Twelve Mamak Food You Should Not Miss in Penang

Twelve Mamak Food You Should Not Miss in Penang. 

Oops! Tell me what "Mamak" means please?

"Mamak" is the moniker given to a male man from the Peranakan India community who resides in Penang. The female version is called "Mami"

Mamak food is famous, they are known be good cooks who fiercely fight to show off their skills at the stove. They earn the bragging rights because Mamak cuisine is widely sought after by any curry connoisseur; especially those who are born in Penang.

Intrigued yet? Read on to see the top 12 and most popular Mamak food in Penang.

Twelve Mamak Food You Should Not Miss in Penang 

Mee Goreng Mamak

What is "mamak"?

It is the moniker for Indian Muslim men who live in Straits Settlement. They are mostly Tamil and speak the language and they are mostly merchants, money changer, restauranteur as well as goldsmiths.

In Malaysia, when you say, "Let's go Mamak", it means you are calling your friends to go with you to hang out and have a meal at a "mamak" restaurant which sells the following:

  1. Roti Canai
  2.  Mee Goreng Mamak
  3.  Murtabak
  4. Cucuq Udang 
  5. Nasi Kandar and its 1001 henchmen
  6. Nasi Dalcha and its specific partners in crime
  7. Roti Bom
  8. Roti Tisu
  9. Pasembur
  10. Sup tulang
  11. Roti bakar with telur goyang
  12. Teh tarik

Of course there are more than twelve items, but I believe in educating you the important ones first.

Do you know that Teh Tarik was made with the cheapest tea available in powder form and the inspiration came from Indian "milk chai"?

It took Nazlina two years to find the perfect recipe and also technique to teach roti canai. Many people can make roti canai but they cannot teach how to make it. Nazlina experimented with many recipes and tried to learn from many mamaks and all of them gave her perplexing different tips and techniques.

THe family of ROTis

rose

Not all rotis are created equal. In this case they could look the same and called the same but they are different. 

  • Puri
  • Chapatti
  • Paratha
  • Murtabak
  • Tosei
  • Roti canai
  • Roti bom
  • Roti Tisu

Rojak Mamak and Pasembur are actually the same thing.

nasi kandar vs nasi dalcha

nasikandar2

Kandar means to "carry on the shoulder". Dalcha came from dhal baht but in this case it is the omnivore version containers large chunks of beef bones, among other.



nasikandar4