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.
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.
1 editor pick for Char koay kak in Penang, ranked by editorial score. All Penang signature dishes · Char koay kak across every city.