There is much to write about Penang, Malaysia, so this will be the first in a few blog posts. Naturally, I will start with my favourite subject…
Desperate to fill every minute of my two days in Penang, I covered myself in zinc cream, grasped my umbrella and headed out into the sweltering heat.
One of most favourite things to do in a city is wander the streets. I like to feel the city. You can get hints of a city from a bus, but they are mere flashes of torch light, sanitised and secluded, not long enough to peer in and see the underbelly, what’s really there. Of course there are limitations to wandering, but in wandering, you hear the heart, chase the pulse.Initially I was confronted by circling 5 lane traffic surrounding the historical area and the never ending swarm of the motorcycles, cars and trucks. I watched some locals cross up ahead. I can do this. I can. After about 5 minutes I sensed some slower cars approaching. I stepped out, waving to the cars as I slowly moved into the traffic. Loosing my gall, I ran to the curb on the opposite side of the road… phew! And then a smile spread across my face – tick – I’m getting the hang of this confidently crossing roads in mad-Asian-traffic- cities-thing!
The streets of the historical city of Penang are a joy for the cultural investigator. Little shops selling hand rolled Chinese sweets, mountains of puffed fried tofu, little shops filled with red trinkets, purses and statues, temples discreetly hiding around from ornately carved doorways, and street food carts with lines of devotees.
Penang is well known for its Street Food. Lonely planet picked Penang as the top spot for foodies in 2014. And its the sole reason I endured a 15 hour travel day to get here.
Rich cultural diversity drenched in food. My favourite of favourites! The first place I head to is Little India. I didn’t get time to try the famous Malaysian Banana Leaf when I was in KL, (as its affectionately known to locals), so little flickers of joy sprung in my heart when I saw folks enjoying the spread as I tried to find a table directly under a fan.
I ordered a masala chai without milk and sugar.
‘No sugar?’ He looked at me as if I was from Pluto.
‘No sugar?’ He looked at me as if I was from Pluto.
Ahhh, Malaysians, they adore their sugar! After my last trip to KL I came back buzzing. It was like sucrose had replaced my blood and my body was crying out from its lack of hits.
The watery Indian dahls’ in big solid metal canisters were caverns of love for my soul- have as much as you want! Each dahl subtly infused with differing spices and heat. Most customers eat with their hands directly off the Banana leaves, mushing the rice and spices into glutinous balls. I choose cutlery, even after washing my hands. The dirt and sweat from outside felt like was wrapped in sticky tape (not plastic, thank goodness :)).
The Banana leaf comes from South Indian and was adopted into Malaysian culture with the significant migration of these peoples here. The combination of curry flavours, pickles and poppadoms was exactly what I needed for my continued pacing around the city.
After another few hours of meandering in I’d say around 40 degree, 80 per cent humid heat I saw a food cart stall with a line of 20 people long. The 60 year old server was a train. He moved through the line of people with machine like speed and consistency. Slapping the shaved ice, rice noodles made green from Pandan leaf, red bean paste, sugar and coconut milk into little bowls. 20 bowls were made in 3 minutes. He took orders and money whilst slapping the ingredients together with dogged determination.
As I dived into the bowl, my mouth succumbed to its refreshing bite of cool, coconut and red bean bliss. It was just what my body craved. My cells danced a refreshing gypsy tune! The locals and I hung around in this grimy alley that mingled scents of sweet, meat and heat, jointly devouring this joy. My mind congratulated the stall on its minimal environmental impact. Reusing bowls and spoons. Pure unadulterated happiness glowed from within me.
This sweet desert is called Cendol.
I really wanted to try some Penang / Malaysian specialities. The spices, the rice. Nasi goreng. My major problem is they are usually made on a fish base / froth. So I hunted down a vegetarian restaurant that served local dishes. So happy to find a Malaysian cook in a Indian vegetarian restaurant (thank you Thali NR Sweets Cafe!). Here is my dish. Nasi goreng paprik.
It was fabulous. Rich, meaty and a good amount of heat. I was complete!
I finished off the day with some AMAZING Japanese food. A little restaurant, tucked in the historical centre, close to some of the famous Pier communities is a little place simply called Sushi Kitchen.
Sitting on a raised wooden floor I was served a glass of iced nutmeg. After basking in the cement radiation it was a very welcome crisp antidote for my throat.
The sushi chef had not yet arrived, so I had a bowl of Japanese noodle soup. It had the superb combination of salty flavours mixed with the sweet of the sweet potatoe and lightly battered mushrooms, complete perfection rolling around my mouth. Complete and utter perfection.
And then I indulged in the sushi. Pure bliss. The homemade vegan-aise was so tasty, so ‘real’ I would not have believed it was not made of eggs and dairy. Extraordinary! Did I mention that I was sent to heaven and had to come crashing down to earth with a thud on my final mouthful? Its true.
I was one happy Sunni. Stayed tuned for more of Penang, there is SO much more…
 |
| One happy Buddha (like me at the end of the day!) |
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.