The inside guide to where to go and what to eat in Penang

Nyonya Food of Penang

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Some common Nyonya dishes are:

Acar Awak – mixed vegetables of cucumber, carrots, long beans, etc., are cooked and pickled with spices.

Acar Ikan (pickled fish) – fried fish soaked in a light gravy cooked from ginger, garlic, vinegar, dried chillies and turmeric.

Ayam Buah Keluak – spicy chicken curry cooked with buah keluak (candlenuts). The curry has a creamy and nutty flavour.

Asam Pedas – spicy sour curry of fish and pineapple. Chilli Crab – spicy crab stir fried with chillies, garlic, ginger, turmeric, galangal,lemon grass, shrimp paste (blachan) and tamarind juice.

Lor Bak – thin strips of pork seasoned with spices and wrapped in a sheet of thin bean curd skin, and then deep fried. Restaurants in Penang often sells this with fried prawn fritters and other deep fried items served with sauces.

Nasi Ulam – rice mixed with finely shredded vegetables, fresh green herbs, shallots, chillies, toasted desiccated coconut, fried and flaked dried fish, etc. Nasi Kunyit – glutinous rice steamed with turmeric and creamy coconut milk and usually eaten with chicken curry.

Jiu Hu Char – a stir-fried dish of shredded vegetables (yambean, carrot, cabbage) and strips of cuttlefish or pork.

Nyonya Kueh – a variety of kueh (similar to cakes and puddings), mainly steamed and made from glutinous rice or rice flour and sometimes rich and fragrant coconut milk. Example: Kueh Lapis (steamed layered pudding), Ang Koo Kueh, Pulut Tai Tai, Kueh Talam, Kueh Kochi, Kueh Kodok, Pulut Enti, etc.

Otak-otak – spicy fish cake with egg, Some ingredients used in Peranakan cooking - serai, bunga kantan, galangal, etc. wrapped in banana leaves and steamed.

Perut Ikan (Pulay Ikan) – shredded vegetables (long bean, brinjal, daun kaduk, etc), fresh green herbs and shreds of fish intestines cooked in a light curry with tamarind juice. This dish is unique to the Penang (and Northern) Peranakans.

Popiah (spring rolls) – turnip, bean sprout, pork, fried egg and bean curd wrapped and rolled with a paperthin steamed pancake. The rolls are sometimes deep fried and garnished with a sweetened bean or chilli sauce. Sambal Blachan – chillies and toasted shrimp paste (blachan/ belacan) mixed with lime and salt. It imparts a piquant flavour to any accompaniment that you choose to pair it with.

Where to Eat:

• Chinese and Nyonya Food (Chu Char)
• Where to buy Nyonya Kueh