Are you looking for good Penang food? In today’s blog, we are going to cover 10 Penang food that highly recommended by local and loved by tourists.
When it comes to food, there’s no place like home – Penang! My dear Penangites, yes, yeah? Penang, long known as the Food Paradise Of Asia, is renowned for its fabulous and exotic mix of delicious cuisine to choose from. Penang was proudly recognized as Top Culinary Spot for 2014 by Lonely Planet. Nowhere in Asia can compete with Penang when it comes to street food, awarded as top 1 Street Food Cities by CNN Travel and Time Magazine in 2004.
Related: 10 Solid Reasons You Should Visit Penang
So, if you love food, Penang is definitely for you.
Penang Food
Besides it’s absolutely delicious, the food are pretty cheap though! Victory is ours! George Town, Penang named as one of the “Ten Best Budget Travel Destination for 2016” by Forbes. The cuisine is a blend of Malay, Chinese, and Indian specialities, and local hawker centers, kopitiam and street food stalls offer dozens of delicious options at affordable price.
No 1. Laksa
Laksa is one of the most popular Penang dishes. I personally love it and highly recommend it to my relative and friends when they visiting Penang.
One tip here: Never trust or eat at the shop outside Penang that shows “Penang Laksa” or “槟城叻沙”. Assam laksa is so closely associated with the city that it’s often called Penang laksa. CNN Travel ranked Penang Laksa 7th out of the 50 most delicious food in the world. The fiercely contrasting flavours of this soup – fishy mackerel, sour tamarind and fiery chili — come together perfectly in assam laksa. It’s served with chewy white noodles and garnished with fresh mint, shallots, cilantro, cucumbers and sweet pineapple.
The price is pretty affordable though, it usually sell at RM3.50 – Rm5 at most of the hawker stall in Penang. As it is so highly recommended, do remember to add it into your feast list when it comes to Penang must try food.
No 2. Char Koay Teow
The next famous Penang food is Penang Char Koay Teow. We have Siam Road Char Koay Teow, Lorong Selamat Char Koay Teow, Tiger Char Koay Teow, and so much good one.
Ask any of your Penang friends, they will surely tell you that Char Koay Teow is their state-dish, proudly. Char Koay Teow is Penang popular street food consisting of flat noodles stir fried with soy sauce and a variety of side ingredients such as cockles, prawn, sprouts, chives, and sometimes Chinese sausages. Cited from Huffington Post‘s 19 Local Delicacies You Can’t Come Home Without Trying. “When you go to Malaysia you have to try the Char Koay Teow. The noodle dish is hot in Singapore and other cities, but the version in Penang, Malaysia leaves people stunned”.
No 3. Hokkien Mee
When it comes to must-try Penang food, Hokkien Mee ranks up there with the likes of Penang Laksa and Char Koay Teow. It may have its roots in Fujian, China, but the Hokkien Mee you’ll find in Penang is somewhat different yet delicious. Topped with a hard-boiled egg, small prawns, crispy fried shallots and chili paste, the dish is a must-try food in Penang.
The broth is awesome, trust me. Even my relatives from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia also love it. They said there’s no place to compete with Penang’s Hokkien Mee. In short, this is also famous Penang food, so do remember to try it up!
No 4. Nasi Kandar
The next Penang food we’d like to recommend it Penang’s Nasi Kandar.
It would be a shame if you’ve never try Penang’s Nasi Kandar. It’s a Penang staple, which originates from Penang (in case you didn’t know). It’s often accompanied with a variety of curries (kueh campur) and side dishes such as chicken, beef, beef spleen, cubed beef, lamb, fish roe, fried prawns or fried squid along with a vegetable dish made of brinjal, okra or bitter gourd.
No 5. Cendol
What to eat after an awesome meal in Penang?
A bowl of cendol is hands down the perfect refreshment on a hot day. Well, a bowl of cendol may look simple ( shaved ice mixed with coconut milk, gula melaka, and kidney beans ) but certainly has its own irresistible charms, it’s a true gem.
No 6. Rojak
The next dish to prove that Penang is Food Paradise of Asia is Rojak.
The word ‘Rojak’ simply means mixture in Malay. Rojak is a fruit salad with pieces of fried crullers and topped with a thick, delightful sweet sauce made of black shrimp paste and crushed peanuts. Sweet pineapple, green mango and papaya, rose apples, cucumber and guava are tossed in to the dark sauce, which has the consistency of molasses.
No 7. Curry Mee
Next stop, you should try our Curry Mee.
If you want a bowl of satisfying Curry Mee, come to Penang. Penang Curry Mee’s soup is rich, fragrant and a little of sweetness. Each bowl of tempting Curry Mee usually comes with prawns, pork blood, cockles, cuttlefish and tofu puffs. Garnished with epic chili paste and mint leaves which promise to bring Curry Mee to another level, transcendence!
No 8. Lor Bak
Loved by the locals. We usually order this when we eat at hawker stall and it’s usually shared among family member. Lovely right? This is one of my favourite Penang food as well!
Pick your own preferences (lobak, prawn fritters, spring rolls, tofus, Taiwanese sausages and fishcakes) and let the chef do the cooking! Simply dip your lor bak into some chili sauce and starchy braised sauce sauce, I assure you, it’s awesome!
We highly recommend Kheng Pin Kopitiam.
No 9. Mee Goreng
Mee Goreng is an Indian Muslim dish. This dish is the real deal, encompassing spicy, sweet and sour flavors, amazing! Right? Read our best mee goreng in Penang.
No 10. Oh Chien
Oh Chien – Oyster Fried Omelette is also another signature dish in Penang. It’s best platter for group and family dinner. Though the ingredients are pretty simple, egg, oyster, chives and flour, it’s an irresistible offering, trust me.
Penang Food is awesome
In today’s food blog, we covered 10 Penang food that prove that Penang is Food Paradise of Asia. If you’re travelling to Penang, I hope this blog gives you a good introduction of our Penang food. We also wrote about top Penang’s cafe, breakfast, dessert, high tea, and wine places in Penang.
Are we missing any of your favourite Penang local food? Chill buddy, comment on the section down below. Maybe we will make the part 2 for this post after collecting your feedback!
