>> Penang, George Town, is selected as one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites, and also can be considered as one of the most distinguished cultural cities in the world.

Driving Penang is like a treasure hunt.

Around every corner is another magnificent colonial building.

Most of these were once homes to the governors, diplomats, and rich merchants.

Today they are offices, hotels, and living museums.

Within the walls of these architectural gems, we can find another Penang legacy -- my favorite -- food.

Join for me for a taste, next on "Taste of Malaysia with Martin Yan."

♪ ♪ ♪ >> "Taste of Malaysia with Martin Yan" is brought to you by... >> ♪ Yeah, yeah ♪ >> Circulon cookware.

Circles for life.

>> Monogram.

A full line of professional appliances designed for food and entertaining enthusiasts.

♪ ♪ By Melissa's.

The freshest ideas in produce.

By Granite Expo.

Offering a wide selection of cabinet and countertop solutions.

And by B&G Group of Malaysia.

♪ Building Malaysia's tomorrow.

♪ >> Built in 1728, this is the oldest Chinese temple in Penang, and it's also known as the Kuan Yin Teng temple.

Kuan Yin, or the goddess of mercy, is what many consider as the patron saint for all wayward travelers.

As one of those travelers, I find myself visiting a Kuan Yin temple wherever I see one.

As for me, it is very simple.

I pray for all the world harmony, and today harmony is in my tummy, because I'm about to embark on a street-food marathon.

♪ George Town, Penang, is another UNESCO World Heritage site.

The best way to see George Town is get on a bicycle.

At first glance, this looks like another typical Chinese town and one that can use a new coat of paint.

Old George Town is a UNESCO World Heritage site, but there is a lot more treasure here than historical architecture.

This is also a food lover's haven.

♪ This is Penang, Malaysia's, oldest and most famous brand of pastry, Ghee Hiang.

Their handcrafted, flaky pastry filled with sweet mung-bean paste has been gaining fans since 1856 -- almost 160 years.

Now [Chuckles] they even deliver on motorbike.

But who can wait?

In this age of automation, every cake in here is still made by hand.

The company's slogan is "hand make, heart bake."

It's a perfect blending of traditional food craft with modern marketing and management.

Every single piece of these wonderful flaky pastries is handmade.

Why handmade?

You cannot do it by machine, because when you use handmade, you can squeeze it and compress it and seal it properly like this.

Look at that.

And then, when you turn it upside down, it's perfectly round.

That's why something you cannot use machines to make this.

All handcraft.

♪ Fresh out of the oven.

Now packaging and deliver all over the world.

The company has diversified, and it's now also the leading manufacturer of sesame-seed oil in Malaysia.

[ Sniffs ] [ Sighing ] Ah.

Wow!

I wish you can smell this place.

No need for GPS.

Just follow your nose.

[ Sniffs ] Any good chef can tell you, to prepare a delicious dish, you start with the best-quality ingredients.

There's no difference making sesame-seed oil.

Start with the best-quality white sesame seed.

Look at the quality.

Mmm.

This is the best sesame seed you can find in the market.

High-quality sesame-seed oil is rich in Vitamin E and high in antioxidants and a whole bunch of minerals.

It makes your food taste good, and it is also good for you.

♪ The street-food experience in Penang has only one drawback -- it is hard on our feet.

Most of the heritage food had a hawker origin, and many of them are still sold out on the street.

They taste great, but it's often hard to enjoy them sitting down.

I'm so thankful to finally find a comfortable place to sit down and eat.

Chef/owner of Tho Yuen, Mr. Leong, also Chef Leong, he has been working in a kitchen for over 20-some years.

And this dish looks very simple, but has a very interesting background story.

And they call it sweet potato stir-fry.

Let me check and see whether I can find some sweet potato here.

You call this stir-fry sweet potato.

I could not find any sweet potato.

>> [ Speaking native language ] >> Then how come you call it stir-fried sweet potato?

>> [ Speaking native language ] >> Oh.

>> Mm.

[ Speaking native language ] >> Oh, interesting story.

It's actually something -- a simple dish.

One day, a guy who loved to eat came in here and eat three plateful of this and said, "I love it so much," and he come back all the time.

And the name of this dish is named after his nickname, Sweet Potato.

That's how this dish come along.

Very interesting.

Let me try it out.

Mmm.

I like it.

Besides the fresh noodle and the dried rice noodle, stick noodle, it's so aromatic.

It could conjure a texture.

Got chicken, got vegetable, got shrimp, egg, everything.

This is the best dish I have ever tasted with such interesting combination.

One day, hopefully, somebody'll name a dish after me.

Then, I will be very, very honored.

Maybe Chef Leong would name a dish after me -- Chef Martin Yan's Stir-fry Taro would be good.

Thank you so very much.

A simple dish with an interesting personal story.

Xiè xiè.

The island of Penang is truly historical.

But it's not just cultural history that is fascinating.

Nature has also left many of its marks.

Penang is called the spice island, and one reason is nutmeg -- this nutmeg.

It was a valuable spice trade between Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Now, I have two VIP guests, my dear friends.

I know a lot of people in America love chicken.

And in Chinese community, in Asia, Malaysia, all over, they eat a lot of duck.

First, I'm gonna show you where to cut this in half, okay?

We cut the duck in half.

So, this is half, and this is another half.

Now, I want to remind everybody, duck has a lot more fat than chicken.

So what you have to do is render it a little bit.

So I'm going to render the duck a little bit and render the fat.

You see the fat inside?

I render it a little bit.

And I want to see just about a minute.

Just about a minute.

And then now you can see the difference of the color.

You can see the difference in color.

Look at that.

And now I do it again.

Dump it in.

And then I take this out.

And you can see.

Okay?

You can see it like this.

Okay?

Now, if you don't like duck, by all means, use chicken.

There's no reason why you cannot do this, okay?

So, I'm going to wash my hands.

Okay, I heat this up.

I braise the duck a little bit.

So, when I put this in -- you see this?

-- I put this in so it is symmetrical.

One on this side.

Like this, okay?

In the meantime, I'm gonna introduce you to a few very simple ingredients.

Tomato -- everybody's seen it before -- tomato.

I cut it in half, and I cut this in quarter.

Okay?

One, two, three.

Tomato is widely used.

And then I have ginger.

I can actually cut it into little chunks like this.

And I crush it.

This way, you can remove the whole piece of ginger out.

Okay?

And then I put in the water... to cover the duck.

And then I put all the things around -- ginger... garlic... onion... and I have some salted plum.

I crush a little bit, and I put it all over here.

Okay?

You see?

Now, there's another thing that I want to show you -- mushroom -- shiitake mushroom.

This is dry.

I soak them ahead of time.

I put them right around here.

Now, the other ingredient I put in that you've probably never seen is pickled mustard greens.

I cut it in half.

And the big leaves, I also cut it, and I cut it so more flavor will come out.

So, we'll put it all over.

And then another thing that I want to show you is something you've probably never seen -- tamarind.

I put a tiny bit of tamarind right over here.

And of course, I also have some nutmeg.

And I crushed my nutmeg.

That's all.

[ Sniffs ] Mmm.

Smell.

Very spicy.

>> Mmm.

>> Very oily.

A lot of oil, so I also put this in.

And then we cover this up.

Now I think I can smell this a little bit.

And it's getting there.

And I'm going to add the tomato.

Okay?

Tomato, when you add, just add it around.

This way, you want to see the duck.

And then we cover up and let it simmer -- continue to simmer.

Can you smell it?

>> Yes.

>> It's really nice.

It's very pleasant.

So, let's check it out.

Wow.

Look at that.

Look at this.

Make sure it tastes good.

Very good.

I think we need a tiny, tiny bit of salt.

And because it's tangy, if you want, you can put a tiny bit of pepper, okay?

And also a tiny bit of -- a little touch of sugar.

Balance the flavor just a little bit, and that's all.

Now be careful.

This is very heavy.

[ Straining ] Oh, my.

Wow!

And this is braised duck with pickled mustard greens.

And then we serve -- we serve it when it's nice and hot.

Now, this is what you want.

Okay?

Look at this.

Yeah.

And mushroom and onion and tomato.

This is really good.

Basically, you don't even have to cut it.

Okay?

>> Thank you.

>> With the salted mustard greens, nutmeg, ginger, garlic, and wonderful, flavorful tamarind, you're going to have tons of flavor in not a lot of time.

I wouldn't call this instant soup, but it is rich, nourishing, packs a whole lot of flavor, all in a couple of hours.

So, enjoy.

Some of Penang's heritage, like the colonial mansions, are very easy to spot.

Others, like where we're going now, are not.

♪ Peranakan cuisine is an important part of Penang's heritage.

And Moh Teng Pheow is a local institution.

It is famous for nyonya kuih, which are sticky rice cakes made famous by the Nyonya ladies of Penang.

♪ This is really sticky glutinous rice.

>> Yeah.

>> And then you cover.

You put a nice banana leaf on the bottom.

>> On the bottom.

We have to press it.

>> Okay.

>> Pack them up.

>> Yeah, press it.

>> Oh.

>> Cover with plastic on top.

>> It's called a Pulut Tai Tai.

>> Yeah, Pulut Tai Tai.

Some people call it [Speaking native language].

You use leg to press, to step on top.

>> Okay.

It has to be compacted.

>> Yeah.

>> Press it down really hard.

>> Yeah.

♪ >> Okay.

[ Grunts ] Now we have 25 kilograms.

We have 25 kilograms of weight, put it on top.

Another 25 kilograms.

[ Grunts ] Total of 50 kilograms, right on top, enough pressure, and then you wait for how long?

>> [ Speaking native language ] >> He speaks perfect Hokkienese, which is the most popular dialect in Penang.

So, that means they put a total of 50 kilograms of weight right on top of this purple rice, until tomorrow.

Tomorrow, it will be firmer, and then, when you serve it, it's Pulut Tai Tai.

And then you put a tiny bit of coconut jam on top.

Mmm.

The glutinous rice is so firm.

[ Speaks indistinctly ] And not sweet.

But with the coconut jam on top, we get not only sweeter.

>> Yeah.

>> I love it.

♪ There's a lot more to this place than just sticky rice cake.

This is a very popular café, serving all kinds of Nyonya treats.

Back in the old days, street peddlers would sell their cakes all over Penang.

Now the bakery caters mostly to restaurants and special parties, in addition to its own café here.

I am very happy to be invited to this heritage house by Jolyn.

>> Welcome here.

>> And this is actually a house and a restaurant.

>> And a restaurant.

>> The restaurant is in the middle of the house.

And this looks like a very, very old, historical house.

How old is it?

>> This building is more than 100 years.

>> Since your?

>> My grandpa.

>> Your grandpa's old house is really old.

Truly, all this food fascinates me.

A lot of these, I've never tasted before, I've never seen before.

I travel all over the world.

Now, first, I saw the chef making all these wonderful Pulut Tai Tai.

>> This is called Kuih Talam.

>> Coconut milk, pandan.

And when you put it in the fridge, they like a gelatin.

>> Correct.

>> Oh, good.

>> This is called Aboh Aboh.

>> Aboh Aboh.

>> It's made of sago and coconut, and inside is brown sugar.

>> Mmm.

I love it.

>> This is a very popular specialty dish that we have here.

It's called nasi ulam.

>> Nasi ulam.

>> It's made of six varieties, types of herbs.

>> Oh, so that means it's like a rice salad.

With an herbal rice salad, right?

>> Yeah, it's something like a nasi kerabu.

>> Yeah.

Okay, let me see.

Mmm.

I find the variety of fresh herbs and spices, every bite, a different texture, different flavor exploded in my tongue... >> [ Chuckles ] >> ...my lips.

Mmm.

Beautiful.

>> This is nasi kuning.

>> Oh.

This is the turmeric.

So, this is beautiful.

Mmm.

I'm gonna, let me try... a piece of chicken.

Mmm.

Everything I taste, so unique.

Okay, look at the color.

Beautiful color, huh?

Vibrant yellow.

Honey pandan drink.

>> Drink.

>> Mmm.

Let me taste.

I've never seen such a big glass before.

Mmm.

Nice, smooth honey pandan flavor.

Really went well together.

Go well together.

Cheers.

>> Cheers.

>> And thank you so very much again.

>> Welcome.

♪ >> Okay, welcome Mr. Martin.

>> Yeah.

>> Welcome to our restaurant.

>> Wow.

You have a lot of these photos.

Old photos.

>> The restaurant has been started by my great-great grandfather.

>> In 1907.

>> Yeah, 1907, exactly.

>> I take pleasure to introduce my good friend.

>> Ahamed.

>> Ahamed.

This Hameediyah Restaurant has been here, serving nasi kandar at the same location for over 108 years.

Over a century.

They say that it is still the same old recipe.

And I hope I'll come back in another 100 years to see whether this is too.

>> Hopefully, hopefully.

First, you should try the different firsts, Mr. Martin.

>> Moist.

Delicious.

The flavor and the spices permeate right into it.

>> This is the murtabak.

>> Murtabak, murtabak.

>> The murtabak are very nice.

>> Yeah, very nice.

>> Usually, when you have murtabak, you put a little bit onions there.

>> Onion?

>> Together, you eat with that.

Yeah, yeah.

[ Chuckles ] Is it nice, Mr. Martin?

>> This is not nice.

It's excellent.

>> [ Laughs ] >> [ Laughs ] it's excellent.

So, what is murtabak?

>> Murtabak is some sort of a pizza where you mix two eggs and some onions, with onions that has been mixed with more than 100 types of spices.

>> Wow.

100 types of spices?

>> In different proportion.

>> Oh.

>> Different.

Some 350 -- 250 in all.

We have a formula.

Everybody buys back murtabak from our restaurant, even to overseas.

They're crazy, and they take it overseas, especially England, Australia, yeah.

I think you should try the prawns.

>> I will try the prawn.

Mmm.

>> Is it nice?

>> It's nice -- more than nice.

It's delicious.

>> [ Chuckles ] >> So, so far, I learned to lick my finger.

>> [ Laughs ] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

>> I like to take the opportunity.

>> Thank you very much, Mr. Martin.

>> Thank you so very much.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Many modern boutique hotels are actually converted from old family mansions.

But this unique hotel is converted from a historical, old hotel.

♪ Back in the 1800s, this used to be a luxury inn, catered to rich merchants visiting Penang.

The renovations are painstaking, but as you can see, the place is fully restored to its former glamour and charm.

Guests of the hotel are treated to the best food in town.

East, West, Peranakan -- the chef will cater to every taste and preferences.

♪ I'm so honored to be invited to this 1881 hotel by Mr. Seah.

>> Yeah, welcome, Martin.

So, we're proud that you're coming to 1881 Chong Tian Hotel.

>> Thank you very much.

And also, of course, Chef Wah.

Thank you so very much.

Cheers.

Mmm.

Now time to enjoy the meal prepared by Chef Wah.

>> Let's start with our special signature dish.

This is our special sauce.

>> Let me taste.

Smells so good.

I can smell the wine, the alcohol flavor -- not the alcohol by itself, but the aroma from the alcohol.

And then -- mmm -- it melts in your mouth.

I can taste all the wonderful, fresh herbs and spices -- the galangal, the lemongrass, the ginger, the shallot.

Everything is here.

Mmm.

Delicious.

This is one of my favorite lamb dishes I've ever tasted.

You created this.

Congratulations.

[ Grunts ] From the days of the spice trader to the time of colonial rule, and to the independent state of today, Penang proudly wears its heritage on its sleeves.

So, join me next time for more of "Taste of Malaysia with Martin Yan."

>> You can visit our website to learn more about Martin and his travels, get information about upcoming events, find and print selected recipes, provide email feedback, and more.

It's all at yancancook.com.

"Taste of Malaysia with Martin Yan" is brought to you by... >> ♪ Yeah, yeah ♪ >> Circulon cookware.

Circles for life.

>> Monogram.

A full line of professional appliances designed for food and entertaining enthusiasts.

♪ ♪ By Melissa's.

The freshest ideas in produce.

By Granite Expo.

Offering a wide selection of cabinet and countertop solutions.

And by B&G Group of Malaysia.

♪ Building Malaysia's tomorrow.

♪ ♪ ♪