rounds of gooey sweet rice cakes wrapped in banana leaves, and buns filled with sweet bean pastes. Special sweets were laid out for the New Year. 

 A jackfruit

The food isn’t the only thing that is rich in Penang- this former British colony has a rich history, and diverse culture. And for this Georgetown is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Lying in the advantageous position on the Straits of Malacca, Penang has attracted traders and settlers for centuries. It is a mash up of disheveled Chinese shopfronts and British Raj-era architecture. Colonial buildings (such as the old Town Hall and City Hall) pair up with Fort Cornwallis and old Christian churches to make up the historical district of Georgetown. UNESCO also recognizes the historical importance of the Weld Quay Clan piers, a series of long rows jetties on which are built low houses, religious shrines, and shops- each row belonging, traditionally, to a different Chinese family clan. 

We visited the Snake Temple- which, like its name suggests, was swarming with passed-out snakes, high off of the enormous amounts of incense offerings. I cannot even count how many gorgeous Chinese temples I visited the trip- they were almost as ubiquitous as the Catholic churches are in Rome. The most spectacular of these would have to be the Kek Lok Si Temple, on the outskirts of Georgetown, the largest Buddhist temple in all of Malaysia and one of the most recognizable buildings in the country. Well, it isn’t a building; it is more like a huge complex of buildings. I cannot even describe how enormous and awesome the temple was, lit up at night in celebration of the New Year. 

I stayed at a backpacker hostel on Love Lane, which is so named because it used to be the red-light district for Chinese tradesmen. Love Lane was bordered Georgetown’s sprawling Chinatown to the west. Unfortunately the Chinese take their holiday seriously and many of the Chinese shops and restaurants were closed, so they could partake in family festivities.

Luckily Love Lane also bordered- to the east- the best, most intensely-Indian Little India I’ve ever seen. It was there, that I’ve had some of the best Indian food of my life. Imagine a street with stereo-systems blaring energetic Indian beats and the scents of incense mixing with the spicy fresh samosas, right out of the corner fryer. Then grab a ginger tea mixed with sweetened condensed milk, which is then poured back and forth from pot to pot in a long stream of sweet, milky goodness so that it is frothy enough to receive the title ‘tarik’ meaning ‘pulled’ tea. The streets of little India are lined with brightly colored textiles, traditional Indian garb, and lavish gold jewelry, as well as posters advertising the newest Bollywood films on DVD, such as ‘I know what you did last Diwali’ haha. I purchased the most amazing silk saris that I am going to use as tapestries in my room, as well as a beautifully woven, ornate blanket to match; all in somewhat subdued golds and pinks. 

 sweet sweet Indian desserts

The best samosas ever

 Now, this is a true story- in one city block I breathed in the intoxicating incense-smoke of a crowded Chinese temple, received a white-powdered bindi from a priest inside a technicolor Hindu temple resplendent with flower blossoms, and heard the calming lowly sung call-to-prayer (Azan) from the nearby Mosque. There are many streets like this in Georgetown. And near the historic district, you may even add a Christian church or two to the mix.

We walked a ton in Penang. We even got foot massages from blind reflexologists. 

One can see how its geographical location is reflected in the Peranakan culture as the megaliths of India and China converge on this seaside town of Malaysia. There is also a unique Baba Nyonya culture that has developed over centuries- a merger of Chinese and Malay elements. This culture is seen in other Southeast Asian trading centers such as Singapore, Indonesia, and Malacca (in Malaysia). 

Penang has everything. Like any Malaysian island it is resplendent with beaches and wildlife. It also has a spectacular culture- with its marbled history and diverse people. But one must go to Penang-ultimately-to eat.