Nasi Kandar is a popular northern Malaysian dish, which hails from Penang. It was brought to Malaysia 70 years ago from India when Indian Muslim immigrants roamed the port and dusty streets of colonial Penang, lugging around heavy baskets laden with home cooked dishes and rice. The word Nasi Kandar, came about from a time when nasi (rice) hawkers or vendors would kandar (balance) a pole on the shoulder with two huge containers of rice meals. The name has always been and now the word Nasi Kandar is seen on most Tamil Muslim or "Malaysian Mamak" restaurants and Indian-Muslim stalls offering rice meals. Nasi Kandar is a meal of steamed rice which can be plain or mildly flavored, and served with a variety of curries and side dishes. The rice for a nasi kandar dish is often placed in a wooden container of about three foot high, passing it on a unique aroma. The rice is often accompanied by side dishes such as deep-fried chicken, curried spleen, sliced beef, fish roe, fried prawns or fried squid. A combination of curry sauces is poured on the rice. This is called 'banjir' (flooding) and imparts a wide flavor to the rice. Despite the fact that, there are lots of Nasi Kandar restaurant in Malaysia , Penang Road Nasi Kandar try to bring an urban cafe environment into this popular Nasi Kandar dining.
