Each time I visit Penang, I look forward to nothing more than my usual Sunday morning breakfast around the Pulau Tikus market. I call it my one-stop Appam Walk because this is where I can get all my favourite variations of these South Indian-inspired pancake dishes. I usually begin with this traditional Indian appam that’s baked in claypots over charcoal at Swee Kong Coffeeshop at the corner of Moulmein Rd and Burma Rd. No matter how many times I've watched Mr. Ravi and his son work these 'Apom Manis', I'm still mesmerized by their quick skills and nimble heat-proof fingers. The whole process takes no more than a minute to make - batter is first poured into the claypots and given a quick shake after to give the batter an even spread over the pot’s bottom. It would then be covered with another pot to bake and impart an aromatic toasty flavour into the batter while crisping the edges. When the apom is almost ready, a wooden handle is used to separate it from the pot and flipped to cook the underside. Finally, the apom is removed from the pot using bare hands and quickly folded into shape while it is still warm and fluffy. The apoms are crispy and flaky on the side while the middle is thicker and pillowy. It's worth making every effort to climb out of the bed early just for these local crepes. They usually sell out by 9am. | #food #foodstories #appam #apom #breakfast #alfmpenang #alfmtravel #alfmroadtrip #travel