Monday, October 02, 2006

Nasi Kandar from Penang...really?

My plate of Nasi Kandar with mutton and soup

A new stall at 8 Lim Teck Kim Road here in Singapore opened up recently with a big sign advertising "Penang Famous Nasi Kandar." Not knowing exactly what Nasi Kandar was, I went to go check it out. Upon arrival, I was actually a bit disappointed to see that it looked like any other standard issue Indian food stall so common around here (i.e., with rice, curry, and veggies served from troughs), but that also makes sense, as apparently this is supposed to be food served by Indian Muslim immigrants in Penang (I guess that makes it the fourth must-eat item up there that my colleague failed to tell me about?).

Well, I really don't know enough to be able to tell the difference between this and traditional Indian food (as well as whether or not this tastes any different from what one would actually get in Penang), but I did rather enjoy this plate. It seemed to pack a little more heat on the spicy scale than food that I've had from more traditional Indian stalls, thus facilitating the inhalation process today. Maybe next time I'll bring some of my Indian and Malaysian colleagues to help better explain to me the finer nuances of this dish (and I've gotta remember to try the stuff myself next time I'm up in Penang).

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