Penang Hawker Food Night

I thought about taking a cooking class in Penang, but was told the better experience and value was to observe the food hawkers that canvas the city after dark. We had the char koay teow, a Penang fried flat noodle specialty, and fried rice at the stall outside the Chew Jetty entrance at Armenian Street.

Despite the commotion around the stall, the hawker was kind enough to walk me through the fried rice. She completes each order within a span of a minute.It’s a simple recipe once the ingredients are ready, and the shrimp and pork can be substituted with other ingredients (mushroom, tofu, veggies) to conform it to various restrictions.

In a hot work she added about 2 tablespoons oil and a handful of shrimp. After a few seconds she tossed in some diced garlic.

She then tossed in a bowl of white rice. She says the trick is to keep the rice chilled so that it doesn't get soggy.

She added in a small ladle of oyster sauce.

An another ladle of what she called chili. Looked and tasted like Sriracha, but not as spicy. She also tossed in a handful of tiny bits of chopped pork.

Last, she broke a fresh egg and folded in the rice mixture.

The presentation is simple and elegant on a banana leaf.

As usual, our night in Penang didn’t stop at just a few dishes. We went on to have a variety of satays from this select-your-own satay and sauce stand.

And then we walked to Little India for Indian mithai.

Finally we called it quits after a roti stall.

Stuffed in Penang as usual.