Ban Chean Kuih Seller

Ban Chean Kuih is a pancake folded into half and stuffed with grounded peanuts, sugar, butter and in the case of Penang, sliced bananas. It is common to see vendor on the street selling it in a pushcart. I love the Ban Chean Kuih in Penang for the bananas added into it. This is not available in Subang Jaya or Klang Valley.

Drying Laundry at Lorong Lumut

Caught this while we were walking around the old town of Penang.

Trishaw in Penang

Saw this trishaw while we were ordering our Ban Chean kuih by the streetside. It is different from the trishaw in Melaka. In Penang, the customer is seated on the front and the trishaw man will be peddling behind. In Melaka, the trishaw man is seated beside the customer. Interesting, right?

Street of Penang

It's a week day, yet the street of Penang has minimal traffic. This is a scene that can hardly be found in the city of Kuala Lumpur or even the suburb of Subang Jaya. Life in the city is indeed hectic, in comparison to what I saw in Penang.

Would you prefer life in busy city or in a peaceful small town?

Pigeons on Street Lights

A row of pigeons perching on the streetlights of Little India.

Queue Restaurant

This is a Nasi Kandar restaurant, located next to Kapitan Keling Mosque in Penang. The name of the restaurant is 'Beratur', which means queue. This restaurant does live up to its name. A friend of mine brought a visiting guest here and had to queue for 45 minutes before they got their food. We were here during the fasting month of Ramadhan and found the shop sign stated the opening hour is at 10pm. Thus we didn't get the chance to taste the Nasi Kandar here. Would you queue for 45 minutes in order to buy some delicious food?

---------------------------------------------------------
Nasi Kandar (Source: Wikipedia)

Nasi Kandar is a popular northern Malaysian dish, which originates from Penang. It is a meal of steamed rice which can be plain or mildly flavored, and served with a variety of curries and side dishes.

The word Nasi Kandar, came about from a time when nasi [rice] hawkers or vendors would kandar [balance] a pole on the shoulder with two huge containers of rice meals. The name has remained and today the word Nasi Kandar is seen on most Tamil Muslim or "Malaysian Mamak" restaurants and Indian-Muslim stall meals.

The rice for a nasi kandar dish is often placed in a wooden container about three feet high, giving it a distinctive aroma. The rice is accompanied by side dishes such as fried chicken, curried spleen, cubed beef, fish roe, fried prawns or fried squid. The vegetable dish would usually be brinjal (aubergine), okra (lady fingers or "bendi") or bitter gourd. A mixture of curry sauces is poured on the rice. This is called 'banjir' (flooding) and imparts a diverse taste to the rice.

Mythical Figures

I was fascinated by these Thai mythical figures found at the compound of the Thai Temple in Penang. Have you visited a Thai temple before? What in the temple fascinated you?

Bridal Couple at Botanical Garden

We were taking a stroll at the Penang Botanical Garden when we crossed paths with these couples in bridal costume. They were with a photographer and it seemed like they were having an outdoor photo shoot there. The weather in Penang was cool and it was the raining season then. If not, we would see these couples would be drenched in sweat. And instead of smiles, we may be seeing frowns! Have you had your wedding photos taken at the outdoor? How did it feel? Was it fun?

You Know The No. To Call

In case the traffic lights break down, you have the tel. no. to dial!
A street scene from Penang Island.

Kapitan Keling Mosque, Penang

Kapitan Keling Mosque, Penang

The 'Kueh Chap' Man

'Kueh Chap' is a famous Teow Chew (those whose ancestors hailed from Chaoshan, eastern Gangdong, China) delicacy comprises of noodle made of rice flour, served with soya sauce based soup, topped with pork meat and offal. It is yummy! 'Kueh Chap' can be found in places where many Teow Chew settles down e.g. Penang, Johor Bahru, Singapore, Hadyai & Bangkok in Thailand. I always try to eat it when I am in these places as one can hardly find 'Kueh Chap' being sold in Subang Jaya.

Iron Smith

Saw this iron smith at work in Penang.

Thai Temple in Penang

Beautiful, ornate temple building!

Kangkung Sotong (Water Convolvulus & Cuttlefish)

While visiting Penang Island (an island located about 400 miles north of Kuala Lumpur), my friend brought me to Gurney Drive for dinner. Gurney Drive has a big hawker food court that serves all kind of delicious Penang delicacies.

I ordered this 'Kangkung Sotong'. It is a combination of blanched water convolvulus (kangkung) and cuttlefish (sotong) served with a spicy, sour and sweet sauce topped with ground peanuts. Although 'Kangkung Sotong' can be found in many parts of Malaysia, I hardly eat them. But on seeing these cuttlefish, I just had the craving for it. And the one that I ordered was really tasty! Yum, yum! If you sighted any hawker stall in Malaysia where cuttlefish and water convolvulus are being displayed together, make sure you try it out. Trust me, you will have no regrets!