Penang Dining, Malaysia

The delightful variety of Penang food reflects the different cooking styles and tastes of its multi-cultural population. There is a mouth-watering selection of Chinese, Malay, Indian and Nyonya cuisine to sample, not to mention the irresistible hawker fare.

Peranakan, or Nyonya, cooking consists of an exotic blend of Chinese and Malay savoury dishes. The style of cooking is quite elaborate, involving a fine mixture of spices and herbs with onions, garlic and chillies. The Nyonyas are also famous for their delicious cakes and desserts.

Not to be missed, hawker (open-air stall) favourites are noodle dishes such as asam laksa, hokkien mee, char koay teow, and pasembor, a local salad dish.

Heading the list of mouth-watering Indian dishes is nasi kandar, a rice dish with an assortment of meat and vegetable side dishes chosen from an elaborate buffet. South Indian favourites include dhosai and appam served with thick dhal curry. Northern Indian naan bread with chicken tandoori or chicken tikka is also worth trying.

Chinese restaurants offer Cantonese, Szechuan, Hokkien, Teochew and Hainanese dishes such as dim sum, rice porridge, chicken rice, diced chicken with dried chillies and a variety of noodles.

Typical Malay dishes such as sambal tumis, masak lemak, and sambal belacan are easily available. A traditional favourite with locals and foreigners alike is satay - small pieces of meat on a skewer, nicely barbecued, and dipped in a tangy peanut sauce.