Nasi lemak

Penang Local, p. 28

Nasi lemak is a fragrant rice dish cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaves. A basic nasi lemak usually comes with sambal, hard-boiled egg, sliced cucumbers, fried peanuts and fried dried anchovies, but these days just about anything goes, such as chicken rendang, cockles rendang or prawn sambal. Typically, street hawkers would wrap the nasi lemak in a banana leaf to make the rice more fragrant - a lovely way to open one’s appetite in the morning. Some still do this, but many opt for brown paper as a more convenient and economical wrapping. If you go to the many street stalls, kopitiams (coffee shops) or food courts around Penang you can easily buy the mini version of nasi lemak very cheaply, offering a quick breakfast fix for locals and tourists alike.