February 2026

Our latest issue explores how third places—from bookstores and gardens to KOMTAR—shape community life in Penang, while reflecting on sustainability, inclusion, and the island’s rich history.

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A publication of Penang Institute, Penang Monthly is the voice of Penang - an inspiring read for the curious Malaysian, featuring stories about the people, ideas, and issues shaping the state's well-being. Sign up for a free account to enjoy unlimited access to all our articles.

Kuih Kapit – Love Letters to be Consumed Crisp and Fresh

5 min read

The melt-in-your-mouth kuih kapit is a huge favourite, and not just during the Chinese New Year celebrations. Legend has it that kuih kapit was once used by lovers to communicate covertly, hence its more poetic name, love letters.

by Dr. Ong Jin Teong

Our Food Goes Wherever We Go

4 min read

Totem Park Maggi Mee (Dormitory version)Ingredients:1 x packet of Maggi Mee1 x eggInstructions:Boil water. Pour into rice cooker and turn on.A...

by William Tham

Economy Rice Stalls – A Digest of Malaysian Struggles

9 min read

On the surface, the concept of economy rice is deceptively simple. You will always recognise the economy rice stall. There will be a simple buffet-style display...

by William Tham

Permaculture – No Green Thumb Required; Just Passion

8 min read

My grandfather had a garden where he planted flower bushes, fruit trees, vegetables and herbs. Before I was born, he reared chickens and geese, but I suppose he...

by Julia Tan

Dikir-Dangdut and the Defiant Spirit of Kelantanese Women

6 min read

ROSALINDA KEPT HER head down and her eyes fixed on the floor as she walked out of the Gua Musang Lower Syariah Court in June 2014. Hot on her heels was a throng...

by Izzuddin Ramli

Jawi Pekan Cuisine – Unique to Penang, Yet So Evocative of Other Foods

5 min read

Along Lebuh Armenian, where the Jawi Pekan – or Jawi Peranakan – traditionally settled, is the family-run Jawi House establishment. Chef Nurilkarim...

by Julia Tan

A Bright Future Awaits Oyster Farming in Penang

5 min read

A farmer handling baskets of oysters.Before the 1980s, oysters in Malaysia were mainly cultivated in the wild, harvested between mangrove roots and expose...

by Aliya Abd Rahim

Aliya Abd Rahim

James Dollery Fettes of Penang Waterworks: A Life of Civil Engineering and Service (Part Two)

9 min read

DURING A MEETING on 30 April 1909, the President of the Penang Municipal Commission, James Wilson Hallifax, asked Leonard Moore Bell how long “the new engineer”...

by Eugene Quah

Antibiotics in Animal Feed May Be on the Way Out

3 min read

WE ARE WHAT we eat, as the saying goes. We keep diligent tabs on our food consumption by studying food labels for their ingredients, nutritional values and bene...

by Liong Min Tze

Liong Min Tze

A Future for Fig Farms in Malaysia

3 min read

RESEARCHERS FROM the School of Biological Sciences at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) have developed tissue culture techniques to produce healthy fig pl...

by Dr. Chew Bee Lynn

Dr. Chew Bee Lynn

CPO Shuhaily Zain: To Lead Is to Train (Part Two)

7 min read

IN FEBRUARY 2023, Penang Monthly published the first part of an interview with Dato’ Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain, the Chief Police Officer of Penang, which was titl...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Hawkers in Passing – Personal Accounts and Short Stories on Berita Harian in the 1960s

6 min read

IN 1963, a student essay for a weekly writing competition, held by Berita Harian, dubbed the bicycle the ”economic vehicle”. The author Yeow Peng Keat contempla...

by Chin Kar Yern

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