Safe to Eat
(15)Penang Road Cendol
Penang's famous cendol with palm sugar, coconut milk, and red beans.
Masala Thosai
Dosai filled with spiced potato masala. Filling and flavorful.
Idli
Steamed rice and lentil cakes, served with sambar and chutney.
Dosai (Thosai)
Crispy fermented rice and lentil crepe, served with chutney and sambar.
Zhai (Buddhist Vegetarian)
Mock meat dishes made from soy and mushroom, no onion or garlic.
Pisang Goreng
Deep-fried banana fritters. Crispy outside, sweet inside.
Tau Fu Fah
Silken tofu pudding in sweet ginger syrup, served hot or cold.
Kopi O
Black coffee with sugar, served hot or iced. No milk.
Teh Tarik
Frothy pulled tea with condensed milk. National drink of Malaysia.
Cendol
Iced coconut milk dessert with green jelly noodles, red beans, and palm sugar.
Banana Leaf Rice
Rice served on a banana leaf with vegetable curries, dhal, and sides.
Kaya Toast
Toasted bread with kaya (coconut jam) and butter, served with soft-boiled eggs.
Durian
The king of fruits. Fresh, pungent, creamy. Available during season (May-August).
Apam Balik
Crispy folded pancake filled with crushed peanuts and sugar.
Ais Kacang (ABC)
Shaved ice with red beans, sweet corn, grass jelly, and syrup.
Eat with Caution — Ask First
(8)These dishes may be OK depending on preparation. Check the hidden ingredients note and ask the vendor.
Pau (Bao)
Steamed buns with various fillings: pork, chicken, red bean, or kaya.
Ask for "tau sar pau" (red bean) — pork and chicken versions are common.
Karipap (Curry Puff)
Deep-fried pastry filled with curried potatoes and sometimes chicken or sardine.
Ask for the potato-only version; chicken and sardine are common.
Curry Laksa
Noodles in spicy coconut curry soup with tofu puffs, prawns, and cockles.
Standard version has prawns and cockles; some stalls offer vegetable-only broth.
Kuih (Nyonya Snacks)
Colorful bite-sized cakes: ondeh-ondeh, kuih lapis, ang koo kuih, and more.
Each kuih is different — savory ones may contain dried shrimp.
Roti Nasik (Bread & Egg)
Roti canai with egg, sometimes with onion. Popular morning option.
Dough contains ghee; dhal may contain shrimp paste.
Nasi Kandar
Steamed rice with various curries poured over. A Penang institution.
Some stalls have vegetable-only curries — ask which ladles are meat-free.
Popiah
Fresh spring roll with turnip, bean sprouts, lettuce, and various fillings.
Dried shrimp (heh bee) is a common filling — ask for a version without.
Roti Canai
Flaky flatbread flipped on a hot iron plate, served with dal or curry.
The dough contains ghee, and dhal may contain shrimp paste at some stalls.
Avoid
(13)Sup Kambing
Spicy mutton soup with spices, herbs, and sometimes bones.
Mutton soup.
Char Siew Rice
Rice with BBQ pork, vegetables, and sweet dark sauce.
BBQ pork is the dish.
Yong Tau Foo
Tofu and vegetables stuffed with fish paste, served in broth or dry with sauce.
Fish paste fills even the tofu and vegetables.
Beef Rendang
Slow-cooked beef in coconut milk and spice paste, dry and intensely flavored.
Beef dish.
Rojak
Fruit and vegetable salad with a thick, sweet-sour-spicy prawn paste dressing.
Prawn paste (heh ko) is the essential dressing.
Hainanese Chicken Rice
Poached chicken with fragrant rice cooked in chicken fat, served with chili sauce.
Chicken is the dish; rice is cooked in chicken fat.
Wanton Noodles
Egg noodles with pork dumplings, char siew, and vegetables.
Pork dumplings and char siew (BBQ pork) throughout.
Satay
Skewered, charcoal-grilled meat served with peanut sauce, cucumber, and onion.
Meat skewers; peanut sauce sometimes contains belacan.
Sarawak Laksa
Rice vermicelli in a spiced coconut gravy with prawns, chicken, and lime.
Prawns and chicken in the gravy.
Penang Asam Laksa
Rice noodles in a tangy, spicy fish broth with mackerel, tamarind, and mint.
The broth is fish-based with mackerel as the main protein.
Char Kway Teow
Stir-fried flat rice noodles with prawns, cockles, Chinese sausage, and bean sprouts.
Prawns, cockles, and Chinese sausage throughout.
Hokkien Mee (KL style)
Thick yellow noodles stir-fried with pork, squid, and cabbage in dark soy sauce.
Pork, squid, and pork cracklings throughout.
Nasi Lemak
Coconut rice with sambal, peanuts, cucumber, and usually fried chicken or anchovies.
Dried anchovies (ikan bilis) in the sambal and as garnish.