Cubes of steamed rice cake fried hard on a flat griddle with egg, preserved radish, bean sprouts and dark soy, crisp-edged and chewy inside.
Where to eat it: 1 restaurant across 1 city.
Char koay kak is the Teochew fry-up Penang eats at breakfast: rice cakes cut into cubes and seared with lard, chai poh and egg until the edges char. It shares a wok grammar with char koay teow but stays a morning trade, cheaper and homelier. Sister Yao's stall on Macalister Lane, begun by their father in 1963 and now run by three sisters, took the dish into the Michelin guide with plates from RM4, proof that Penang's cheapest classics stand on merit.
Common allergens: Egg, Soy
Tip from the editors. Chill the steamed cake overnight before cutting; warm cake smears on the griddle while cold cubes crisp cleanly.
Sister Yao's fries Teochew rice cakes with egg and preserved radish on Macalister Lane, a morning-only Bib Gourmand stall begun by their father in 1963.
Try: Char koay kak fried rice cakes
Tip: Plates start at RM4, one of the cheapest Michelin-listed breakfasts in Penang; ask for extra crisp edges, they will oblige.
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