I recently had the pleasure of having dinner with a group of US food journalists who were all flown in by MATRADE to discover Malaysia cuisine and promote them back in America.

The food journalists were none other than the well known Bret Thorn – food editor of Nation’s Restaurant News, Bob Lape – food reporter for WCBS-AM New York and his charming wife, Joanna Pruess – columnist for Specialty Food Magazine and contributor for Food Arts Magazine.

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Tags: A'dzimah Ahmad Ghazali, Atalanta Rafferty, Bob Lape, Bret Thorn, Charming Wife, Chicken Curry, Circular Motions, Food Arts Magazine, Food Editor, Food Journalist, Food Journalists, International Favorites, Joanna Pruess, Lacy Pattern, Lape, Malay Dishes, Malaysia Kitchen's, Malaysian Cuisine, Malaysian Cuisines, Matrade, Nation’s Restaurant News, Penang, Rasa Sayang Resort, Rasa Sayang Resort Penang, Resort And Spa, RF Binder, Roti Jala, Specialty Food Magazine, Spice Market, Spice Market Cafe, US Food Journalists, WCBS-AM New York, Wife Joanna

My latest food outing had me patronizing the Char Koay Kak stall which is located along the bustling Air Itam main road, in front of Suiwah Supermarket. There is an upbeat vibe to this road with so many hawker food stalls around – the tasty fried buns and tantalizing Assam Laksa.

Thanks to my readers for recommending this Char Koay Kak to me at my Kedai Kopi Wah Meng post

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Tags: Air Itam, Aroma, Assam Laksa, Banana Leaf, Bean Sprouts, Buns, Char Koay Kak, Chicken Egg, Chili Paste, Dark Soy Sauce, Duck Egg, Food Stalls, Green Bean Soup, Hawker Food, Kak, Kedai Kopi, Peanut Soup, Penang, Penang Hawker Food, Rice Cakes, Several Different Types, Takeaways, Tinge, Tong-sui, Wah Meng

Many people love the durians from Penang and the best time to indulge in the King of Fruits this year is from the month of May to late July. This year’s durian season is much later due to the unpredictable weather.

Many will make a visit to the durian farms located around Teluk Bahang, Pantai Aceh and Balik Pulau, with the latter being the most popular area for durian seekers. Most of these farms are closed to the public and only a few are open and even then, they tend to be more of eco-tourism orientated.

The King of Fruits Have Arrived!

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Tags: Aceh, Balik Pulau, Creamy Flesh, Durian Season, Durians, Early August, Full Swing, King Of Fruits, Langsat, Mangosteen, Many Other Types, Month Of June, Narrow Path, Natural Atmosphere, Nutmeg, Orchards, Penang, Pondok Upeh, Steep Steps, Tropical Fruit Trees, Twenty Five Years, Unpredictable Weather, Vegetarians

Popiah are relatively popular in Penang with each hawker using their own distinctive choices of ingredients. The popiah sold by the Chinese comes laid with the basic sweet and chili sauce, fresh lettuce, stewed yambean, blanched bean sprouts and minced tofu (bean curd). Most of the fresh popiah are served with steaming gravy.

The popiah sold by Indians are also relatively different. Just like those prepared by the Chinese, they have the fresh popiah and those deep-fried spring roll. My personal favorite is from an Indian hawker whose motorcycle is his makeshift ‘stall’ parked inside One Corner Cafe and the mamak popiah seller beside the Penang General Hospital. Both stalls have its own distinctive taste.

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Tags: 2pm, Appetizer, Bean Curd, Bean Sprouts, Chili Sauce, Distinctive Choices, Distinctive Taste, General Hospital, Gravy, Hawker, Indian Popiah, Indian Spring, Indian Spring Roll, Jalan Bawasah, Laksa Soup, Lettuce, Onions, Penang, Penang General Hospital, Penang Hawker Food, Penang Plaza, Popiah, Snack Check, Spring Roll, Spring Rolls, Sweet Sauce, Tofu, Turmeric, Yellowish Color