A visit to the Ayer (Air) Itam Market in Penang

 Ayer Itam or Air Itam as it is known in Bahasa Malaysia is located in Penang Island, not too far from Penang Hill. This little town has not changed much over the years, make that 3 to 4 decades. It has its local charms and should not be missed if you want to try some good and inexpensive local food.

Most of the stalls are manned by the locals as foreign workers tend to go for the big cities in the Klang Valley. Some of the stall owners have been there for years, some continuing their parents' business, offering the same good taste of local food while in Georgetown, some of the businesses have improved their products in terms of packaging and presentation, while still keeping to the original recipes handed down by their original inventors/cooks.

The Air Itam market is famous for its Penang laksa or asam laksa as it is known in other parts of Malaysia. The original stall in the Air Itam market has been upgraded in terms of sprucing up the premises and offers a bowl of this sourish fishy noodles. Of course taste is personal and what may be fantastic to one may not be so fantastic to another. Still, if you are at the Air Itam Market, why not give it a try and decide for yourself. The stall is at the corner of the market just a little beyond the main entrance to the market.

1. A bowl of Penang Asam Laksa

Then don't forget to give the wet market a try. Just walk through and enjoy the sounds, smells and sights of a place that could have been a few decades back. It is busy in the mornings. 

2. A scene in the wet market

The seafood is fresh and so are the vegetables.

3. Fresh fish

4. Organic vegetables anyone?

 5. Really good otak-otak (cheap and good). Will give some of our restaurants a run for their money.

6. Fruits are plentiful too.

Outside the market, there are endless strings of stalls selling all kinds of things.

7. Stalls selling all kinds of produce.

8. More stalls with more wares.

9. The roads are narrow and motorcycles ad cyclists are king. The shops sell a variety of products.

10. Penang Hill in the background to this little rustic town up north of the Malaysian peninsula.

11. The butcher's products were so popular, this was all that was left by mid-morning. His roasted pork is really nice - if you like it lean with nice crackling.

12. Another view of the road beside the market with Penang Hill in the background.

 13. A shop selling clothing - lots of variety at very reasonable prices.

14. A hawker selling ground spices for your curries.

There is a biscuit shop diagonally opposite the Penang asam laksa stall, from across the road. Freshly baked and ready to consume. There is a wide variety of traditional biscuits made from recipes handed down from father to son.

 

15. The biscuit shop with some of the biscuits displayed outside the shop.

16. A close up shot of the finger biscuits (biskut jari) in packets on the right side of the photo.

  

17. The above is a tray of lobak (pork filled into a bean curd skin and keep fried). 

They were around RM5 for three and were really sumptuous. They sell like hot cakes.

18. The áng ku' buns, used as offerings for Chinese altars - also nice to eat.

19. Some of the more popular local cakes and snacks.

20. Prefer something savoury - then the Oyster Noodles or Fried Flat rice noodles with duck's egg might meet your needs. Otherwise you could try the egg pancakes sold on the right of that stall and many others lining the roads around Air Itam Market.

 

A lot of variety within a very small space. There is also a small nursery and the market is near the Kek Lok Si temple, another place to explore, if you have not been there before.