Penang

I was in Penang over the weekend in search of the holy grail of Penang's most famous food! Yes, everyone knows that good food is aplenty in this tiny island along the west coast of Malaysia! We stayed at Cititel hotel on Jalan Penang - the location cannot be beat. We were smack in the heart of Georgetown within walking distance to all the artery-choking food and historical sights within Georgetown. The hotel itself is no-frills but decent, and considering the price we paid (RM135 per room per night), it was a pretty good bargain.

My usual travel suspects. Can I say I just love travelling with these gals, especially on such food trips as they have an enormous appetite (even the skinny ones) and are keen to try almost everything? We were relentless in our pursuit of the most famous Char Koey Teow (CKT), Hokkien mee, Assam laksa, Roti Canai, Nasi Kandar, etc stalls. We egged one another on to eat more, eventhough on countless occasions, we were already bursting at the seams!

Food pics. From top left corner, clockwise: Baked crab & cheese baked fresh oysters from Fishing Village Restaurant (Teluk Bahang), assam laksa & durian ice cream from Kek Sen kopitiam, chendol stall from an alley off Jalan Penang and various preserved fruits from a random shop along Jalan Penang. These are by no means the best food in Penang but rather, the only food pics I have in my cam (I'm usually too busy tucking in, lol). I'll try to do a food critique once I get hold of the other pics from G's cam.

Georgetown is a designated UNESCO world heritage site. R and I agreed that we liked the old town of Hoi An (also a UNESCO site) better. However, Georgetown did have its old-school retro charm as well. I loved the old colonial style buildings, some of which have been left to "age" rather than fully restored to their former glory. The colours were amazing, bright hues of yellows, reds, greens, blues! They were all unique in their own right and yet, put together, a lovely sight to behold.

Besides Georgetown, there are other attractions within Penang to occupy your time. These pics were taken at the Kek Lok Si temple near Air Itam. It is definitely one of the largest and loveliest temple I've been to! I remember daddy wanting to take us there on one of our family trips a long time ago but no one wanted to go then? Oopsy...

After a visit to the temple, I highly recommend walking down the hill to indulge in possibly the best assam laksa in Penang at a roadside stall. There is a big cauldron of brew that looks like it's been bubbling for many many days! Not the most hygienic place to be eating, but if you can ignore the laksa crusted pot and slight drain stench, then this is definitely worth trying. On a positive note, the laksa meal did not give any of us the runs :)

Despite being a bustling city, we managed to find some nature and quiet moments atop Penang Hill. However, the journey up the hill via 4WD was a rather expensive one and not worth the $$ in my opinion. We wandered around a little and had (bad) coffee and hot choc at the David Brown cafe. The cafe itself was very pretty though.

From top left, clockwise: Giant hibiscus at Kek Lok Si temple, water lilies & hydrangeas at David Brown garden (Penang Hill), sunset along Gurney drive, boats at the Chew clan jetty (Georgetown), and an armpit-scratching monkey in the Botanic Garden at the foot of Penang Hill.

Needless to say, I am back with a tubby stomach and an even rounder face, which I am resolved to lose! Any diet plan to recommend?

Marmite wings

Look! I made these golden wings!

They were really succulent and tasty! Little bro gave it a 8.2/10. Not bad for my first attempt!

And here's the recipe, which I saved from last week's Sunday Times, complete with my comments in brackets :)

INGREDIENTS
12 chicken wings
2 Tbs sesame oil
2 Tbs Marmite or Bovril
3 Tbs oyster sauce
3 Tbs honey
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

METHOD
1. Wash the chicken wings under running water, pat dry with paper towels. Using a sharp knife or kitchen sheares, cut the wings into three parts: drummette, flat (middle part of the wing) and wing tip. Save the wing tips for making chicken stock. Place the drummettes and flats in a resealable plastic bag. (I cheated by buying mid joints from Cold Storage - about $5.50 for 10 pcs, hence no chopping required.)

2. Mix the other ingredients thoroughly in a glass jar or bowl. Pour the marinade into the bag, making sure every piece of chicken is coated. Press all the air out of the bag, seal and leave to marinate in the fridge overnight. (I did not have sesame oil and substituted with olive oil but I think sesame oil would have been perfect!)

3. Preheat oven to 180 deg C. Line a baking tray with baking paper or aluminium foil and place a metal rack over it.

4. Scrape as much of the marinade off the chicken as possible - a teaspoon is useful here (the marinade was quite watery so I didn't have to scrape) - and place the pieces on the rack. Set aside until the oven is at the right temperature. (It took about 5 min.)

5. Bake the wings for 18 to 22 minutes (depending on the size). They should be a deep brown but not burnt. If doing in 2 batches, do a tray of all drummettes (they will take 20 to 22 minutes), then a tray of all flats (they will take 18 to 20 minutes). Let cool 5 minutes before serving. (I ate 1 pc within 3 minutes.)

Serve four as a snack.