Nasi Kandar

Nasi Kandar is a popular Malaysian dish that origins 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 Indian restaurants and Indian-Muslim stalls offering rice meals.

Eaten with fingers, rice or bread is served on a thali or circular metal tray, on which small metal bowls called katori are placed with your choice of entrees and curries.

Nowadays, a regular dinner plate and several small bowls, usually made of melamine, are the norm. Cutlery is provided but diners still have the option to eat & enjoy the food with their fingers.