Merdeka Special - Chulia Street

For the best nasi kandar

When you find out that this street was originally the domain of the Indian Muslim community in the 19th century, you understand why it was originally called Malabar Street. The Malabar region refers to the southern part of India’s western coast.

Today, it is named Chulia Street after the Chulias —which was what the Indian Muslim migrants from the Coromandel coast of South India called themselves.

The traditional shophouses are all gone. Note the first picture taken in the 1930s. But it is as bustling as ever today and probably the first place in the city many people head to when they visit Penang. Word has it the best nasi kandar is found here.