29 May 5 MUST VISIT BAZAAR RAMADHAN IN PENANG
Looking for gourmet ingredients? Homemade treats? A quick bite, perhaps? Then check out the Ramadan Bazaars set up during May 2017 – 25 Jun 2017! The food capital of Asia, Penang is now prepping up for the month of Ramadan. Before the month ends, here are five Ramadan bazaars you should definitely check out.
1. Taman Tun Sardon
This spacious and often quiet car park located near Astaka Taman Tun Sardon is a very active market during mornings, but by late noon during Ramadan, it can also turn out to be quite the lively place. The bazaar is well known for its bite-sized homemade snacks such as “kuih”, coconut jellies, as well as the Malay variant of ‘char koay teow’. Also found here are coloured soft drinks as well as the usual Malaysian fan-favourite, “sirap bandung”. A leisure stroll along the spice-scented, vividly coloured sunshade umbrellas might pique you to indulge in more local treats.
Address: Hilir Pemancar, Taman Tun Sardon, Gelugor, 11700, Penang.
2. Bayan Baru
Located at the car park nearby Masjib Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, mere minutes away from the Bayan Lepas Industrial Zone, lay this working-class favourite bazaar. Jam-packed during the Ramadan month, the unconcerned locals take their time to pack the mouth-watering dishes to be savoured at home with the family. This bazaar is also renowned for its rice-based dishes such as ‘nasi campur’, ‘nasi tomato’, ‘nasi briyani’ and ‘nasi arab’, with room for local favourites like laksa, ‘murtabak’, and kebab to spare. Also of note is the ‘ayam percik’ sold here – grilled chicken served with a thick, creamy coconut milk paste.
Address: Jalan Mayang Pasir, Bandar Bayan Baru, 11950, Penang.
3. Penang General Hospital
A huge Ramadan bazaar located near Penang’s General Hospital, this bazaar primes itself on desserts and sweet-tinged dishes, hosting up to 40 stalls at a time that serve a wide variety of traditional ‘kuih’ for the sweet tooth, including Penang favourite ‘kuih akok’ – a sugary, chewy treat that resembles a squashed Yorkshire pudding.
4. Jalan Makloom
A busy bazaar with extends from its base at Jalan Makloom all the way to Perak road with nearly 60 stalls, this bustling market, often quoted as a popular venue during Ramadan, offers a wide variety of Malay food that would make visitors spoilt for choice. Savoury delights such as lemang, laksa beras, barbecued chicken, rendang, and satay, just to name a few, have been effortlessly prepared and sold here to pleased customers both young and old from all backgrounds.
5. Little India / Queen Street
Located at a unique location in the heart of George Town’s Little India, this bazaar sets itself apart from the aforementioned by its variety of Indian-Muslim-tinged cuisine being offered by the vendors hosted there. The only Ramadan bazaar in Penang that serves both Malay and Indian specialties such as chapati, samosa, murtabak, pasembur and mounds of multi-coloured Indian desserts, parking may prove to be a hassle for its visitors, though those eager to taste what the bazaar has to offer may find better parking around the George Town Heritage Site.