Visiting Penang? Have You Tried Nasi Kandar?
Visiting Penang for the first time? Discover what nasi kandar is, why mixed gravies are part of the experience, how to order it, what can affect the price, and how this famous rice dish is connected to Penang's Tamil Muslim history.
PENANG CUISINE
KC
10/1/20263 min read
Walk around Penang and you may come across a restaurant with a long counter filled with trays of fried chicken, fish, squid, vegetables and different curries.
People queue, point at what they want, and watch as different gravies are poured over a plate of rice.
If you don't know what you're looking at, it can seem like an ordinary mixed-rice stall.
It could be nasi kandar.
And once you understand what nasi kandar is, that counter starts to look very different.
What exactly is nasi kandar?
It starts with rice.
Then you choose from the dishes available that day. You might find fried chicken, beef, mutton, fish, prawns, squid, vegetables, eggs and other dishes depending on the shop.
For something on the side, you may also come across bendi (okra) or salted egg.
Then comes one of the most recognisable parts of the experience: the gravy.
Instead of necessarily choosing just one curry, different gravies can be mixed and poured over the rice. You may hear the term kuah campur, meaning mixed gravy.
And if you hear banjir, the Malay word means “flood”.
So when someone wants their nasi kandar banjir, you can probably imagine what happens to the rice.
Why is it called nasi kandar?
This is where the dish tells part of Penang's history.
Nasi kandar has its roots in Penang's Tamil Muslim community.
In the early days, vendors carried rice and curry dishes in containers balanced at either end of a pole across the shoulder.
That carrying method was known as kandar.
The sellers and shoulder poles may largely have disappeared from today's streets, but the name stayed.
So when you eat nasi kandar in Penang today, you're also encountering part of the food culture that developed through the communities that made the island their home.
How do you order it?
Don't be intimidated by the counter.
Look at what's available and indicate what you want. The server will assemble your plate.
If you're unsure about something, ask before choosing it.
You also don't need to start with an enormous plate containing everything that looks interesting.
Choose a main dish, perhaps add a vegetable or another side, and decide how much gravy you want.
If you want to experience the mixed gravies, ask for kuah campur.
And if you don't want your rice swimming in gravy, you don't have to order it banjir.
There is no prize for having the wettest plate in Penang.
One thing to watch: the price
This is useful to know before you start pointing at everything behind the counter.
Your final price depends on what you choose.
A simple plate with rice and chicken is very different from a plate loaded with several dishes and seafood.
Squid, prawns, fish and other larger or more expensive items can push the price up.
If you're unsure how much something costs, ask before ordering it.
What should you notice when you eat it?
Don't think of nasi kandar as simply rice with curry.
Try some of the rice with the mixed gravies. Depending on what's been poured over it, different flavours and levels of spice can come together on the same plate.
Then try it with whichever dishes you selected.
Your plate may look quite different from the person sitting beside you. That's part of what makes the experience interesting.
Why try it in Penang?
You can find nasi kandar elsewhere in Malaysia today, but its story is closely connected to Penang.
That's what makes trying it here interesting.
Before you knew what nasi kandar was, you might have walked past that counter and seen nothing more than trays of rice, curry and fried food.
Now you know what you're looking at.
The rest is simply deciding what you want on your plate.
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