Penang, Malaysia: This is the best place for food in Southeast Asia

By Catherine Marshall
November 21 2015 - 12:15am
The sweet water in coconut is considered sacred because it remains untouched until the moment the fruit is cracked open.  Photo: Catherine Marshall
The sweet water in coconut is considered sacred because it remains untouched until the moment the fruit is cracked open. Photo: Catherine Marshall
The sweet water in coconut is considered sacred because it remains untouched until the moment the fruit is cracked open.  Photo: Catherine Marshall
The sweet water in coconut is considered sacred because it remains untouched until the moment the fruit is cracked open. Photo: Catherine Marshall
The sweet water in coconut is considered sacred because it remains untouched until the moment the fruit is cracked open.  Photo: Catherine Marshall
The sweet water in coconut is considered sacred because it remains untouched until the moment the fruit is cracked open. Photo: Catherine Marshall
The sweet water in coconut is considered sacred because it remains untouched until the moment the fruit is cracked open.  Photo: Catherine Marshall
The sweet water in coconut is considered sacred because it remains untouched until the moment the fruit is cracked open. Photo: Catherine Marshall

All it takes is one mouthful of Baba-Nyonya and Penang's history comes to life. At a table inside a colonial-era building in the heart of George Town's UNESCO World Heritage Site, I dip my spoon into a bowl of Assam hae, stir-fried prawns in tamarind sauce. It's a simple dish – prawns, tamarind paste, sugar and salt – but it tells a long and complicated story.

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