[Penang] Ramadhan Bazaar at Astaka Taman Tun Sardon

[klyeoh (Peter)]

Tandoori + cheese + curry = wow!

The Indonesians have a very funny way of calling the savoury “murtabaks” (as we know it in Singapore/Malaysia) as “martabak asin” (meaning salty martabak), and the sweet “mee chian kway” (Singapore) /“ban chang kueh” (Penang)/“dai kao meen” (Ipoh/Kuala Lumpur) as “martabak manis” (meaning sweet martabak).

Both food items require different cooking techniques and very different ingredients, so we were amazed that most martabak spots in Jakarta, etc. maintain two sets of preparation stations side-by-side, one making martabak manis and one for martabak asin.

For the record, martabak asin (or murtabak, as we know it in Singapore/Malaysia) is of Arabic origins, and came to South-east Asia by way of seafaring Indian-Muslim traders in the 19th-century, whilst martabak manis is of Chinese origins - having been purportedly invented by the Manchu General Tso Tsung-t’ang (who, in America, has another dish named after him: General’s Tso’s Chicken ).

[Penang, Malaysia] "Ban Chang Kueh" - Traditional Hokkien Peanut Pancake.

“Ban Chien Kueh”/慢煎粿 (also known as “Meen Chien Kueh”/面煎粿 in Singapore and “Dai Gao Meen”/大旧面 in Ipoh & Kuala Lumpur) is a thick, traditional Hokkien pancake, filled with crushed peanuts, sugar and margarine. A popular breakfast snack item, Penangites often pronounce it “Ban Chang Kueh”. [image] [image] This stall at the corner of Jalan Pasar and Solok Moulmein in Pulau Tikus, is operated by the husband-and-wife team of Mr Neoh Kooi Aun, 61, and his wife, Ooi Guat Meng, 56. He’s the third-ge…