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| Nyonya Food |
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| Written by Administrator III |
| Thursday, 19 February 2009 01:13 |
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By HELEN ONG
Nyonya, or Peranakan (descendant), heritage is something which is quite unique. The word “nyonya” is a respectful Indonesian/Malay term for a lady, and “baba” refers to the male. Born of Chinese (typically Hokkien) immigrants who settled in various parts of South East Asia centuries ago, this group assimilated into local societies by adopting their practices, cuisines and even language, eventually evolving into a separate distinct culture of its own. In Malaysia, they congregated in what became known as the British Straits Settlements: Singapore, Melaka and Penang, and are sometimes referred to as the Straits Chinese. As Penang is so close to the northern border, nyonya food eaten here has distinct Thai influences. Much use is made of strong flavours like chillies, coconut, tamarind, herbs and spices, including the “aromatic” ubiquitous belacan (pronounced belachan), a fermented prawn paste. Apart from noodle dishes, most are eaten with plain boiled rice to do justice to the delicious flavours.Gulai Assam Tumis (Fish in a Spicy Sour Curry)
Locals love it and so will you especially if you like sour-based curries like Tom Yam. Kari Kapitan (Captain’s Curry)
This differs from the spicier more commonly-found Chicken Curry which is usually made with curry powder and coconut milk. Purut Ikan (Spicy Sour Vegetable Curry)
Otak Otak (Spicy Fish Packets)Like the previous dish, the name might be slightly off-putting as it means “brains” and indeed the dish did use fish brain but nowadays the primary ingredients are prawns and fish meat.Sliced fish is mixed into a fairly stiff spicy rempah, santan (coconut milk) and egg mixture, piled onto banana leaves which are then folded up to form a “packet”. This is steamed till cooked, setting into a soft curry custard which is delicious cold or hot. One of the most important ingredients is the aromatic leaf of the Daun Kaduk, a leafy climber which grows wild locally. Jiu Hoo Char (Fried Yam Bean with dried Octopus)A Hokkien delicacy of fried julienned bangkuang (yam bean) and dried octopus strips, this is a local salad usually eaten at feast time, particularly Chinese New Year. A tablespoon is wrapped in a fresh lettuce leaf, topped with a dollop of the ubiquitous sambal belacan then popped into the mouth whole. It’s sweet, savoury, spicy and fishy at the same time.Tau Eu Bak (Chicken or Pork Stewed in Soya Sauce)This is similar to Adobo, and there are various versions of it. Generally cooked with pork, garlic, a pinch of sugar and five-spice powder and two types of soya sauce (light and dark), it’s one of the mainstays of nyonya home cooking as the resulting gravy thickens into a scrumptious almost gel-like sauce which goes beautifully with white rice. Often tau kua (firm bean curd), Chinese mushrooms and hard-boiled eggs are added. Tu Ka Chor is a sweet variation which includes black vinegar. It’s absolutely delish with a dollop of sambal belacan.
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| Last Updated on Thursday, 12 March 2009 13:44 |
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