food38.htm

Like cheese lovers, those who dream of Penang food want to find their favourite unchanged since the time when they first tasted their particular favourite. From this, some conclude that taste is a matter of generation likes and dislikes and the memory of it.

But is that correct? We are of the view that the "traditional" must date from pre-war i.e. before the Japanese conquered British Malaya. The 1930s saw an accelerated growth of hawkers. Penang was beginning to go out for early morning breakfast and afternoon snacks outside the home. The more fortunate had hawkers coming right down their street, even in the evenings, as Lim Teong Beng described in The Penang File. (Hawkers Down Our Road by Lim Teong Beng Issue 27).

It was the golden age when two rivals produced excellent murtabak containing mutton floating in oil and served with generous handfuls of pickled onion; and the hawkers "Next to Queen's" set high standards for koay tiau t'ng, ch'ar kuay tiau, and Mama poh p'niah; when the Penang Free School Mama mee was tops; when Kek Seng in Penang Road was packed and Mrs Kiar Joo's laksa and nyonya koay, hawked along Northam Road, delighted those "taking the air". that established Penang as the gourmet centre for what is now Malaya. That is, except for hair mee (called Hokkien mee in Penang) and hokkien mee (called Hokkien ch'ar in Penang) for which Singapore was the unchallenged leader with the best in Hokkien Street, Albert Street and the Queen's Road market.

ch'ar kuay tiau . The first thing outstation people think of when they come to Penang is ch'ar kuay tiau. The traditional i.e. genuine stuff is to be found at Lau Hio Hnui (Lengkok Burma) where the stall is located among others catering for office workers. The kuay tiau is fried slowly over a charcoal fire fanned by the man's wife. The oil used is first class and not too much diluted by vegetable oil. One thing that I did not like was the Cantonese intrusion, little pieces of lap cheong . But the absence of burnt spots of kuay tiau was a delight. Duck eggs are available. Demerit points: absence of koo ch'ai and pork crackers.

There is another favourite stall of mine at Carnarvon Street. "Lau Hor Ch'ar Koay Tiau" was started by grandfather Lau Hor and is the best of the "blow torch" fire breed. The fierce fire is kept strictly under control and the cooks (grandson fries whenever the son is away) are not compelled to use frequent doses of water to prevent a disaster. Here the vegetable oil does not dominate and the taste is not ruined. Duck eggs are available. Demerits: absence of koo ch'ai and prawn crackers.

ch n'air hoo . And vegetarians will be pleased to know that Dato Kramat football field is the place where you get the best chn'air hoo , the Penang version of Mama passambul. It is a joy just to watch the man at work. The speed of his cutting and chopping is breathtaking. Wandering about in Pulau Tikus is a stall on wheels which serves Indian Muslim passambul with almost the original taste

curry mee. Two stalls sell curry mee at the night stalls at the Pulau Tikus market. They are not too bad being not too lemak for my taste. They both serve the required tau pok and blood. This dish is also to be found at the Public coffee shop along North Beach lunch time. The cook produces a a mixture with an Ipoh flavour, which is very welcome to those who want a change. An added attraction at his coffee shop is that lor bar and rojak are available for those with larger appetites. Another stall I found satisfying is at Lau Hio Hnui, near the ch'ar koay tiau stall. If you try the dish elsewhere make sure that it does have a powdery taste, the tell tale sign that curry powder is used. I am not too fond of the lemak type which came into fashion after the 50's owing to the Thai influence and the demands of Singapore tourists. Those from KL who are used to calling this dish curry laksa please remember to ask for "curry mee" to save embarassment. The one in Kuching is sui juris and superb though they, like the KL people, call theirs curry laksa .

When Penangites say Hokkien Mee they mean Hair Mee (prawn mee). Elsewhere Hokkein Mee identifies the fried variety which is peversely called here Hokkien Ch'ar. Hokkien Mee could either mean prawn mee or bar koot mee. We have never been good at hair mee but our bar koot mee is excellent . Examples are at Hong Kong Street.

The best k'ong t'ng in Penang is always to be found weekends at the Pulau Tikus market. And, need we add, the t'or tau t'ng too is excellent. Sometimes, if you are lucky, you will see maker actually in the process of hammering at the groundnut paste before shaping it, hence the Thai term , "tock tock".

The newly opened "Hitam Manis" along Burmah Road is very welcome because it is that rare establishment that is genuinely Nyonya. The ch'oon p niar, curry tumee, jiu hoo ch'ar are particularly recommended. But phone up if you insist on the traditional pair chn'ioh in your curry toomee. The restaurant is closed on Wednesdays. Phone No: 226 7326

If you are fond of Thai food go to "Foong Kim Cheong" at Paya Terobong. Their kensom is superb. Other delights are fish cake, kerabu mango, white tomyam, poo chim (baked crab), and chicken wings, green curry (ask for roast duck green curry, if available), chicken wings, and lap nger (for which you have to give notice). They close Tuesdays. Phone No . 825 5643

It is difficult to find the genuine stuff because of the mama (Tamill for Uncle) habit of going back to India without teaching anybody his cooking secrets. But there is a place at Kong Bee Lee Coffee Shop opposite Bangkok Lane with flavours nearest to the original. The present owner inherited the business from his father and continues the tradition