Taste of time: Penang's eateries keep culinary traditions alive

New Straits Times

06-07-2025

Penang, often dubbed the food capital of Malaysia, is more than just a haven for street food lovers — it is a living museum of culinary legacies.
Across its narrow lanes and bustling markets, time-honoured eateries quietly carry on stories that stretch back over a century, with recipes whispered from one generation to the next.
But in an era where food trends change with a scroll and youth are drawn to modern careers, how do these family-run businesses ensure that their heritage does not get lost to time?
From Hameediyah Restaurant's masala to Kek Seng's pastel scoops, and from Moh Teng Pheow Nyonya Koay's tender pastries to Bangkok Lane's fried noodles, these are not just meals.
They are stories passed down in quiet kitchens, through handwritten recipes, on chopping boards and in whispered instructions over morning prep.
On Campbell Street, the scent of spices and simmering curry will lead you to Hameediyah Restaurant, Malaysia's oldest nasi kandar establishment.
Opened in 1907 by spice trader M. Mohamed Thamby Rawther, Hameediyah began as a humble stall under an angsana tree.
Today, it stands tall as a culinary institution, stewarded by the sixth and seventh generations of the Rawther family.
"Our original masala recipe, created over a century ago, still forms the foundation of all our curries.
"While we have introduced modern processes for consistency, the soul of the food remains unchanged — cooked with patience, perfected spices and heritage techniques."
Muhammad Riyaaz Syed Ibrahim, who turns 34 next month and is among the restaurant's custodians, is sharing his story with the New Sunday Times.
From ayam kapitan to the fiery mutton Mysore, Hameediyah's dishes have been steeped in tradition since Day 1. But beyond taste, there is also a plan to safeguard the future.
"Succession planning is key. We involve younger family members in everything — from operations to branding. Legacy is not just inherited. It must be earned and evolved," Riyaaz added.
M. Mohamed Thamby was a spice trader from Chittarkottai, Tamil Nadu, India, who arrived in Penang in the early 1870s with his sons.
The original idea was to introduce locals to Indian spices through food — and that was how the nasi kandar stall under an angsana tree at Lebuh Campbell began. But with so many competitors nowadays, what's so special at Hameediyah?
Some of its most celebrated dishes include ayam kapitan, a rich, aromatic roasted chicken with colonial roots; beef rendang, a dish made of meat stewed in spiced coconut gravy until tender; and, mutton Mysore, a fiery South Indian masala.
Others include murtabak, the legendary egg-stuffed pancake with meat eaten with pickled onions; nasi briyani, a fragrant basmathi rice boiled with secret spices; and mee goreng — food that reflect Penang's Indian-Muslim culinary influence.
Riyaaz said the restaurant is investing in training programmes, mentorship and exposure to traditional cooking and modern food and beverage management.
"We preserve our identity while elevating the brand, including the new launch of Malaysia's first nasi kandar 'fine-dining' concept under the Hameediyah multi-concept flagship store in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.
"With this approach, we are confident that Hameediyah will continue to thrive for generations to come," he said.
Down Penang Road lies Kek Seng, which has been serving its signature ais kacang and ice cream in vintage bowls since 1906. The third generation now runs the show, with Cheow Sow Lei, 58, at the helm.
"My grandfather Tung Seng Chong started this place. Now it's been almost 119 years. We still make our ais kacang and ice cream the same way — no artificial essence, except for the rose flavour," she said.
"Even all the ingredients inside the ais kacang, such as the red bean and jelly, are home-made.
"What makes our ais kacang stand out is our secret syrup. It is a recipe passed down from my grandfather and we maintained it until this day."
Cheow said that back in those days, her grandfather had opened a small store selling ais kacang, ice cream and tea to cater to the British colonialists in Penang.
Later, he collaborated with a friend to open Kek Seng, which lasted to this very day.
"I do not know how the idea of making our famous durian ice cream came about, but it has always been a hit with our regulars and walk-in customers," she said.
Kek Seng's traditional jagung, chocolate, durian and rose ice cream are frozen and scooped up from metal tubs, just like the old days.
But even though the Kek Seng legacy lives on, the question of continuity has finally caught up with the establishment.
"My three children have their own careers, but they know how to make the ice cream.
"Maybe one day, they will take over from me," said Cheow with a tinge of hope.
In a modest kitchen behind a gallery of vintage tools and faded family photos in Lebuh Chulia, 46-year-old Cavin Mook begins his day before sunrise.
Coconut milk simmering gently in large woks, trays of glutinous rice awaiting their fillings and steamers puffing away at Moh Teng Pheow Nyonya Koay — all quiet rituals of a craft passed down through three generations.
Mook is not just making kuih. He is preserving a story that began in 1933, when his grandfather, a Chinese immigrant who married a Peranakan woman here, began making and selling traditional kuih.
"Back then, there were also many Indian immigrants here. My grandfather would make the kuih and every day, 60 or 70 of them would come to collect and sell them.
"They started with carrying the kuih on their heads. Later, they used trolleys and eventually switched to trishaw.
"This was how our family survived. My grandfather started with nothing but selling kuih. My father took over and after he died six years ago, it was my turn," Mook said.
His father, Mook Hian Beng, carried the business through the post-war years, later taking advantage to adapt to the tourism boom in the 1980s.
"When my father first took over, business was slow. He never really wanted to change. He came from a time when packaging kuih was unthinkable.
"I had to persuade him to change and ultimately, he just left the business to me."
Now, Mook runs the operation almost single-handedly, with help from his ageing mother and his sister, Jolyn.
"My mum is 70 and follows me to the kitchen every morning.
"We have an old-timer staffer too, who has been with us for decades and only he knows our trade. It is either me or him mixing the flour," he said.
The Mook family business had outlived many others of its kind.
"Some herbs we used to use, like daun kaduk, you cannot buy them anymore. So we grow them ourselves.
"We still make everything from scratch — fresh santan, no preservatives and all kuih are steamed daily," he said.
Mook rattled off the names of his products, like a family he knows by heart — pulut tai tai (kaya kuih), abuk-abuk, kuih koci, kuih kosui.
"All of them are made from my grandfather's recipes. We even have some of his old tools in the gallery for people to see."
Despite the deep history, he admits that his business is teetering on the edge.
"It is a dying trade. My child is just 11. It is too early to say if he will take over. Interest must come naturally and not be forced," he said.
Besides his kuih-making operation, Mook has opened a cafe to sell his products to tourists, which is named after his grandfather Moh Teng Pheow.
However, Mook said, legacy is not about nostalgia, but effort.
"Without hard work, legacy does not mean anything."
And until that day comes, Mook will keep steaming, stirring and wrapping — honouring his grandfather's legacy one kuih at a time.
STIRRING UP A FLAVOURFUL GENERATION
For fans of fiery noodles, Bangkok Lane Mee Goreng is the institution.
Since 1941, the Zakariah family has been dishing out wok-tossed plates of spicy, sticky, squid noodles with a secret sauce that has never changed.
"My grandfather used to sell from a tricycle," said Sabik Ahamed, 40, who runs the stall at the New World Park food court in Jalan Burma.
"The chili and tomato sauce, the way we cook — all are still the same. Just like my grandfather Zakariah and father, Mahboob Zakariah, taught me."
Though his two sisters help, Sabik largely helms the operation solo with the active participation of his father.
His hope is simple.
"I want the next generation to continue. It is the same recipe, same passion. As long as they follow it, the legacy will live."
Each of these eateries — Hameediyah, Kek Seng, Moh Teng Pheow Nyonya Koay and Bangkok Lane Mee Goreng — shares one thing in common: the struggle between preservation and modernity.
While some successors are already being trained, others are still waiting in the wings, and their future remains uncertain.
Yet, behind every stained apron and faded recipe card is a story of love, identity and commitment.
Perhaps legacy is not just about bloodlines. It is about resilience, about showing up day after day, to cook food the old way — not because it is easy, but because it matters.