Malaysian street food akin to "oden" — try "Lok Lok" with satay sauce for a unique flavor

Text & Photos /Xiao Sheng

The Malaysian street food introduced this time is a very special, delicious, and authentic snack called Lok Lok. I had tasted Lok Lok during my first visit to Penang, but the version I tried this time was brought to us by a local friend in Malaysia. Compared to the first time, the Lok Lok this time was even more flavorful, so I’d like to introduce this local delicacy to everyone.

The Lok Lok spot recommended by our local friend is located on Johor Road (Jalan Johor) in Penang. Although this road is within the city center of Penang, it’s not in the main tourist area and is rather off the beaten path. Despite that, the place remains bustling with visitors.

This Lok Lok spot is very popular among locals. Though it’s in a less central location and there aren’t many tourist attractions nearby, it’s still quite accessible via bus routes such as 10, 11, 102, 201–204, 304, and 502.


My first impression of Lok Lok was that it somewhat resembles a hot pot, except that all the ingredients here are already skewered and ready for customers to pick and choose. Moreover, there are no seats provided by the vendor, so when it gets crowded, you’ll often see people standing right in front of the stall eating their Lok Lok.

And if they’re still not satisfied, they’ll go for multiple rounds of ingredients. This sight is probably quite common in Penang, but to us, it was quite a unique experience.


Lok Lok usually offers around ten different types of ingredients, all of which are easy-to-skewer, boiled items such as meatballs, sausages, tofu, and some meats. Each bamboo skewer is color-coded to indicate the price of the ingredient, and you simply hand over the skewers to the vendor when settling the bill.

After selecting the ingredients you want, you just put them into a small pot to boil for a while before eating. There’s only one small boiling pot, so sometimes you might have to wait a bit. This self-service style, where you cook your own food in the bubbling hot pot, made eating Lok Lok feel somewhat like having shabu-shabu — though it’s actually quite different.

In our first round, we didn’t get much — just a few skewers of meatballs and some intestines. The meatballs were bouncy and chewy, and the intestines were thick and hearty. The textures were already quite good, but once dipped in the sweet-and-savory satay sauce with a hint of peanut aroma, the flavors elevated to another level.

We absolutely loved the taste of this Lok Lok spot. As a result, despite initially planning to eat just a little, we ended up forgetting about dinner and ended up standing at the stall eating nearly 20 skewers before stopping. We were so into it that we even forgot to take photos — that’s how delicious it was.


The secret to the deliciousness of Lok Lok isn’t just the ingredients themselves, but also the satay sauce, which is another highlight. Unfortunately, the photo of the sauce doesn’t look too appealing due to too many people dipping into it — please bear with that. The sauce is sweet and savory with a rich aroma, making it the perfect pairing for Lok Lok.

Actually, the Lok Lok we had on Chulia Street during our first visit was tasty, but it didn’t leave a deep impression. This time, however, the Lok Lok was so memorable that we couldn’t stop eating, eventually losing track of the fact that we still had dinner to get to.

We just couldn’t stop eating. Not only do locals love it, but we visitors did too. Next time I’m in Penang, I’d definitely come back for this unique Lok Lok flavor again.


Xiao Sheng’s Wandering Journeyhttp://rt009211.pixnet.net/blog

Every journey, every trip is a quest. Though I’m not entirely sure what I’m searching for, what I ultimately gain always exceeds my expectations. And so, my wandering journey will continue endlessly.