Have you ever heard of Belacan Fried Chicken? In Penang, you can find a humble food truck serving one of the most
delightful and unique fried chicken around the island. This joint come out with
a brilliant idea where they use belacan to marinate the chicken. For your
information, belacan is a shrimp paste made of fermented blended shrimp, sun
dried and then cut into rectangular blocks. In order to use it, you need to
first toast it. For tourists, they might find this condiment a bit weird due to
its strong smell.
Although the dish can be found in other
eatery too, but this one is simply the best with its wonderful taste and
crispiness. In every bite, you can taste the tender chicken meat and a subtle
belacan aftertaste that is nicely marinated into the meat. Malaysian know how
belacan can be overpowering when it comes to its taste. However, it is
different for this one because the flavour is delicate and not excessively piquant.
Patrons will have to choose their favourite chicken parts like chicken wings,
drumsticks, thighs, breast meat, and more.
As an alternative, there is also another item that is equally tasty but got a rather less recognition among the customers – salted fish tofu. The homemade salted fish tofu is cut into cubes and deep fried until golden brown. The item has the aroma of salty fish and the smoothness of tofu. Tip: If you are planning a party and want something delicious and cheap, you should definitely consider this one.
