What's the best part of being in Penang for Chinese New Year? It's the Chinese New Year food: a rich spread of traditional Chinese cuisine with a little Malay flavor thrown in. The streets come alive with hawkers selling bak kwa, and the shops bustle with "aunties" picking up the last of the oranges and jars of kuih bangkit.
The wide selection of traditional foods available may be confusing to the first-time visitor, so we asked Penang-based food blogger Lingzie to give us a guided tour of the typical New Year spread you might find in a restaurant or a friend's home.
A dish's name gives it added meaning during New Year. "The Chinese word for 'fish' symbolizes abundance," explains Lingzie, "[so] usually the dinner will also include fish dishes. Thus the Mandarin greeting nian nian you yu ('every year got fish') which means you are wishing someone abundance."
- Veggie Starter: Ju Hu CharChinese New Year Food – Penang Peranakan Cuisine - Ju Hu Char
- Calorific DelightChinese New Year Food – Penang Peranakan Cuisine - Tau Eu Bak
- Acar - a Peranakan Vegetable TreatChinese New Year Food – Penang Peranakan Cuisine - Acar
- Too Thor Th'ng - A Dish, A Gentle ReminderChinese New Year Food – Penang Peranakan Cuisine - Too Thor Th'ng
- Bak Kwa - One Treat, Many VarietiesChinese New Year Food – Penang Peranakan Cuisine - Bak Kwa
- Salad DaysChinese New Year Food – Penang Peranakan Cuisine - Yee Sang
- Yee Sang - Giving It a Good TossChinese New Year Food – Penang Peranakan Cuisine - Yee Sang
- Crisp Love Letters - Kueh KapitChinese New Year Food – Penang Peranakan Cuisine - Kueh Kapit
- Kueh Kapit Making - A Traditional SkillChinese New Year Food – Penang Peranakan Cuisine - Kueh Kapit
- Kuih Bangkit - A Sweet TreatChinese New Year Food – Penang Peranakan Cuisine - Kuih Bangkit
- Peanut Cookies and Prawn Rolls - Meaningful StaplesChinese New Year Food – Penang Peranakan Cuisine - Peanut Cookies & Prawn Rolls
- Ti Kuih - A Steamed, Sticky Sweet TreatA Steamed, Sticky Sweet Treat - Ti Kuih
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