Archive for Penang
October 24, 2007 at 11:33 pm · Filed under Penang, Malaysia, Architecture
Other than Dutch Square in Malacca, Fort Cornwallis is probably one of the most mentioned location in our school textbooks. So it’s incredibly sad to say that it not only did not live up to its hype, but I fail to see anything worth hyping at all.
There’s really nothing more than a few rusting cannons pointing at the sea on an earth-rammed wall. Can’t believe they’re charging an entrance fee for this!
They should pay us for having to walk through this, the most boring stretch in Penang!
October 24, 2007 at 11:31 pm · Filed under Penang, Malaysia, Architecture
Family clan temples is a cultural phenomena that can only arise from the deeply-rooted Confucian values of the far east. Khoo is a family name and Kongsi is a Hokkien word meaning “share” (imported unchanged into Malay) which gives some insight to origins and purpose.
Built in 1906, it is a traditional Qing dynasty temple with some overt European influences, most notably the art deco railings (yes, they were not added at a later date) and a Baroque-esque type of entrance.
What struck me most was, the quality of the materials and craftsmanship. Every granite stone is hewn to fit perfectly and they still do after 100 years. The ornaments look like they could be tacked-on but they are carved in place to “appear” like that, meaning it’s all still one big piece of stone.
October 24, 2007 at 11:17 pm · Filed under Penang, Malaysia, Food
Otak Otak is a nyonya dish which means brains in Malay but the ingredients are (thankfully!) a lot more conventional. The base is a fish paste, onto which spices such as chilli, lemon grass, tumeric, coconut milk are added into it. Wrapped into a banana leaf, it’s then grilled over the fire, preferably charcoal.
Compared to the famous ones from Muar, this ones are wrapped into prisms so they’re effectively bigger (edit: this shape seems to be the norm in Thailand, and it’s steamed rather than grilled). Flavours are milder but with a more tangy aftertaste, and the texture is closer to crumbly beancurd than springy fishballs.
I think there’s going to be a lot of split opinions on this one. I’m settling for the Penang version because it’s balanced closer to a mini meal rather than a slightly overpowering side dish.
October 21, 2007 at 6:55 am · Filed under Penang, Malaysia, Food
Penang Oh Chien is a Hokkien dish imported directly from China that has remained largely unchanged, for a good reason. Somehow both the texture and taste of oysters and eggs melded in searing oil plays a short but beautiful symphony on your tongue, and your cholestrol levels.
Our book pointed us to Bee San coffeeshop at Ayer Hitam, corner of Jalan Padang Tembak and Jalan Ayer Hitam. He had to heat his wok for about 5 minutes, after which he took less than a minute to deliver his gold nuggets.
Look at his grin when he realised we were food pilgrims!
Aside common mistakes such as unfresh oysters, the difficulty lies in cooking with intense heat to seal in the flavours quickly but still avoid overcooking the oysters. A bit too oily for my comfort, but the taste was truly outstanding!
October 21, 2007 at 6:54 am · Filed under Penang, Malaysia, Food
This is it, the gastronomical capital of Malaysia. The Greatest Hits album of Malaysian cuisine, even if you can know exactly where to go and eat all day, you’ll still barely cover a third of every culinary choice Penang has to offer.
Some people get disappointed from the hype, but like any Greatest Hits album you should still expect a few duds, not to mention contingencies of personal taste.
What I appreciate most about this place is the extremely vibrant hawker scene where the hawker (may be rude) are not complacent and constantly strive to be the best.
But … what do you do in the face of overwhelming choices? We have two days and the need to try the best. So we bought ourselves the spanking newly published Penang Street Food Guide (approved by a local friend) and set off … HAWKER TREKKING !
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