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Food
in Malaysia |
Nyonya food, also referred to as Straits
Chinese food or Lauk Embok Embok, is an interesting amalgamation of Chinese
and Malay dishes thought to have originated from the Peranakan (Straits
Chinese) of Malacca over 400 years ago. This was the result of inter-marriages
between Chinese immigrants and local Malays, which produced a unique culture.
Here, the ladies are called nyonyas and the men babas.
Nyonya food is also native to Penang and
Singapore. However, over the years, distinct differences have evolved
in nyonya cooking found in Penang and Singapore than that in Malacca.
The proximity of Malacca and Singapore to Indonesia resulted in an Indonesian
influence on nyonya food. Malacca Nyonyas prepare food that is generally
sweeter, richer in coconut milk, and with the addition of more Malay spices
like coriander and cumin. Meanwhile, the Penang Nyonyas drew inspiration
from Thai cooking styles, including a preference for sour food, hot chilies,
fragrant herbs, and pungent black prawn paste (belacan).
Influences aside, nyonya recipes are complicated
affairs, often requiring hours upon hours of preparation. Nyonya housewives
of the past would spend the better part of their lives in the kitchen,
but they were fiercely proud of their unique cuisine, preferring nyonya
food to any other type of food.
It has been said that in the old days,
a Nyonya lady seeking a prospective bride for her son would listen to
the pounding of spices by the maiden concerned as it denoted the amount
of attention she would give to her cooking!
Nyonya cooking is also about the blending
of spices, employing pungent roots like galangal, turmeric and ginger;
aromatic leaves like pandan leaf, fragrant lime leaf and laksa leaf, together
with other ingredients like candlenuts, shallots, shrimp paste and chilies.
Lemon, tamarind, belimbing (carambola) or green mangoes are used to add
a tangy taste to many dishes.
For dessert, fruits are seldom served and
are instead replaced by cakes. Nyonya cakes are rich and varied, made
from ingredients like sweet potato, glutinous rice, palm sugar, and coconut
milk.
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Nyonya
Assam Curry Fish
The nyonya assam curry
fish is cooked with assam jawa juice, shallots, garlic, lengkuas,
buah keras, serai (lemon grass), buah kantan, daun kesom, chili boh,
tumeric powder, belacan powder, chicken stock, and sugar. It is best
served with steaming hot rice. |
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Brinjal
curry
Brinjal is sliced
and seasoned with tumeric powder (serbuk kunyit), dried prawns, roasted
belacan (shrimp paste), and other spices. Served with hot rice and
garnished with fried onions. |
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Popiah
The basic ingredients
are the same - shredded turnip, carrots, bean sprouts, cucumber, prawns,
Chinese Taro, dried onion flakes, and garlic. However, the Nyonya
popiah has the addition of a chili and sweet sauce made from palm
sugar, wet spices, and a rice flour mixture that gives it a distinct
taste. Egg is also added to the batter to give the popiah skin a moist
texture. |
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