Dining Out In Penang, Malaysia: Georgetown's Gurney Drive

by Stephanie McCreary

When you love to travel and you love to eat, a lively outdoor food market is one of the highlights of any trip overseas. Asia has some of the best of them, offering cuisine that is often spicy and exotic, yet healthy and fresh.  With a seemingly endless variety of snacks, entrees, and desserts in every color, portion size, and flavor imaginable, they are pure pleasure to the palate, On a trip to Malaysia last year, I discovered Gurney Drive in Georgetown, the capital city of Penang Island. On the day I dined there, I ate a filling breakfast and a very light lunch anticipating that whatever I feasted on would be the star of the show. I spent the afternoon walking around the city center, brightly lit by the fiery golden sun. I popped into a Chinese temple and relaxed in its cool interior decorated with mirrors, a big gold Buddha, and a table full of candles. I walked past a mosque and did some window shopping, working up an appetite along the way. 

The sky soon grew dark and I had to find a way there. I found a three-wheeled rickshaw owned by an old, weathered man with leathery brown skin. I told him I needed to get to Gurney Drive. He said it would cost me thirty ringgits. I thought it was a bit much but climbed onto the seat anyway. The driver, weary and fatigued even before he started pedaling, churned his way through both quiet and busy streets, his breath heaving in puffs and starts until finally, after about thirty minutes, we arrived at our destination. There was a large shopping center with a Starbucks next to it and when the glittering lights of the food carts winked at me in shades of red I almost jumped from the rickshaw with excitement. It had been a long time since I had been to a food market like this. I tipped the man an extra five ringgits for his hard work before I got out and followed the glowing lights into the market.

                                               
A Malaysian Canadian friend of mine told me about Poh Piah, a type of spring roll, so I thought I would try that one. But first came the task of choosing which vendor to buy from since there were at least half a dozen of them. I casually walked by all of them before I made my selection. A very serious, almost stern looking man stood behind a cart. I smiled at him hesitantly, and he looked up warily for just a brief second as if to say, "If you're not buying, I'm not smiling". He looked away and focused again on the work of preparing the rolls.  This guy must know what he’s doing, I thought. After ordering I watched him fill two paper thin egg roll wrappers with finely crumbled tofu, red chili sauce, fresh lettuce leaves and steamed turnips. He then cut them into quarters before putting them into a small paper container and into my hands The result was a light and fresh vegetarian appetizer that only set me back about three ringgits, or one dollar. 

                                   

                                         

What would I have next? I walked in between two rows of hawker stalls, all selling equally delectable looking foods. There were people sitting around plastic tables, wooden chopsticks in hand, chatting with one another between bites of yellow noodles swimming in rich, dark sauces sprinkled with dried chili flakes or chili garlic sauce. I could hear the joyful, shameless slurping of the broth of wonton soup. I took it all in, waiting for my entree to call to me. I walked past more diners and more carts, until I saw a woman eating what looked like a large, blunt triangular piece of fish, grilled until golden and smothered in red spices. I walked over and asked her what it was.

                "It's stingray," she replied.
                "Where did you get it?" I asked, practically salivating.

She pointed in the direction of the vendors. I thanked her and ambled over toward a husband and wife team. The husband manned the grill, his face damp with sweat while the wife tended customers.  A huge open freezer displayed giant tiger prawns, crabs, and stingray, all lying atop a bed of big, glittering ice cubes. I waited patiently behind two people standing in front of me.  When it was my turn the woman looked at me and nodded in acknowledgment.

               "I'll have the stingray, one piece, please."
               "Twenty!" she shouted, her voice thin and raspy.

I handed her the money and she told me to come back in fifteen minutes. I strolled through the night, relishing the cool ocean air, watching people as they ate and drank. Twenty minutes later I returned to cart number fifty-seven. The lady gave me the plate, loaded with the massive piece of fish, smothered and marinted in red chilli sauce. My mouth began to water and I couldn't find an empty seat fast enough. As soon as I did, I ripped off the paper on my chopsticks, broke them apart and tore a long piece off the top of the fillet. The fish was light and the flavor peppery. At first I could handle it, but after awhile the heat proved to be too intense. I took the small pack of tissues I purchased earlier out of my handbag and dabbed my forehead with one. Soon I was breathing fiercely, and my packet of tissues was empty. I ate some more, resting in between bites until I finished the fish, which cost me about six dollars.

                                                 
Noodles are a staple all over Asia so I decided to browse the hawker stalls for my last course of the evening. I saw a lot of people eating curry mee. Also called laksa, this is a spicy soup with either chicken or shrimp, sprouts, noodles, sliced boiled eggs and a spoon full of chili sauce. I ordered shrimp curry mee for six ringgits, or about two dollars. I took one sip and put just a little drop of the sauce in before getting rid of the rest. It provided a comforting, soothing end to a stimulating evening of eating and people watching.

                                           
If you're in Malaysia and you love food markets, don't miss Penang's Gurney Drive. Even if you don't eat anything you'll have a great time enjoying the atmosphere and if you do, you won't spend more than $10-$15 to taste a variety of great local foods that might be hard to get back home.

Dining Out In Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia

By Stephanie McCreary

In the sticky heat of the late afternoon I hear the sound of high-pitched Hindi music blasting in invisible swirling coils from crackling speakers of old radios. I see softly strung silken necklaces of yellow and orange marigolds decorating hawker stalls selling everything from DVDs, to jewelry, to handbags to Indian desserts. I am walking through the cobblestone streets of Little India in Georgetown, the capital city of Penang island in Malaysia, checking out Indian restaurants.  Kapitan has the best tandoor breads, Restaurant Meena is South Indian, and Woodlands Restaurant is strictly vegetarian.

The potent aroma of chilies, curry leaves, black peppercorns and cardamom overwhelm my senses, yet I hesitate to eat Indian food here. I live in Oman where it is chock full of Indian expatriates and Indian food. But to eat this cuisine in Malaysia is immersing oneself in an integral part of Malaysian culture. Malaysians of Indian descent make up a sizeable portion of the population of the country, the other two groups being ethnic Malays and Chinese. Many Malaysian Indians are second or third generation and call Malaysia home, much the same way I am an American of African ancestry.

I choose Woodlands Restaurant on 60 Penang Street, well known for its bargain banana leaf lunches. I walk into the cool, dim, air-conditioned establishment and see a space decorated with mirrors framing the perimeter and artwork depicting women dressed in deep purple, red, and fiery orange saris in between each one. I sit down at one of the tables and listen to metal clanging, echoing throughout the room, like bells signaling thali lunchtime. Thalis are metal trays with five or six different compartments for entrees. At Woodlands they are round and deep with a banana leaf cut into a circle that fits perfectly inside accompanied by several small metal bowls.

After perusing the menu, I order the Madras thali unlimited banana leaf meal. About ten minutes later, it arrives at my table looking like a rainbow of healthy vegetarian food.  In the center of the leaf is a heap of white rice, surrounded by an arc of bowls that contain spinach garam dal, puriam, sambar radish, tomato rasam, kulumbu, sundakai onion mix, buttermilk and yogurt with coriander, and payasam.

The spinach garam dal is stewed with yellow lentils and seasoned with garam masala, a mélange of black peppercorns, coriander, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, chilies, and turmeric. The ingredients of garam masala vary by region but in South India, it is often made into a paste with either coconut milk or vinegar, and in North India, it is pure powder. The golden lentils temper the heat of the rich green leaves that although cooked, have retained the slightly crunchy, vibrant taste of fresh spinach. Puriam is a dish made of carrots, green peas and green beans with a peppery zing. All the vegetables are perfectly cooked, but a challenge to eat without biting into a peppercorn. Black pepper is used liberally in many South Indian dishes as Kerala; a state in the southwest of the subcontinent is famous for pepper production. The other dishes in the thali possess varying degrees of flavor from cumin, fenugreek, coriander and cardamom, and the buttermilk and yogurt with coriander is a welcome and cooling accompaniment to smother the fire of the piquant dishes.

Dessert is a sweet, warm soup called payasam with cashews and tiny tapioca balls that float like iridescent pearls to the surface. Spiced with cardamom, the taste is subtle yet festive. To add to the sweet decadence, I order a masala chai and Mysore pak. Most of the time chai is drunk simply as black tea with milk and sugar, but masala chai is for special occasions, and contains some or all of the following: cardamom, black pepper, ginger, cloves and cinnamon. But it is too foamy and more spicy than sweet. The Mysore pak, however, is like a little block of edible gold and doesn’t disappoint. This treat made of chickpea flour, clarified butter, and sugar, is believed to have originated in the town of Mysore, in the South Indian state of Karnataka. Soft, perfectly moist, and just a little crumbly, it melts in my mouth.

The entire meal comes to RM (Malaysian ringgits) 15, about 5 USD. Entree prices range from RM2-10, and both North and South Indian vegetarian food like palak paneer, channa masala and masala dosas rub shoulders on the Woodlands menu. There are a wide variety of hot and cold beverages like hot lemon and ginger tea, rose milk, and pineapple lassis that will only set you back about RM 3. Woodlands is a quality, inexpensive, meat-free place if you’re on the go and seeking a healthy and satisfying meal in Georgetown.

Woodlands Restaurant
Hours: 8:30am-10pm
Address: 60 Penang Street
Phone:04-263-9764
Fax: 04-261-1868

Beware of the Monkeys

Beware of the Monkeys

January, 2012 —Cha Jones

Cute, adorable, and curious are all adjectives that I think of when I envision a monkey.  However, on my recent trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia a friend and I found the use of another adjective — Gangster. Yes, I said gangster. The monkeys that are running freely near the Batu Caves are indeed what you can call gangster.

First, let me describe gangster so that we are all on the same page; tough, rugged, bullies, and criminal are all words that would define gangster in this blog—proceed with caution.

The Batu Caves

When visiting Malaysia, the Batu Caves are one of KL’s (Kuala Lumpur) must see attractions. Just outside of the entrance you will find a huge statue of Lord Murugan, the Hindu God of War. This gold plated statue is beautiful and is actually the largest statue of its kind in the world. Just to left of the statue there are 227 steps which lead you to the entrance of the cave. 

As you walk up the flight of stairs you will see many people, both tourist and Hindu’s who are going to worship. You will also most likely be joined by few monkeys who freely wander up and down the stairs. However, as friendly as they may seem I would strongly suggest that you keep in mind that they are still considered wild animals and you should —beware.

To keep the Gatorade or not, that it’s the question?

After entering the Batu Caves and enjoying the smell of the beautiful aroma of many different incents and walking through one of the most serene and majestic atmospheres in the world we took a few steps out of the cave and met a nice looking male monkey, or at least what we thought to be a nice male monkey.

My friend had just purchased a cold bottle of Gatorade from the souvenir shop at the entrance to the cave, and we were both exiting the cave when the monkey walks between the two of us and demands her Gatorade. “Excuse me,” he infers reaching for the Gatorade from her hands. However, after tracking up 272 flights of stairs and then walking through the cave she was tired, hot and not about to share, at least I’m thinking that is what she thought. The monkey was not about the monkey business today. In fact, he was very serious, he reached to take the drink and just as she pulled back. Next, all I saw were teeth, which was my clue to mind my own business and proceed down the stairs, “We both shouldn’t get bit, right?”

This monkey was definitely not named “George” although he was very curious about why my friend had decided to pour her drink on the stairs in an attempt to share her libations with him, he was in no way the cute and cuddly type.  After, he kindly gave her a look that explained to her  he was indeed a monkey and not a cat, the Hindu God’s came to her assistance and kindly produced an empty Gatorade bottle on the stairs near the two of them. She picked it up and poured the monkey a portion. He then reached up and without any words of gratitude, jumped up on the rail and over to the other steps taking the drink straight to the head— so GANGSTER!

So, for those of you who plan to take an adventure to Malaysia and want to go to the Batu Caves, I would suggest that you—beware of the monkeys. 

The Batu Cave monkeys look cute and for the most part they mind their own business, that is unless you have something that they may want and/or think they need. I would also caution you from taking pictures were the monkeys can see their own reflection, they reportedly don’t like that. It is also been suggested that you don’t attempt to freely feed the monkeys as you may be attacked, and remember, even though you only see one monkey, they do travel in packs. The Batu Cave monkeys are cute and even seem to be cuddly, but beware they are gangster and you have warned!