HAWKER FOODS

Penang's Laksa, Char Koay Teow, Curry Mee  are well known amongst food lovers throughout the region. You can find many  coffee shops and eateries with stalls selling the same type of foods but  some of them will keep you coming back for more.

Below are some of the selected ones.

Char Koay Teow (Fried Koay Teow)

The stall selling Char Koay Teow at Lorong Selamat is more popular among out station visitors but for locals, the stall inside Asia Cafe in Air Itam near the roundabout is more popular.

Koay teow noodles are fried with bean sprouts, eggs, prawns and Chinese sausage.

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Laksa

The most popular stall is the one in Air Itam market run by the whole family. This place is always packed with customers during weekends and public holidays.

Laksa is a spicy soupy gravy dish with ingredients from sourish assam, minced fish, mint leaves, strips of cucumber and pineapple, serai (lemon Stalk),  bunga kantan (ginger Flower), sliced onions added to the smooth and slippery rice vermicelli. 

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Curry Mee

Penang Curry Mee is also another famous delicacy. Its coconut base soup stock is developed with dried anchovies, wild ginger buds, etc. Into this soup stock, cooked yellow noodles and rice vermicelli, bean sprouts, water-convolvulus, prawns, cockles, cuttlefish, fried soya cake, coagulated pig's blood and mint leaves are added to make up a delicious bowl of Penang Curry Mee.

Recommended At the coffee shop on Jalan Seratus Tahun .

The four wheel cart opposite the Air Itam bus stop.

Another unique style of doing business in Jalan Paya Terubong, a few hundred yards further down the Air Itam market junction. Haven't change much since the 60's. Operated by two sisters, now already into their 70's and still going strong. They still use portable charcoal stove for cooking. In the past customers would have to eat holding their bowl of curry mee in their hands sitting on a wooden stool (bangku) about 5 ins. high which is still in use today, but nowadays some customers would prefer to have their meals taken at nearby places where there are tables and chairs.

Hokkien Mee (Prawn Mee)

 It is a dish of egg noodles and fine rice noodles cooled in prawn-soup. Small slice of boiled egg, some pork, small prawn and kangkong are usually added to the taste. Some stalls do serve some extras, adding pork ribs and some pig intestines or we call it hoon chiang. There is another serving that comes with  some starchy soup, actually it's made of flour and egg-white.

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Mee Udang (Malay Prawn Mee)

Another good dish with a little bit resemblance to Mee Rebus or Mee Jawa. Go to Mee Udang Salwa, located at Jalan Cikgu Abu in a small fishing village in Teluk Kumbar. Teluk Kumbar is located at the south coast of Penang, about 30 minutes drive from town.

But at first sight, many  would hesitate as Mee Udang Salwa is actually a traditional Malay kampong house, and you won't see any chef with the usually worn white apron. In fact the first time I went there it was Pak Chik doing the cooking wearing only a singlet. On my last visit it was her daughter doing the cooking instead. Fish, cuttle fish and cockles are sometimes available . In other parts of Penang you can see stalls selling Mee Udang Teluk Kumbar too, but are not as tasty as the one in Mee Udang Salwa.

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Sea Food Noodle

A soup base dish serve with thick round rice noodles (a little bit thicker than Laksa) and fish head. Fried onions and ginger are added. Most customers prefer pomfret fish (ikan bawal putih). Other choices include big prawns, crabs, abalone, etc.

Mee Goreng

Mostly sold by Indians, fried the same way as char koay teow with different ingredients. It use mee (yellowish egg noodle), tomatoes, cabbage, potatoes and small pieces of cuttle fish. Gravy-paste  are then added. Lime juice are also added to taste.

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Green Curry Noodle

Anyone ever tried this? "Green-Curry-Noodle" More or less like mee-rebus, but the taste is different. I guess you're going to like it. I couldn't find any other eateries selling this, except at Cafe Cantina, No. 1, Hill Railway Road, Air Itam, Penang.

Chee Cheong Fun

Road side stall at New lane (night only) is probably the best.

Broad sheet rice noodles rolled and steamed. Eaten with sweet sauce and sesame seeds. Prawn paste are also added.  

Koay Teow Th'ng

Broad rice noodles are used in savory soup with bean sprouts, fish balls, and slices of chicken.  Pork ribs are available on request.

Try this one at the coffee shop opposite  the Ayer Itam Police Station, or another stall inside Pulau Tikus market.  (Morning only). It serves with chicken meat and pork only.

Another nice duck meat Koay Teow Th'ng is at the Hutton Lane Amoy Lane junction.

 Wan Than Mee

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