Penang assam laksa, made with lots of shrimp paste, is an explosion of intense tastes but a must-try in Penang. All photos by the author. A local delicacy, the Penang cendol includes shaved ice, pandan jelly, red beans, coconut milk, and brown sugar.
Jellyfish and cuttlefish topped with a spicy peanut sesame sauce.
Diners dig in to street food outside the Pasar Pulau Tikus marketplace. A run-of-the-mill Cantonese Penang food stall's bowl of soy sauce-drenched noodles with sliced duck and wonton, all made in-house.
The Chinese cook boils his noodles as he has for eight years at this Aceh Street stand. Some juicy slices of crispy duck and a bowl of rice porridge, best enjoyed with a can of Tiger.
At the entrance to Little India, a man prepares a cup of fresh susu lembu milk with vanilla flavoring.
The Penang curry mee is an assault on the senses—spicy and sour and with chunks of coagulated pig's blood and sprigs of mint. Local food blogger Ken Hunt enjoys an after-dinner herbal tea street-side.