There are some foods we seem to love regardless of age.
Give a child a freshly made Goreng Pisang (Fried Banana) and watch the excitement as they impatiently wait for it to cool. Give the same to someone in their seventies and there may be that very same little moment of anticipation.
Perhaps that is part of the magic of goreng pisang.
Its history in this region stretches back centuries, with battered and fried foods often linked to Portuguese influence following their arrival in Malacca in the 16th century. But unlike today’s world of mass-manufactured snacks, ice creams and packaged treats, the pleasure of goreng pisang came from something wonderfully uncomplicated: taking what nature provided and finding a delicious way to make it even better.
A banana. Some batter. Hot oil.
And somehow, happiness.
Three Generations of Hin Pin
Along Jalan Tanjung Bungah, heading towards Batu Ferringhi in Penang, Hin Pin has been quietly continuing that simple tradition for three generations.
Ask older Penangites, particularly those familiar with the northern side of the island, and Hin Pin is a familiar name. It remains a humble food truck, with its wok seemingly never getting much rest.
The secret here is the batter.
It is remarkably thin and crisp, giving only the gentlest resistance before breaking apart. There is no thick, doughy shell pretending to be crunch. The batter simply provides that fleeting crispy moment before revealing what you actually came for. Masterfully done that the interior never feels overly greasy.
Hin Pin uses Pisang Raja, a prized Malaysian banana variety known for its sweetness and floral fragrance. Beneath that delicate shell, the banana becomes wonderfully soft and warm, its natural sweetness seemingly amplified by the heat. (Unfortunately, they were sold out when we went. But we’ve had it before and dare say its sooooo darn good!)
There is something strangely difficult to describe about eating a warm banana.
We are accustomed to eating bananas at room temperature. But warmed through, the fruit becomes softer, sweeter and almost comforting. Add a fragile crispy shell around it and you have this wonderful contrast – crisp, soft, hot, sweet.
It is such simple decadence.
More Than Just Bananas
And the happiness doesn’t end with pisang.
Hin Pin’s Kuih Bakul sandwiches sweet glutinous rice cake between slices of sweet potato and yam before frying the whole thing. Bite into it warm and the centre becomes gloriously gooey and stretchy, almost like melted cheese, held together by the soft but firmer layers of root vegetables.
Then there is Kuih Kodok, made with mashed Pisang Raja. These little fried banana balls are dangerously moreish. Occasionally, a small piece of banana survives the mashing and mixing. When you find one, it has transformed inside the hot batter into a tiny pocket of soft, caramel-like banana richness.
There is Cempedak too. Already intensely fragrant when fresh, warming the fruit seems to awaken its distinctive sweet, floral perfume even further.
The Kacang Hijau fritters are hand-shaped from mashed mung beans with coconut, packed firmly enough to hold together in the oil yet remaining soft inside. And then there are the simplest pleasures of all: Ubi Keladi (Yam) and Ubi Keledek (Sweet Potato) – fried until crisp outside and beautifully soft within.
Even as food costs rise and roadside snacks inevitably become smaller, Hin Pin’s portions remain satisfyingly decent. Nothing feels miserly or disappointing.
Some Pleasures Don’t Need Reinventing
Perhaps that is why Hin Pin being in its third generation feels particularly meaningful.
Generations of children have grown up. Parents have become grandparents. Penang has changed, Batu Ferringhi has changed, and the snacks competing for our attention certainly have changed.
Yet somewhere along Jalan Tanjung Bungah, the oil is still bubbling.
And people still stop for the same simple pleasure.
A paper bag filled with something freshly fried. That first delicate crunch. The warmth that follows. The sweetness of banana spreading across the palate.
For a few moments, age doesn’t seem particularly important.
You could be seven or seventy.
A good goreng pisang can still make you happy.