Before I came to the United States, I’d known okra as lady’s fingers. I was in primary school in Malaysia when my English teacher first taught us the name of the different vegetables. The strange and awkward name of lady’s fingers deeply imprinted in my mind even though I didn’t like them back then. In high school, I slowly learned…
Nyonya loves their chicken curry, or kari ayam in Malay. When it comes to making chicken curry, I always choose the easy way out—I buy instant chicken curry paste, which is both convenient and quite tasty. However, back home in Penang, my family would always make chicken curry from scratch. Well, first of all, you just can’t beat the authentic…
Otak-otak. Otak-otak! The mere mention of otak-otak and the visual picture of perfectly steamed and moist fish custard wrapped with banana leaves often sets my mouthwatering. Otak-otak is a classic Nyonya dish—brightly flavored with various aromatic herbs, exotic spices, and infused with the sweet fragrance of rich coconut milk. In Southeast Asia, there are variations of fish custard in the…
If there is one Nyonya dish that I wish I could make in the United States but couldn’t, this rempah fish or fried fish stuffed with sambal would probably be it. Why? Because a true and authentic Nyonya rempah fish (‘Hu Chee Rempah” in Penang Hokkien) can only be made with hardtail mackerel, a fish that is not available in…
Asam prawn or “asam heh“. This tamarind fried prawn recipe was posted on Rasa Malaysia, but I am adding it here on Nyonya food because asam prawn is a very popular Nyonya recipe…
While Nyonya and the Peranakan are born and raised in Malaysia and Singapore, they mostly observe Chinese lunar calendar and celebrate numerous Chinese festivities. The year-round Chinese festivals call for festive foods—dishes that are significant to the festivals, for example: jiu hu char or fried jicama/yambean with shredded cuttlefish and loh bak. In my family, jiu hu char is an…
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