Most visitors love the abundance of delicious and cheap Penang Indian food In George Town.
Penang Indian food is mainly South Indian cuisine.
Two ingredients feature prominently in these Tamil meals—white rice (lots of it) and vegetables—and they are flavourful, tasty, and economical!
“If you visit Penang, I’ll bring you a Banana Leaf Rice meal,” says Smart Dory.
So, let me hit you up with other equally delicious meals and snacks made from rice flour.
You can get your fill of savory pancakes like Dosa and fried dough snacks made from potatoes and curry—hot favorites for breakfast or tea-time snacks.
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Penang Indian Food In George Town
When hunting Penang Indian food, a few types get you craving more.
Whether you’re a meat eater or vegetarian, prefer mild dishes, or crave dishes with some heat, there is almost always an Indian dish to please your palate.
Penang Indian food has a wide range of dishes you will enjoy savoring and sampling when you visit.
Here are some of the most popular dishes to try:
Samosa, Pakora, Channa Bhatura, Poori.
A delicious option is always fried food.
Join the Indian community in Penang to eat fried dough snacks.
Some are filled with simple ingredients such as potato, onion, spices, and peas.
The addition of spices and Tumeric makes these snacks mouth-watering and addictive.
The snacks are incredibly delicious when topped with sauces or chutneys.
Dal Soup, Rasam
If you are a fan of vegetarian soups, you must try a bowl of dal.
Dal is a comforting lentil-based soup enhanced and flavored with herbs and spices.
Another soul-warming soup is Rasam, an herbal remedy popular among many soup lovers.
Curry
One of Penang Indian food’s most popular dishes is coconut milk and tomato-based curries.
Curry is the ultimate comfort food worldwide. Its spices and sizzling aromatics, simmered with meat and vegetables, are perfectly ladled over steamed white rice.
There is a wide range of curry options, including lamb, chicken, fish, Crab, squid, and shrimp.
If you’re a vegetarian, many lovely vegetarian options are also available.
Tandoori Chicken
Tandoori chicken’s juicy consistency and mouth-watering spices – yogurt, ginger, garlic, and herbs.
Make it a classic that never goes out of style and makes new fans with each serving.
Seafood lovers can opt for shrimp or fish tandoor and find a tandoori mixed grill, combining chicken, shrimp, fish, and lamb for a delectable savory meal.
Biryani
Every Biryani has addictive flavors with fluffy rice enhanced by spices, vegetables, egg, or meat.
Masala
Masala has a creamy sauce with a thicker consistency than a curry.
Naan
Naan is a delicious flatbread best used to savor scrumptious sauces in popular Penang Indian dishes.
The puffed bread pairs wonderfully with many Indian curries, and many people would rather eat naan than rice with their meals.
- Rice Dishes – Banana Leaf Rice Sets, Nasi Briyani, and Nasi Kandar
- Bread Dishes – Chapati, Naan, Dosa, and Murtabak
- Noodle Dishes – Mee Goreng and Mee Rebus
- Snacks – Pasembur
- Grills – Tandoori Chicken
Try The Most Popular Penang Indian Dishes at Little India
Whether you crave spicy and delectably prepared Penang Indian food recipes and wonderful ambiance or are just hungry for a light snack.
If you are looking for delicious Penang Indian food, contact the restaurants in Penang to make a reservation.
Banana Leaf Rice Set
A mountain of hot steamed white rice served on bright green banana leaves!
Then, you get scoops of various vegetables, curried fish, chicken, or mutton.
Add a couple of papadom for crunch.
And you dig in with your bare hand!
For any big eater on a budget, a Banana Leaf Rice Set is the best-unlimited meal you can have without paying buffet prices.
Drenched the rice in savory curries, let everything soak in, and get the flavors to mix and indulge.
Two things you must remember to ask that make your Banana Leaf Rice meal sing are a Rasam and some Raita.
Rasam is a spicy, sour drink, like a soup from a small stainless steel mug. Raita or curd aids digestion.
Try these popular eateries to enjoy a good banana leaf rice meal:
- Jaya Restaurant, 99, Jalan Penang, Penang.
- Muthu’s Traditional Banana Leaf, 143, Acheen Street, Penang.
- Passions of Kerala, New World Park, Jalan Burma, Penang.
- Restaurant Veloo Villas at 22 Penang Street, Penang.
- Sri Ananda Bahwan, 52 – 55, Penang Street, Penang.
- Sri Ananda Bahwan Garden Cafe, 225 Jalan Macalister, Penang.
- Sri Subham Restaurant, 47, Penang Street, Penang.
- The Garden Banana Leaf, 50 at Jalan Free School, Penang.
- Woodlands Vegetarian Restaurant at 60, Lebuh Penang, Penang.
Chapati
When it comes to unleavened flatbread, you will enjoy these pillowy soft Chapati made with whole wheat flour.
The traditional way of forming rounds of thin dough is to slap the dough between the palms of one hand.
With each slap, the round of dough is stretched and rotated.
The cost of a Chapati set depends on your choice of curry.
You get a classic Dhal Curry, Sardine, Chicken, and Mutton selection.
The meats are generally cooked and minced.
Some cook the rolled-out chapati disks on a griddle plate, and others on charcoal.
Everyone in Penang has their favorite Chapati stalls, asks around, or goes to the nearest.
- Restoran Jaya AGD is my favorite; ask for a Cheese Chapati.
- Gerai Makanan Dan Minuman Maj has the best Spicy Sardine curry for Chapati.
- Annalakshmi at Temple of Fine Arts, 1, Babington Avenue, Penang.
- A stall in front of Restoran Sultania at 57, Lebuh Queen, Penang.
- Gerai Makanan Dan Minuman Maj, next to Lim Kongsi, Ah Quee Street, Penang.
- Restoran Jaya AGD, 25, Jalan Gottlieb, 10350 George Town, Penang
- Sri Ananda Bahwan, 52 – 55, Penang Street, Penang.
- Sri Ananda Bahwan Garden Cafe 225 Jalan Macalister, Penang.
- Woodlands Vegetarian Restaurant, 60, Lebuh Penang, Penang.
Cheap Penang Indian Food In Little India
The Indian Muslim community in Penang is reputed for its excellent culinary skills.
Often referred to as the everyday slang of “Mamak,” their cooking combines Indian spices with the rich coconut milk of Malay cuisine.
Mee Goreng and Mee Rebus
Mee Goreng (Fried Noodles) is stir-fried with bean sprouts, potatoes, curd, squid, and eggs over high heat.
Mee Rebus (Blanched Noodles) has the same ingredients except that the noodles are blanched and served on sweet potato gravy.
Both noodles are served topped with chopped lettuce and a wedge of lime for a tangy touch.
Recommended: Hameed Pata Mee Sotong
The popular Mee Mamak is commonly available at most hawker centers.
- Bangkok Lane Mee Goreng, 102-H-19, New World Park, Jalan Burma, George Town, Penang.
- Edgecumbe Road Mee Goreng, Gurney Drive food court
- Ghani Mee Goreng, Medan Selera Padang Brown, Jalan Perak, Penang.
- Hameed Pata Mee Sotong, Esplanade Food Court, Penang.
- Hussain Mee Goreng, Jelutong Market, Penang.
- Jones Road Mee Goreng, Kafe Sin Hup Aun, 280, Jalan Burma, Penang.
- Mee Goreng Jalil, Jalan Kenari, Bayan Lepas, Penang.
- Mee Rebus at Golden City Restauran, 104, Burmah Road, Penang.
- MNR Mee Goreng, 64, Bishop St, , Penang.
- Rasheed Mee Goreng, 22-30, Lebuhraya Jelutong, Taman Jelutong
- Rahim Mee Goreng at 8, Jalan Air Itam, Penang.
Murtabak
Penang Indian food is not just limited to rice and curry dishes.
A murtabak is just as rich, satisfying, and delicious if you don’t want a full rice meal.
Murtabak is a stuffed pancake or pan-fried bread filled with a mixture of beaten eggs and pre-cooked filling of minced meat, diced onions, and spices.
The ingredients are whisked together in a metal cup with a fork, and the eggy omelet is poured half onto the grille.
The omelet is topped with a square-shaped roti canai sheet, and the rest of the mixture is poured.
While cooking, the chef sprinkles melted ghee on the pancake.
When both sides are cooked, the roti canai is removed from the hot plate, and a large, thinly stretched roti canai pastry is placed in the middle.
The eggy parcel is returned to the hot plate and fried till golden brown on both sides.
This paper-thin outer skin is flaky and crispy from the hot plate with the delicious filling.
Murtabak is commonly served with pickled onions and a Dahl Curry.
Best Murtabak is hands down found at Hameediyah Restaurant, 164, Lebuh Campbell, George Town, Penang.
Nasi Briyani
Biryani is a mixed rice dish originating among the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent.
It was cooked with Indian spices, rice, ‘ghee,’ chicken, goat, lamb, prawn, fish, and sometimes eggs or vegetables such as potatoes.
It goes beautifully with Chicken Korma and a glass of Ais Bandung (Iced Rose Syrup Milk)
My go-to restaurants for Nasi Briyani are
- Restoran Karaikudi, 20 Lebuh Pasar (Market Street), 10200 Penang
- Hameediyah Restaurant, 164, Lebuh Campbell, George Town, Penang
Nasi Kandar
Tourists make a beeline for Nasi Kandar whenever they visit Penang.
Nasi Kandar is an Indian Muslim rice dish served with several curries.
The name is derived from the shoulder poles (kandar) used by Nasi Kandar vendors.
The assortment of curried Chicken, Fish, Beef, Mutton, Prawns, and squids is worth a try.
My favorite restaurant is Hameediyah Restaurant, and our family has been patrons for three generations.
Other Penang Indian Food In George Town includes deliciously addictive Nasi Kandar.
- Hameediyah Restaurant, 164, Lebuh Campbell, George Town, Penang
- Nasi Kandar Beratur Original, 98, Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling, George Town, Penang
- Restoran Mohamed Raffee Nasi Kandar , 295-A, Jalan Burma, Pulau Tikus, 10350 George Town, Penang
- Deens Maju Nasi Kandar, 170, Jalan Gurdwara, 10300 George Town, Penang
- Nasi Kandar Imigresen, 8, Lorong Pasar, George Town, Penang
- Tajuddin Hussain Nasi Kandar, 45-63, Queen St, Georgetown, 10200 George Town, Penang
- Restoran Nasi Kandar Line Clear (Nasi Kandar Line Clear) Beside 161 & 177 Penang Road, George Town, Penang
Pasembur
A warm Indian salad with shredded cucumber, turnip, bean sprouts, fried Tofu, potatoes topped with Prawn Fritters, spicy deep-fried Crab, and Octopus!
The Pasembur salad is a large meal covered with a warm, spicy gravy made from sweet potatoes and topped with crushed peanuts in Penang.
You can find Pasembur at these spots! My favorite is Kareem Pasembur Rojak, which I’ve eaten since 1980.
- Kareem Pasembur Rojak, 7, Lebuh Union, George Town, 10200 George Town, Penang
- Penang Famous Edgecumbe Road Mee Goreng, Kompleks Makanan Persiaran Gurney (KMPG)
- Pasembur KING (Hussain), Medan Renong, George Town, 10200 George Town, Pulau Pinang
Tandoori Chicken & Naan
Tandoori chicken is a chicken dish prepared by roasting chicken marinated in yogurt and spices in a tandoor, a cylindrical clay oven.
Penangites first tasted when Restoran Kapitan (Chulia Sreet) popularized this dish with Naan bread and curries.
My favorite drink is a fresh, sweet Mango Lassi ( yogurt).
My preference is for a tangy, salty, and sour Lassi.
Available at most Indian restaurants and Nasi Kandar shops throughout Penang.
Recommended outlet: Kapitan Setia Triangle, R-01-05, Setia Tri-angle, Persiaran Kelicap, 11900 Bayan Lepas, Penang.
Now that you know where to find delicious and Cheap Penang Indian Food In George Town, perhaps you can start looking for a place to stay in Penang next.