The 5th & final ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฎ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐น guided walk by Penang Hidden Gems for this year was conducted last Saturday, 4 Nov 2023.
- As always, the walk started off at ๐๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ ๐๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ด ๐๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ธ ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ญ, where participants learnt about the origin of cendol (first mentioned in 1104 in โThe Epic of Kresnayanaโ of the Buddhist-Hindu kingdom of Kediri in West Java).
Cendol is a sweet dessert of short, green rice noodles, which got its colour from the natural extract of pandan leaves, which also imparts a subtle, fragrant aroma. The cendol noodles are served with fresh coconut milk, sweetened with liquid palm sugar.
Tan Chong Kim, 60, whoโs in charge of the โPenang Road Famous Teochew Cendulโ family business today, is the 6th son of the founder, Tan Teik Fuang, who started the business back in 1936.
- Then to Bib Gourmand-listed ๐๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ ๐๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ด ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ด๐ข, where participants heard how the cross-influences of Burmese ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ๐ข, Siamese ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ค๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฎ ๐บ๐ข๐ข and the ๐๐บ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐บ๐ข ๐ญ๐ข๐ฌ๐ด๐ข resulted in the fish-based, tamarind-inflected Penang assam laksa.
Penang Road Famous Laksa was started 53 years ago by Madam Teh Siew Heoh. Today, her daughter-in-law, Mdm Nguang Siik Hee, and grandson, Mr Leow Woo Taid, run the stall. It was included in the Michelin Guide 2023 to KL & Penang under its Bib Gourmand list.
- Next were visits to โban chien kuehโ - invented by Manchu General Tso Tsung-tโang (1812-1885), the same Manchu Dynasty viceroy whoโs commemorated in another dish, General Tsoโs chicken in American-Chinese cuisine.
General Tso Tsung-tโang started his military career during the Taiping Rebellion in the 1850s. In Fujian, where sugarcane & peanuts are found in abundance, he asked that pancakes to be flavoured with sugar & peanuts to feed the Manchu/Qing troops. Hence, there were suggestions that instead of โBanโ (which is the Hokkien word for โslowโ), it was โManโ (from โManchuโ) which should be the character used to describe โBan Chang Kuehโ.
- Next stop was for a traditional Chinese snack with a long history. Known in Mandarin as โyu tiaoโ (ๆฒนๆข), and in Cantonese as โyau char kwaiโ (ๆฒน็ธ้ฌผ), the โeu char koayโ was said to represent the corrupt, manipulative 12th-century Song dynasty official, Qin Hui, and his equally scheming wife, Lady Wang, who were vilified throughout Chinese history for their part in plotting against patriotic Song general Yue Fei, an icon of patriotism in Chinese culture. The general was imprisoned and later executed in prison under false charges trumped up by the evil duo.
The โeu char koayโ, hence, consisted of two pieces of conjoined dough, representing Qin Hui and Lady Wang, and they were โdeep-friedโ to show the peopleโs desire for revenge against the couple. Whilst the Hokkien term โeu char koayโ/โๆฒน็ธ็ฒฟโ translates to โdeep-fried pastryโ, the Cantonese are less-forgiving, as โyau char kwaiโ/โๆฒน็ธ้ฌผโ meant โdeep-fried devilsโ.
This shop is founded by Madam Chow Siew Ying, who learnt her trade from her Cantonese father over 50 years ago. Delicately kneading her flour-egg-milk-and-water dough by hand, and gluing two pieces together with water to form a pair, sheโd gently stretch each paired dough over hot, boiling oil.
- Cantonese biscuits from Leong Chee Kee
Leong Chee Kee is named after the founder, who came to Penang from Zhongshan City, Guangdong, before World War II. He hawked his specialty biscuits: โYeh Chee Kokโ (coconut tarts), โKai Dan Koโ (egg sponge cakes) and โHor Chio Pheahโ (pepper biscuits) on a cart in the streets of old George Town.
Today, Leong Chee Kee pastry shop is run by his son, 67-year-old Leong How Keng, one of the few traditional Cantonese pastry chefs left in Penang today. Heโs been working in his fatherโs pastry shop since the age of 7.
- The mid-point refreshment break was at Bib Gourmand-listed ๐๐ฐ๐ฉ ๐๐ฆ๐ฏ๐จ ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ธ for its Nyonya kuehs, and to learn more about Nyonya kueh origins: many of which were conceptualised by 17th-century Siamese-Portuguese royal chef, Maria Guyomar de Pinha.
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- Popiah skin
This paper thin spring roll wrapper is of Fujianese or Hokkien origin (โpopiahโ is Hokkien for โthin biscuitโ).
The founder of this 66-year-old shop is Mr Lim Kim Hoe, 81, who is acknowledged as the master popiah skin-maker at Chowrasta Market. Mr Limโs popiah skin-making business is now managed by his eldest son, Gary, 53, and his daughter, Rebecca, 44, who made fresh popiah skins upon order.
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Chowrasta Market - the oldest market in Penang, its history can be dated back to the Indian street vendors of the mid-19th century. In 1890, the George Town Municipal Council built a single-storey Chowrasta market on this location. The present three-storey building dates back to the late-1960s.
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Later, participants learnt the difference between ๐ฏ๐ข๐ด๐ช ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ and ๐ฏ๐ข๐ด๐ช ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ, how one is matriarchal whilst the other is patriarchal, and as one uses wet spices, the other dry spices.
Nasi Padang is of Indonesian origin โ from the city of Padang. Its Minang-style of cooking calls for coconut milk, turmeric, and lots of chilis. Nasi Padang is steamed white rice, served with a vast array of curried side-dishes to choose from. The beef rendang is a signature dish - slow-cooked dry beef curry which should be fork tender.
Nasi kandar is a Penang dish, of Indian-Muslim origin. Traditionally, dating back to the early-20th century, Penangโs nasi kandar vendors all hail from the Ramnad district of Tamil Nadu in India, whilst the spice-women who traditionally provide the spice blends (โrempahโ) which characterize nasi kandar curries came mainly from Tenkasi and Kadayanallur districts in Tamil Nadu. This unique combination of Ramnad cooking techniques and Tenkasi/Kadayanallur spice blends resulted in the extraordinarily aromatic and distinct Penang nasi kandar curry flavours.
The tour ended on Dickens Street, with stories about the coming of the Hainanese, their service to the British Crown, and their subsequent adaption of some British food items to become their own: British eggs and soldiers become Hainanese soft-boiled eggs with butter toast.
- ๐๐ฐ๐ฏ๐จ ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ช ๐๐ข๐ช, the final stop on our trail is a traditional Hainanese kopitiam founded in 1920 by the Hainanese coffee-brewing Tan family. Tan Jeng Seow, the grandson of the founder, now runs the popular little coffeeshop.
Through guided tours like this, participants get a small glimpse into Penangโs rich culinary heritage, and its multi-faceted history.
