Loh Kei Koay Teow Th’ng which operates on the grounds of the State Chinese (Penang) Association on 13 Perak Road is one of the most popular in Penang. It started off in Pulau Tikus Market, but this Perak Road location is much larger and busier nowadays. Koay teow th’ng is a noodle dish of Teochew/Chiuchow/Chaozhou origins. It shares the same pedigree as Cambodian kuyteav and Vietnamese pho, also introduced by Teochew immigrants to those countries over a century ago. The flat rice noodles itself - called “koay teow” is one of the most popular types of noodles in Southeast Asia: MICHELIN Guide ..read more

Dinner at ???? ??? ???? on Jalan Krian this evening. Owner-chef, Tan Hai Meng, worked for more than two decades in Singapore’s Geylang district where he specialised in claypot frog porridge. Back in Penang, he expanded his repertoire to include Teochew dishes from his culinary heritage. Our dinner repertoire this evening included: Hae choe (pork-crabmeat balls) - these were crisp-fried dumplings of minced pork-prawn-crab meatballs wrapped in soybean yuba skin. Claypot soy-braised frog with dried chilis, served with claypot rice porridge - Chef Tan’s claim-to-fame, and a staple amongst la ..read more

The Teochews are one of the most numerous Southern Chinese people to emigrate to South-east Asia, and are the predominant Chinese community in Bangkok, Thailand. The Teochew homeland back in China is centered around the twin cities of Chaozhou and Shantou, known collectively as Chaoshan. Although the Teochews are part of Guangdong province, the Teochew language and Cantonese (the lingua franca of Guangdong’s populace) are not mutually intelligible. Instead, the Teochew language bore closer resemblance to the Hokkien language of neighboring Fujian province. In Penang and Singapore, where the Ho ..read more

My Penang-Vietnamese friends wanted to show me one of their favourite spots for some good, authentic Vietnamese food . As both are from the food industry - they were at Wolfgang Puck’s Spago and CUT in Singapore for many years before deciding to settle down in Penang and run their own restaurant, I put 100% trust in their judgement. Anna Kitchen was just opened in Aug 2023, but their offerings have already garnered quite a bit of following amongst the Vietnamese community in Penang. Our lunch today consisted of: Bánh Khọt (Pancakes with Shrimps and Vegetables) - these crisp-edged little mors ..read more

All my life, I’d only known this Malay rice dumpling called “ketupat palas” in Singapore and most parts of Malaysia, and “lepat kachang” in Malacca. Made from steamed glutinous rice and black-eyed beans, and enriched with coconut milk, I’d always thought it was unique, its weaving pattern originated by the ethnic Malays of Singapore and Malaysia, or so I thought. So, imagine my surprise when I came across Thai “khao tom sam liap”, also known as “khanom khao tom” - made by Thais last week. These ones here were from a Bangkokian vendor, but one also finds these all over Thailand. Exactly the ..read more

The latest article in the Michelin Guide looks at a “new” food source - the “Buah Kulim” or “jungle garlic” of South-east Asia. MICHELIN Guide Is Buah Kulim (Jungle Garlic) the More Sustainable Alternative to Truffle? Does Malaysian Buah Kulim, or Jungle Garlic, hold the potential to replace the elusive truffle? Chefs Darren Teoh of two-MICHELIN-Starred Dewakan in Kuala ... 1 post - 1 participant Read full topic ..read more

One of the stops we took during our weekly walkabout last Saturday was the Michelin Bib Gourmand-listed ?????? ???’? ???? ???? ??? near Seow Fong Lye kopitiam on MacAlister Lane, near Burmah Road. Koay kak are steamed rice pudding with the consistency of firm polenta. It’ll be cut into large pieces and pan-fried in pork lard, preserved copped radish, eggs, garlic, egg, scallions and beansprouts, seasoned with a combination of soy sauce, dark soy sauce, fish sauce, and other “secret condiments”. ???? ???? ??? is a popular Teochew street food, and the three Yao sisters, Guat Cheng, Guat Hoon a ..read more

Durian-hunting in Balik Pulau this afternoon. Penang’s durian plantations in Balik Pulau, in the southwest of the island, have some of the best durians in the region, if not the world. As durian trees favour soil with good drainage, the hill-slopes of Balik Pulau, and neighbouring Teluk Bahang and Teluk Kumbar provided ideal locales for the trees to grow. One characteristic of ripe durians is that they slowly lose their scent as they drop. Hence, the durians should ideally be consumed as soon as possible, and never stored overnight. Many breeds of Penang durians taste best within the first 5 ..read more

The latest Michelin Guide article spotlights Ghee Lian, located at George Town’s historic Esplanade. MICHELIN Guide Behind the Bib: Ghee Lian in Penang Serves a Unique Take on Green Tom Yum We sit down and have a chat with Oung Kok Ghee of Bib Gourmand stall Ghee Lian in Penang about his specialty Green Tom Yum Noodle Soup, and finding hope and ... A queue usually forms in front of Ghee Lian up to half an hour before it opens for business at 6pm. Ghee Lian’s ultra-popular “green tom yum noodles” actually bore no resemblance, taste-wise, to its Thai counterpart, from which the dish co-opted i ..read more

Mohamad Khorum’s 35-year-old Indian snack stall, Penang Famous Samosa - very lucky to be featured in the 2024 Michelin Guide to Kuala Lumpur and Penang: A selection of the snacks I got: The chicken samosa was fine. Address Penang Famous Samosa 45, Queen Street, 10200 George Town, Penang Opening hours: 9am to 7.30pm daily 2 posts - 1 participant Read full topic ..read more