If a visitor to Penang asked me if he/she only had time to eat nasi kandar once, which nasi kandar shop would I recommend? Without hesitation, I would recommend Line Clear Nasi Kandar. Of all the nasi kandar shops that I have gone to, this one beats others hands down.

Nasi Kandar

For those who do not know what nasi kandar is, here is an explanation taken from Wikipedia

Nasi Kandar is a popular northern Malaysian dish, which originates from Penang. It is a meal of steamed rice which can be plain or mildly flavored, and served with a variety of curries and side dishes.

The word Nasi Kandar, came about from a time when nasi (rice) hawkers or vendors would kandar (balance) a pole on the shoulder with two huge containers of rice meals. The name has remained and today the word Nasi Kandar is seen on most Tamil Muslim or "Malaysian Mamak" restaurants and Indian-Muslim stall meals.

The rice for a nasi kandar dish is often placed in a wooden container about three feet high, giving it a distinctive aroma. The rice is accompanied by side dishes such as fried chicken, curried spleen, cubed beef, fish roe, fried prawns or fried squid. The vegetable dish would usually be brinjal (aubergine), okra (lady fingers or "bendi") or bitter gourd. A mixture of curry sauces is poured on the rice. This is called 'banjir' (flooding) and imparts a diverse taste to the rice.

Started way back in 1947, Line Clear Nasi Kandar is one of the oldest nasi kandar outlet in Penang. It is located on an alley at the Chulia Street (Lebuh Chulia) and Penang Road (Jalan Penang) junction. (see picture below)

Line Clear

They have a large variety of dishes. I try to cut down on meat, so I have not try the meat dishes there yet. But boy, they sure look really tempting. They have all sorts of curry dishes, a few variety of vegetable including something-you-find-in-all-nasi-kandar-shops bendi (lady's finger), friend chicken (which looks delicious), sotong, omelette, and lots of others. What kuah (gravy) to put on the rice at the end of it? Of course campur (mix) lah! Make sure they banjir it.

Nasi Kandar

Be reminded that it is not of the cleanest place. But once you look at the food, you'll start drooling over it and I'm quite sure that you won't even notice what's around you. They are open 24 hours a day, so you'll know where to eat if you're hungry in the middle of the night. They don't seem to stop cooking. They just keep churning out food non-stop.

There's a sign board indicating their daily specialty. Haven't got a chance to try them out. Enjoy the pictures!

Daily Specialty

Sotong

Curry Chicken

Vegetable

Location of Line Clear Nasi Kandar on Google Maps

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