MY2011 - Anjung Gurney

Along Gurney Drive in Penang, lies a food court that is famous for all the hawker food, previously sold by the seafront promenade.

 

 

After the renovations in 2006, Anjung Gurney Hawker Centre is today, the best place to taste all the famous Malaysian hawker fares.

 

 

Among all the “must-tries” included:

Char Kway Teow: stir-fried flat rice noodles over very high heat with light and dark soy sauce, chilli, a small quantity of belachan, whole prawns, deshelled cockles, bean sprouts and chopped Chinese chives. The dish may also include egg, slices of Chinese sausages and fishcakes, and is commonly served with a piece of banana leaf on a plate. But for the best Char Kway Teow in Penang, I recommend the one at Lorong Selamat.

 

 

Penang Laksa: also known as asam laksa, this noodle dish is served in a soup base made from mackerel and features the tamarind, which gives the soup a sour taste. Other ingredients that give Penang laksa its distinctive flavour include lemongrass, galangal and chilli. Typical garnishes include mint, pineapple slices, thinly sliced onion, and prawn paste.

 

 

Hokkien Mee: also known as Har Mee or Hae Mee, it is a dish of egg noodles and rice noodles in a fragrant stock, which is made from both fresh shrimp and dried prawns, as well as pork or chicken. It is garnished with prawns, fish cake, leafy greens, pork ribs, squid, crisp deep-fried shallots, spring onions and fresh lime. The dish is served with sliced red chilli, light soy sauce and sambal.

 

 

Wonton Mee: Malaysia offers different versions of the dish, with different states having different versions of the dish. Commonly served dry, the noodles are dressed in oyster sauce, topped with slices of char siu (BBQ pork) and wontons. The dish is also commonly served with soup and steamed wontons.

 

 

Penang Rojak: Similar to the fruit rojak commonly found in Malaysia, the Penang Rojak distinguishes itself by adding water apple (jambu air), guava, squid fritters and honey to the mixture. Some also uses tart fruits such as raw mangoes and green apples. The sauce or dressing for the rojak tends to be very thick, almost toffee-like in consistency and texture.

 

 

Muar Chee: one of my favourite snacks, it is a made of sticky glutinous rice dough that is cut into different shapes. The sticky dough are then served with grounded peanuts and coarse white sugar.

 

 

Si Kua Teng: a sweet dessert soup that is usually recommended to complement the “heaty” hawker food. While there isn’t a fixed list of ingredients for the soup, commonly used ingredients included jelly and dried longans.

 

 

I guess, the most challenging part would be to find out which stall serves the best “must-try” dish since there are literally more than 10 stalls in Anjung Gurney serving the same thing.