7 of the best Malaysian breakfast foods in George Town, Penang, and where to eat them

On a recent morning I sat, groggy with jet lag, at a food stall in Penang, Malaysia, eyes fixed on a roti maker flinging dough through the air. Once it had been stretched into a thin circle about 60cm (2 feet) in diameter, he lowered it and deftly folded it into a neat packet. When lightly fried in ghee, it is transformed into a multilayered flatbread called roti canai; one of many traditional Malaysian breakfast foods, it is often accompanied by a small bowl of curry for dipping. My husband and I were staying at the Eastern & Oriental Hotel on the shores of the Strait of Malacca in the heart of George Town, capital of Penang state. At various times since the late 19th century, it has been a hang-out for such literary luminaries as William Somerset Maugham, Hermann Hesse and Rudyard Kipling. Our room fee, like many in Southeast Asia, included a generous daily breakfast. On three previous visits we had savoured it, until we realised we were missing the vibrant early-morning street food scene in Penang – a bit like going to Paris and never setting foot in a cafe. In fact, “breakfast culture” so permeates Malaysia that in December United Nations cultural organisation Unesco added it to its list of intangible cultural heritage. Penang is a food lover’s paradise, incorporating the cuisines of various ethnic groups that came to trade, labour or colonise. Its residents eat out often, and the first meal of the day, before the heat, humidity and equatorial sun sap one’s appetite, is the most important. During the 16 days we spent there in January, we sampled traditional Malay, Chinese and Indian breakfasts at a variety of tiny restaurants and food stalls. For advice about where to go, we relied on leads from taxi drivers, the Penang Foodie group on Facebook and Penangites whom we met in various contexts. Most of the places we ate at were in George Town, in the northeast of Penang Island. For those too far away to reach on foot, we relied on the ride-sharing service known as Grab. Except where noted, our meals cost US$4 (HK$32) or less per person, and the charge for Grab taxi rides rarely exceeded US$5. Here are some of our favourite breakfasts. 1. Roti canai We began and ended our Penang sojourn at Roti Bakar Hutton Lane (300 Jalan Phee Choon) in the heart of George Town. The fluffy roti canai is one of those foods one thinks about nostalgically long after leaving a place. Those who would rather not eat it with curry can order it with eggs, chicken or cheese. 2. Kaya toast The essential ingredients in kaya – a popular breakfast spread in Malaysia and Singapore – are coconut milk, eggs and sugar. Nyonya recipes, which meld Malay and Chinese spices, call for the addition of pandan leaves, which gives the kaya a green tinge and a slight vanilla flavour. Though kaya toast is ubiquitous, residents and visitors queue up for it at Toh Soon Café, in a narrow alley next to 184 Lebuh Campbell. It was founded by an immigrant some 70 years ago, and still toasts its home-baked Hainanese bread over braziers. 3. Nasi lemak Sometimes called the national breakfast of Malaysia, nasi lemak starts with rice cooked in coconut milk, accompanied by a thick sambal – one of the many pastes in Malaysian cuisine, here made from dried shrimp, chillies and other spices. Protein comes from various toppings – typically fried peanuts, dried anchovies and a piece of hard-boiled egg or omelette. As street food, it is wrapped in a pyramid-shaped banana leaf packet. Ali Nasi Lemak, whose nasi lemak is widely considered the gold standard, operates from a kiosk run by women at the entrance to the Sri Weld Food Court (21 Lebuh Pantai), where six different protein combinations are assembled with efficiency. 4. Dim sum Thanks to Jacqueline Wong, an event planner and native Penangite, our go-to place for dumplings during the past two visits has been Yong Pin Restaurant (59A Lebuh Kimberley). A placard beside the counter lists about a dozen traditional pao (buns) with photos. Two stand-outs are the kaya pao and the golden yolk pao, with its sweet, oozing centre. We were prepared to scoff at the fancier Bao Teck Tea House (25 Lebuh Melayu), which is recommended by the Michelin Guide. Located in a restored Chinese house, it has gilded relief work on the door and a moss garden in the centre light well. If you order tea (the restaurant only offers premium varieties), a simple meal for two can easily cost US$35. Reservations are required, and guests who overstay their 90-minute time slot are unceremoniously urged to leave. Still, the dim sum is superb. The pandan coconut buns, decidedly lighter than those we ate elsewhere, were delivered to the table in a wooden box, opened by the server as if she were presenting a gift. Even more impressive was the crispy yam puff. Shaped like an egg, it is a meal on a spoon. Bite through the delicate crunchy exterior and you reach a soft layer of yam with the consistency of mashed potato, while small cubes of sweet barbecued pork await you at the very centre. 5. Nasi kandar The name of this dish, introduced to Penang by Indian Muslim traders, harks back to the days when vendors carried pails of rice and curry through the streets, suspended from the ends of a shoulder pole (kandar). Today, one orders it from the counter of a small restaurant or food stall. Watch as the server heaps a generous portion of rice on your plate. Then point to the sources of protein you prefer, which may include fried chicken, fish, squid, prawns and hard-boiled eggs. A few pieces of steamed okra add balance to your meal. But the best part is the various gravies. A foreigner who asks for it banjir (meaning “flooded”) is likely to get a smile of approval. While nasi kandar is available throughout the day, after sampling several establishments we frequented Nasi Kandar Sulaiman (739 Jalan Air Itam), which is open daily only from 6.30am to 2.30pm. Workers at the Eastern & Oriental order takeaway from Sulaiman once they have finished serving breakfast to the hotel’s guests – that is a good enough endorsement for me. 6. Bamboo noodles These egg noodles, which are a Cantonese speciality, get their name not from the ingredients but from the bamboo pole used to knead the dough before the noodles are cut to size. At Tok Tok Mee Bamboo Noodle (37 Lebuh Campbell) between 11am and noon, you can see how it is done: a worker bounces vigorously on a long pole as if it were a see-saw. Although the restaurant gets its name from the rhythmic sound of this process, most of the noodles served here are now made by machine. Those in the classic noodle soup I ordered were bouncy and chewy, and the small wontons burst with flavour as we bit into them. 7. Porridge “This one is sold out after 9.30 or 10am,” warned Wong when recommending Chok Kee Porridge Café (188 Lebuh Kimberley). “If I go after I drop off my son at school, I won’t stand a chance.” Her favourite porridge place started as a pushcart 90 years ago. A sign above the three aluminium vats out front indicates the offerings. I passed up pork intestine, and pungent century egg, in favour of peanut. Pork lard gives the porridge its thick, silky texture. The peanuts add protein. Crunch comes from the fried rice noodles, pork floss and spring onions that garnish the top. What the stuffy setting lacks in ambience, it makes up for with a sensory feast. But hustle for humble porridge? “No way,” says Wong’s husband, Samuel Tham, a former chef from whom we take cooking lessons each time we visit. He favours Hon Kei Food Corner (43 Kampong Malabar), where it is possible to get porridge whenever the mood strikes, in air-conditioned comfort. You can order the soup with fluffy pork meatballs, fried fish and a choice of noodles. Plus, it is open from 9am to 9pm. Those with an affinity for breakfast can have it at almost any time of the day. Deborah L. Jacobs, a former senior editor at Forbes and a frequent visitor to Penang, is the author most recently of Four Seasons in a Day: Travel, Transitions and Letting Go of the Place We Call Home.

7 of the best Malaysian breakfast foods in George Town, Penang, and where to eat them

From nasi lemak to porridge to kaya toast to dim sum, we explore the tastes of Malaysia’s Unesco-listed morning food culture