Nyonya cuisine, a traditional fusion food<\/p>\n
Maria Endah Hulupi, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The key to authentic Nyonya dishes, said Malaysian chef Amy Koh,
\nis firsthand experience in knowing how to use liberal amounts of
\ningredients.<\/p>\n
Like all Nyonya cooks, she learned from the best teachers of
\nall.<\/p>\n
\"I learned from my mother who learned from my grandmother. I
\nfeel that without experience you won't get the desired results,
\nbecause Nyonya cuisine does not know any exact measurements. We
\nuse agak-agak (adding each of the ingredients to taste, depending
\non experience and taste) to season the dishes. But the
\ningredients are used in generous amounts.<\/p>\n
\"You just cannot be stingy with the ingredients,\" Koh said.<\/p>\n
Nyonya cuisine -- the blending of Malay and Chinese culinary
\ninfluences which developed in the coastal port cities of Malaysia
\nand Singapore -- is said to be fading in prevalence as people
\ngive in to grabbing a fast food meal on the run instead of
\ncooking at home.<\/p>\n
It may be true, but the food received unusually high exposure
\nin recent weeks in Jakarta, with two food promotions at the JW
\nMarriott and InterContinental MidPlaza hotels earlier this month,
\nplus the opening of a new restaurant in Pondok Indah, South
\nJakarta, reviewed below.<\/p>\n
The valued family tradition, the use of generations-old family
\nrecipes and the unique old way of cooking the elaborate meals are
\namong reasons why Nyonya dishes are still served in Straits
\nChinese homes and at mostly family-run restaurants in Malaysia
\nand Singapore.<\/p>\n
Koh believes that Nyonya cuisine is something that should be
\nlearned from the heart, and that all-important experience of
\nseeing the experts in action.<\/p>\n
\"Having done it before is helpful because it's not only about
\nthe cooking ingredients but also the fire, how to stir fry the
\nspices, when to put the ingredients in and how to season the
\ndish,\" she said.<\/p>\n
The cuisine, also known as Baba-Nyonya or Peranakan cuisine,
\noffers dishes with unique flavors and aromas derived from the use
\nof a wide range of aromatic Malay herbs and rempah-rempah
\n(spices) with Chinese ingredients, like tofu and soya.<\/p>\n
Most dishes are based on mixing the spices, such as chilies,
\nshallots, lemon grass, candlenuts, turmeric and shrimp paste,
\ninto a paste. Most cooks still prefer to use the mortar and
\npestle to get the right consistency and flavor of the pounded
\nspices.<\/p>\n
\"The dishes are usually based on intricate recipes and
\n(involve) hours in the cooking process but (they) usually will be
\nfinished in around 10 minutes,\" said Datin Amy Hamidon, president
\nof the Malaysian Embassy Ladies' Association in Jakarta during a
\npress gathering in conjunction with the promotion at the
\nInterContinental MidPlaza.<\/p>\n
The history of Baba Nyonya cuisine and culture can be traced
\nback to the 15th century when Chinese traders entered the port of
\nMalacca to sell silk and porcelain they brought from their
\ncountry to traders from India and Arab countries.<\/p>\n
They in turn came seeking the famed spices of the region.<\/p>\n
\"No doubt, most of these spices were grown in Indonesia but
\nMelaka (Malacca) was an important port and was the center of the
\nspice trade,\" explained Datin, who is the wife of the Malaysian
\nambassador to Indonesia.<\/p>\n
While waiting for a good wind to speed their way back to their
\nhomeland, the Chinese stayed in Malacca for several months, which
\nled to marriages with local Malays, the women known as Nyonya and
\nthe men as Babas.<\/p>\n
The amalgamation of the two cultures is perceptible in every
\naspect of life, from the architectures, clothing and the cuisine
\nin the Malaysian port cities. \"We are very Malay but we have
\nChinese ancestors,\" Datin said.<\/p>\n
Although some aspects of the culture are disappearing as
\npeople marry outside, in Singapore, Malaysia and in some parts of
\nIndonesia the elaborate dishes are still served in households by
\nthe wife, usually with help of other female members of the
\nfamily.<\/p>\n
For the food promotion, Koh prepared around 30 authentic
\nNyonya dishes, including popular ones such as ayam buah keluak
\n(chicken seasoned with keluak, a type of fruit), otak-otak
\n(grilled fish cakes wrapped in banana leaves) and sambal udang
\n(chili shrimps).<\/p>\n
Koh used her family recipes and to ensure authentic flavors
\nshe brought some of the ingredients, like belachan (a pungent
\nshrimp paste), keluak, tamarind, chilies and kin cham (a Chinese
\nvegetables) from Malaysia to Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"Even though the ingredients are available in Jakarta, they
\nare not the same, like the tamarind. Here you have a black
\ncolored tamarind, while in Melaka we have a nice yellow colored
\ntamarind. The belachan also tastes different,\" she explained.<\/p>\n
The cuisine is known for its slow cooking process and some of
\nthe dishes, even though they are popular and well liked, are
\nreserved for special occasions due to the time constraints of
\ncooking them in the home.<\/p>\n
\"People prefer to buy otak-otak because it requires a lot of
\nwork,\" Datin explained.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/nyonya-cuisine-a-traditional-fusion-food-1447893297",
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