Delve into centuries-old fusion cuisine, sample an elegant cuppa and the newest restaurants in the region, and try your hand at a couple of Latin American staples.
Words: Chitra Santhinathan
Fusion food was in existence long before the coining of the term and the advent of globalisation. Trade is widely attributed as the catalyst that precipitated the blending of cultures on a plate. One of the most distinctive cuisines to emerge from this crossing of cultures is the Peranakan Chinese or Straits Chinese cuisine (also known as Nyonya food) of Malaysia and Singapore.
Ingredients commonly used in Peranakan Chinese cuisine. Photo from Precious Old China
The Peranakan Chinese are a mixed-race community of Chinese and Malay/Indonesian heritage. Most trace their lineage to 15th century Malacca (now Melaka, Malaysia), an important entrepot along the spice route. The term Peranakan literally means ‘local born’ and is largely employed to describe the offspring from the union between Chinese traders or migrants and local women (some of whom were of Indonesian origin). The Peranakan Chinese are also known as Straits Chinese, as they mainly inhabited the British-controlled Straits Settlements of Malacca, Penang (a state in Malaysia) and Singapore during colonial rule.
This marriage of cultures resulted in a cuisine that drew from the rich culinary heritage and traditions of both the Chinese and Malay communities. The culinary creations of a nyonya’s (a Peranakan Chinese woman) kitchen were flavoured with herbs, spices and coconut milk, influences borrowed from the Malay community, while Chinese cooking techniques such as wok-frying and braising were also practised.
Perhaps one of the most distinctive features of the cuisine is the use of rempah, a spice paste traditionally made by pounding chillies and aromatics like shallots, galangal and fresh turmeric in a mortar and pestle, as the base for curries. Belacan (dried shrimp paste), another common ingredient in the cuisine, was sometimes added to the rempah blend. The Nyonya cook also had a sweet tooth which resulted in an array of colourful confections or kueh (cakes and desserts) sweetened with gula Melaka (palm sugar).
According to the owner of Old China Cafe and Precious Old China in Kuala Lumpur, Penang-born Peranakan Chinese restaurateur Leonard Tee, the Nyonya cook was a meticulous chef who took pride in ensuring the culinary masterpieces that materialised from her kitchen were perfectly executed. Tee recounts how his grandmother, the matriarch of the family, forbade the males of the family to enter her domain – the kitchen. “A man’s job was to provide for the family. They were not welcomed in the kitchen. I learnt to cook from an aunt who, fortunately, did not have the same reservations”. Superstitions or pantang were observed in the preparation of food. “When my aunt prepared pie tee, we children were discouraged from entering the kitchen and no foul words could be uttered, or else it was believed that the pie tee would not turn out properly”.
SOURCE: eresources.nlb.gov.sg, rasamalaysia.com
PRECIOUS OLD CHINA
Located in Kuala Lumpur’s Central Market, this antique-filled dining outlet serves up the flavours of restaurateur Leonard Tee’s childhood with emphasis on the traditional dishes from the Straits Chinese communities of Malacca and Penang. On the menu are beef rendang (slow-cooked beef in a rich coconut sauce), chicken pong teh (Nyonya chicken stew), ju hu char (cuttlefish and turnip salad), cincalok chicken (chicken cooked in fermented shrimp sauce) and itik tim (duck stewed in a sour broth flavoured with tamarind and sour plum). Sweet treats include Peranakan Chinese staples like bubur cha-cha (porridge made with sago pearls, sweet potato and yam cubes) and sago gula Melaka (a sago pudding served with coconut cream and palm sugar syrup). www.oldchina.com.my
ICONICALLY PERANAKAN CHINESE
Pie tee. Photo from 123RF
PIE TEE Thin and crispy pastry shells traditionally filled with minced chicken or shrimp, turnip and carrot. The shells are made by heating a metal mould in hot oil, dipping it into a rice flour batter and then placing the batter-coated mould back into the hot oil. Pie tee is said to have been inspired by the British gentleman’s top hat, and is often also referred to as ‘top hats’.
BABI PONG TEH Meaty chunks of babi (pork) are slow-braised in a gravy flavoured with soy sauce and fermented soy bean paste known as tau cheo. In the old days, a nyonya of marriageable age was considered bride material based on the successful preparation of this dish.
AYAM BUAH KELUAK The seeds of the keluak (fruit of the Pangium edule plant found in Malaysia, Indonesia
and Singapore) are harvested and soaked in water for days to soften their tough exterior. The insides of each seed
is then delicately removed, pounded and blended with rempah before being stuff ed back into its shell and cooked with ayam (chicken) in a flavourful curry known for its aphrodisiacal properties.
Pulut tai tai. Photo from 123RF
PULUT TAI TAI A steamed glutinous rice cake tinged a delicate blue with the essence of bunga telang (butterfly pea flowers), this dessert is often served with kaya, a coconut jam traditionally made from duck eggs, coconut milk and sugar.
PRAWN CEVICHE AND PINEAPPLE PISCO SOUR
Prawn Ceviche and Pineapple Pisco Sour
In this seafood salad common to Central and South America, the acidity from citrus juices is used to ‘cook’ the main ingredient–usually fish or in this case–prawn.
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE PISCO SOUR
- 45ml Pisco (a grape brandy produced in Peru and Chile)
- 30ml fresh lemon juice
- 10ml fresh pineapple juice
- 3 tsp granulated sugar
FOR THE PRAWN CEVICHE
- 75g fresh tiger prawns, diced
- 20ml fresh lime juice
- 20ml extra virgin olive oil
- 10g de-seeded and diced tomato
- 10g fresh sweet corn kernels
- 5g sliced red chilli
- 2g chopped fresh cilantro (coriander)
- 10g rocket leaves
- Salt and white pepper to taste
METHOD
FOR THE PISCO SOUR
›Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker, give it a couple of vigorous shakes and pour into a glass filled with crushed or cubed ice.
FOR THE PRAWN CEVICHE
›In a bowl, combine diced prawns, extra virgin olive oil, fresh lime juice, salt and white pepper and set aside to marinate for 10 to 15 minutes or until prawns turn opaque. › Add the diced tomatoes, chilli and cilantro to the marinated prawn mixture and adjust seasonings to taste.
SERVING SUGGESTION
Place a round mould on a plate, fill with the prawn ceviche mixture and gently remove the mould. Garnish with rocket leaves.
RECIPE COURTESY OF THE WESTIN KUALA LUMPUR
NEW IN YOUR CITY
BALI
With two outlets in Hong Kong, the award-winning The Butchers Club Burger introduces its signature flavours to Indonesia with a spacious new branch in Seminyak. On the menu is the brand’s signature dry-aged beef burger with maple-glazed bacon and cheddar cheese and, a rotating roster of ‘secret’ selections accessible via a QR code. www.facebook.com/ButchersClub
KUALA LUMPUR
For your fix of burritos, tacos and quesadillas, head to Panchos Mexican Taqueria at Mid Valley Megamall. Fresh and flavourful fillings include house-marinated meats such as slow-braised beef brisket and flame grilled chicken. Gluten-free options like burrito bowls (minus the tortilla) and corn tortilla are also available. www.panchos.com.my
SINGAPORE
An offshoot of renowned Hakata ramen joint IPPUDO, Bar IPPUDO showcases sake and otsumami (Japanese bar food) such as oden winter soup) and miso yaki (miso-glazed seafood, meat or vegetables) in a sleek and minimalist setting. Located in Shaw Centre, the outlet stocks over 70 sake options sourced from all over Japan and bites whipped up by its resident Japanese chef. www.facebook.com/barippudo
HAUTE TEA
Luxury tea label TWG Tea introduces its English Breakfast Haute Couture Tea, the ideal accompaniment to a traditional English breakfast. Robust in flavour and with floral undertones, this blended black tea is perfect when paired with TWG Tea’s freshly baked scones and tea infused jellies. www.twgtea.com
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