Tuesday, June 11, 2013
PENANG PICKLED FRUIT
PICKLED FRUITS
These are seasoned fruits preserved in concentrated sugar syrup, brine or in some cases
vinegar. In Penang the popular fruits used are the nutmeg, unripe papaya, mango and guava.
The smell of these sour pickles will make your mouth salivate. Other types of pickles are
shallots and young ginger slices preserved in vinegar. These mouth watering tidbits are sold in
ready packed, bottled and by weight at the markets and bus terminals.
There are two basic types of pickles. Raw or cooked. Young vegetables and fruits are more suitable to be made into raw pickles. If the vegetables or fruits are ripe, the abundant natural juice, usually acidic, reacts with the solution of salt, vinegar or sugar used to preserve them. The result can be disastrous because you will be left with very mushy fruits. However, ripe fruits are good to be made into jam. Raw fruit pickles is very famous in Penang. Many kinds of local fruits can be pickled. However, nutmeg and mangoes head the list.
These are seasoned fruits preserved in concentrated sugar syrup, brine or in some cases
vinegar. In Penang the popular fruits used are the nutmeg, unripe papaya, mango and guava.
The smell of these sour pickles will make your mouth salivate. Other types of pickles are
shallots and young ginger slices preserved in vinegar. These mouth watering tidbits are sold in
ready packed, bottled and by weight at the markets and bus terminals.
There are two basic types of pickles. Raw or cooked. Young vegetables and fruits are more suitable to be made into raw pickles. If the vegetables or fruits are ripe, the abundant natural juice, usually acidic, reacts with the solution of salt, vinegar or sugar used to preserve them. The result can be disastrous because you will be left with very mushy fruits. However, ripe fruits are good to be made into jam. Raw fruit pickles is very famous in Penang. Many kinds of local fruits can be pickled. However, nutmeg and mangoes head the list.
MOST FAMOUS POPULAR FOOD IN PENANG
PENANG AIS CENDOL
Penang Road Cendol is located not exactly at Penang Road but at Lebuh Keng Kwee, a small lane on the left off Penang Road, just before you turn into Komtar (Jalan Dr Lim Chwee Leong). The stall is outside a kopitiam (coffeshop) which happens to have another famous laksa stall.
PENANG ASAM LAKSA
Penang laksa (Malay: Laksa Pulau Pinang), also known as assam laksa from the Malay for tamarind, comes from the Malaysian island of Penang. It is made with mackerel (ikan kembung) soup and its main distinguishing feature is the assam or tamarind which gives the soup a sour taste. The fish is poached and then flaked. Other ingredients that give Penang laksa its distinctive flavour include lemongrass, galangal (lengkuas) and chilli. Typical garnishes include mint, pineapple slices, thinly sliced onion, hε-ko, a thick sweet prawn paste and use of torch ginger flower. This, and not ‘curry mee’ is the usual ‘laksa’ one gets in Penang.
PENANG ACAR ACAR
Penang Acar is a type of Nyonya salad. Crunchy and aromatic, Acar is usually made by mixing hard vegetables such as carrots and cabbage with a rich and spicy gravy garnished with crushed groundnuts.
Acar acts as a welcome condiment to any meal and is scrumptiously devoured with haste by locals. There is even a fish-based version of Acar!
PENANG CHAR KUAY TEOW
Penang char kuay teow is known the world over, and is the most popular variety of char kuay teow out of many in Malaysia. It’s a hawker dish of flat rice noodles stir-fried in a large wok over open fire together with lard, soy sauce, chillies, prawns, cockles, eggs, bean sprouts and chives.
HOKKIEN MEE
Hokkien mee comes in different versions in this country. The Penang version is soup-based and watery, as opposed to the Kuala Lumpur version which is fried in dark soy sauce and quite sticky. The soup is probably the most important part of the dish. Made from fragrant stock consisting of shrimp paste and dried prawns which are then brought to the boil with a bit of lard for texture, it gives the dish its intoxicating aroma.
NASI KANDAR
Originating from the Indian-Muslim culture, Nasi Kandar is perhaps Penang’s best-known dish. The dish got its name from the way it was peddled decades ago – by balancing pots containing the rice and the curries across the shoulders using a long wooden rod. It is basically steamed white rice served with a variety of side dishes which include a variety of thick, rich curries and vegetables.
ROJAK PASEMBUR
rojak pasembur is a Malaysian salad comprising shredded cucumber, turnip, potatoes, beancurd, bean sprouts, pieces of prawn fritters, squids and boiled eggs mixed together with a sweet and spicy peanut sauce. Simple and wholesome
Penang Road Cendol is located not exactly at Penang Road but at Lebuh Keng Kwee, a small lane on the left off Penang Road, just before you turn into Komtar (Jalan Dr Lim Chwee Leong). The stall is outside a kopitiam (coffeshop) which happens to have another famous laksa stall.
PENANG ASAM LAKSA
Penang laksa (Malay: Laksa Pulau Pinang), also known as assam laksa from the Malay for tamarind, comes from the Malaysian island of Penang. It is made with mackerel (ikan kembung) soup and its main distinguishing feature is the assam or tamarind which gives the soup a sour taste. The fish is poached and then flaked. Other ingredients that give Penang laksa its distinctive flavour include lemongrass, galangal (lengkuas) and chilli. Typical garnishes include mint, pineapple slices, thinly sliced onion, hε-ko, a thick sweet prawn paste and use of torch ginger flower. This, and not ‘curry mee’ is the usual ‘laksa’ one gets in Penang.
PENANG ACAR ACAR
Penang Acar is a type of Nyonya salad. Crunchy and aromatic, Acar is usually made by mixing hard vegetables such as carrots and cabbage with a rich and spicy gravy garnished with crushed groundnuts.
Acar acts as a welcome condiment to any meal and is scrumptiously devoured with haste by locals. There is even a fish-based version of Acar!
PENANG CHAR KUAY TEOW
Penang char kuay teow is known the world over, and is the most popular variety of char kuay teow out of many in Malaysia. It’s a hawker dish of flat rice noodles stir-fried in a large wok over open fire together with lard, soy sauce, chillies, prawns, cockles, eggs, bean sprouts and chives.
HOKKIEN MEE
Hokkien mee comes in different versions in this country. The Penang version is soup-based and watery, as opposed to the Kuala Lumpur version which is fried in dark soy sauce and quite sticky. The soup is probably the most important part of the dish. Made from fragrant stock consisting of shrimp paste and dried prawns which are then brought to the boil with a bit of lard for texture, it gives the dish its intoxicating aroma.
NASI KANDAR
Originating from the Indian-Muslim culture, Nasi Kandar is perhaps Penang’s best-known dish. The dish got its name from the way it was peddled decades ago – by balancing pots containing the rice and the curries across the shoulders using a long wooden rod. It is basically steamed white rice served with a variety of side dishes which include a variety of thick, rich curries and vegetables.
ROJAK PASEMBUR
rojak pasembur is a Malaysian salad comprising shredded cucumber, turnip, potatoes, beancurd, bean sprouts, pieces of prawn fritters, squids and boiled eggs mixed together with a sweet and spicy peanut sauce. Simple and wholesome
BORIA PENANG
Boria is another traditional performing art form which owes its origin to Persia, one of its meanings is ‘carpet’ where “grief-stricken mourners would sit wailing and crying, at times in a state of frenzy, during the first ten nights of...Muharram”
The less-known interpretation of boria is from the Hindi word borai which means crazy or frenzy. This interpretation has probably arisen after the frenzy of performances in Penang when boria was at its height. As competitions were held between the Boria groups, the frenzy occurred when competition was strife among the costumed performers who paraded the groups’ flags of different colours and designs. This inevitably ended in fights, Apparently, at its peak, apart from the main evening performances there were also performances in the day called kuli kalin where the groups paraded and sang in the streets with masks of different designs in the first five days of Muharram. This was done to collect funds for the performances.
Boria is believed to have been brought in between 1845 and 1874 by the “Indians of Shiah origin” The reference to the origin of this performance is also made to the incident at Karbala and for the first ten days of Muharram, Boria was performed to reminiscence this incident. Still making reference to its Indian origins Ghulam states that “...boria performances in Shiah communities in India is the inclusion of passion plays based upon the theme of martyrdom of Ali’s family” (ibid). This genre of performance is believed to have been used to promote understanding of Shi’ite.
The plays are the main part of Boria whilst the singing supports the performance. Both the frenzy and mayhem it caused and the religious-political significance of these performances led to the disintegration of Boria. As a start to this disintegration, Boria was changed to Ria denoting merriment with no strong religious significance.
From performances of plays it evolved into choric performances where the tukang karang (lead singer) sings the ‘story’, followed by repetitive singing of the ‘sailors’ (chorus) in between each verse. At the height of Boria the tukang karang (lead singer) must be able to improvise his lyrics And have melodious voice to attract not only audiences to earn fame but patrons. A good tukang karang must also use the right lyrics to praise his patron in the hope of getting better financial support.
PENANG NATIONAL PARK
The Penang National Park spans 1,213ha of land and sea and is used by scientists, researchers, and nature lovers to explore its natural treasures.
Previously known as the Pantai Acheh Forest Reserve, this pristine site is known to harbour 417 flora and 143 fauna species. Pantai Acheh Forest Reserve, located at the northwestern tip of Penang, was declared the Penang National Park in April 2003.
Penang National Park is the first protected area legally gazetted under Malaysia's National Park Act of 1980, signifying the State and Federal governments’ environmental protection efforts.
Penang National Park was established to preserve and protect flora and fauna as well as objects with geological, archaeological, historical,ethnological, scientific, and scenic interests.
Natural attractions of Pulau Pinang National Park include the Hill / Lowland Dipterocarp Forests, Mangrove Forest areas,sandy beach habitats, the unique seasonal meromictic lake and the open coastal seas. Stands of Seraya (Shorea curtisii) trees, common feature of coastal Dipterocarp Forest, can be easily seen on steep slopes around Muka Head. There are over 1000 species of plants recorded which are dominated by the family Dipterocarpaceae, Leguminoceae, Apocynaceae, Anacardiaceae, Euphorbiaceae and Moraceae.
Part of the Pantai Acheh Forest Reserve had been logged before 1955; no forest areas there have been logged since 1955. All logging activities were stopped in 1996, and Malaysian public funding has been allocated to develop the Penang National Park, within guidelines
ECOLOGY
The unique features here are five habitat types not found in the other major Malaysian nature reserves. The park is a haven for a wealth of 417 flora and 143 fauna species, including turtles,crustaceans, and rare pitcher plants. This allows the Park to boast one of the most unique assemblage of biodiversity in Malaysia
FLORA
Secondary forest is the main feature here. The beach is long, and plants are numerous, including rocky bonsai to timber and herbal plants. Trees and plants which can be found here include Chengal, Meranti Seraya, Jelutong, Gaharu, Tongkat Ali, and Bintangor.
The coast is dominate by disturbed secondary forest and hardy plants, such as screw pines. The red paper-like bark of the pelawan trees are abundant; undergrowth and ferns spread between the trees. Other noticeable trees planted include casuarina trees, sea almond, cashew nut, and swaying coconut palms.
Several mangrove trees are found along the Tukun beach. Wild orchids can be sighted on steep rocky slopes and cashew nuts are common here, indicating that some agricultural activities had taken place here many years ago. Fully-grown timber trees are found inside the forest beyond the coast. There are also pitcher plants (nepenthes spp), which managed to survive the coastal habitat.
FAUNA
Among animals spotted in and around the park are dolphins, otters, Hawksbill turtles, and monkeys. Dusky leaf monkeys and long-tailed macaques have also been sighted.
Birds are numerous, and noticeable big birds like White Bellied Sea Eagles, Brahminy Kites, and kingfisher are occasionally reported.
Mammals such as wild boars, wild cats, civet cats, sea otters, mouse deers, rats, bats, and squirrels and crabs, fishes, and large prawns, monitor lizards, and snakes are common here. Turtles occasionally land in the park.
The meromictic lake has scarce fauna life, since it is usually deprived of oxygen in the lower layer. The brackish water sustains snail of Faunus ater, which shell is unique among the Cerithioideaof great population and high density, up to 6700 snails per m²r. This is unique and singular to the park.
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