Why I want to kick start “The First in Malaysia Records” by Nyonya Food? Because this ethnic is the special culture of Southeast Asia, from Indonesia to Malaysia and Singapore, this is indigenous cuisine which can represent our Nanyang.

Nyonya and Baba means the China emigrant to Malaysia and transracial marriage with Malay, and their offspring called “Peranakan Cina”, the meaning is indigenous. 

“Baba” derived from Turkish, meaning “Granpa” or “Mr”. 
“Nyonya” means “married women”, it also mean as rich mistress, wife, misses and miss.

 More than 300 years ago, the Babas and Nyonyas began to live at Holland Street in Melaka. The ancient maps marked “ Java Market”.

Because of the intermarriage between Chinese and malay, so the government didn’t list this ethnic as aboriginal, so this also mean that this indigenous population will extinct.

After many years, Nyonya chinese lost their food culture slowly, replace by food which more to Malay, the cooking method, herbs and spices from China also changed. Even some of the Nyonya food became assimilated with other places. The most special characteristic in Nyonya food such as duck and pork dishes also disappear because of taboo on the other race.

Near to the new Bei Zhan Restaurant, there is a restaurant called Nancy’s Kitchen move from Stadthuys that beside Jonker Walk. At there, you can found the pork dishes which almost disappear in Malaysia. The lady boss Nancy keep the nature of the Nyonya dishes for 17 years.

Pork in Salad Cucumber / Bak Sambal Timun
This is the juicy Acap pork, the method almost same as the boiled pork slices, put the malay acap. All the taste of  spicy, aroma, sour, sweet, crisp pledge loyalty to the Bak Sambal Timun. 

Pork Rib with Blacknut / Bak Buah Kelnak

Of course the main dishes is Pork Rib with Blacknut. Blacknut is a kind of fruit from Indonesia, hard shell, crack a small hole on top, take out the fruit flesh, put in some ingredient. Stir and insert back the flesh inside. It taste like black and some powder on your tongue, like plum have no residue, smooth and salty. The chicken pieces turn into red, soak in curry sauce, fantastic!

Peranakan Braisel Pork (Sek Bak)

Use lemongrass, cassia, star anise, galangal, verdant, shallot, chili, crystal sugar, soy sauce, salt and pork. Cooking like Chinese braised meat. I can differentiate which are hand and hock, pork belly and lean meat by using my tongue.

Pork in Tamarind (Bak Asam）

Almost the same as stewed meat. Like the pork belly cover with sour and sweet sauce, the very sour taste match with very little of spicy, just like a dubious relationship, asking do you love me?

Pork Rib in Coriander ( Bak Sioh)

This kind of dish rare to see. Using the coriander that almost cannot see and other secret ingredient, cooked by gentle heat. It is weird at taste like lamb soup, I have to investigate, how they made this?

Deep Fried Fish with Chili

I like it very much. The chili paste all in the stomach of the fish. Simple to say, Malay style. Top Hat (Pai Tee)Like a top of hat which is upside down. Inside it is cucumber slices, yam bean, egg, coriander, beautiful. Looks like crepe.

 Duck with Salted Vegetable Soup ( Itik Tim)
Ingredient:1 duck drumstick, 200g salted vegetable, 2 liter water, 2 tomato (cut into quarter)Spices:3 slices asam/ tamarind peel, 5 pieces ginger, 2 salted plumSeasonings:1 tbsp shao xing wine, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tsp salt Method:

1.Rinse salted vegetables and cut into pieces. Soak in water for 30 minutes. Remove and drain.

2.Pour water into a pot and bring to boil. Add in duck drumstick, salted vegetables and spices. Cook for another 15 minutes until fragrant.

3.Add in tomato and seasonings, bring to boil and serve.

Tips:Use cold water to cook duck soup instead of hot water to avoid contraction due to the sudden change in temperatures, or else the protein in the duck meat will become solid immediately and will not be fully dissolved in the soup, thus losing nutrition and freshness.  

Without the famous Kek Lok Si Temple, without the discovered of Penang Laksa

Penang has the reputation as being the "food paradise", Air Itam Pasar Laksa is the most famous food at there.

Although Singapore and Indonesia also discover Laksa, but it originated from Malaysia and completely keep it’s original taste. “Laksa” this name is from “Laksha” which mean noodles in Persia language. 

Noodle appeared in Malaysia after the China people emigrate to here.  

Penang Laksa also called as Asam Laksa. Tamarinds bring the taste of sour and spicy to the Laksa. Almost the same, they using Sardin and Mackerel, cucumber, union, dry chili, salad, include Vietnam mint leaf and the flower bud on the torch ginger. Normally, the rice flour noodle with the soul ingredient shrimp sauce. Even cut down the ingredient a little bit will affect the taste Laksa. All sum up, it is thick, sour, spicy, aromatic, less soup.

According the recommendation from around world, at foot of hill Kek Lok Si Temple, there was few stall of Laksa stall contribute to the reputation of Laksa. People said: “ go to Penang, you must eat Laksa”.

Previously, there was rumor about “ The fish meat in Laksa was mixed with tissue paper”. This affect the Laksa Stall have a bad business. Maybe this rumor spread just because Laksa was too famous.

After several decades, the standard of Laksa do not have visible change, unchanged, means extremely conservative and old-fashioned. Of course, unchanged also have it’s advantage. 

.In another words, keeping traditional and original taste. If there are another new taste which can beat the old taste, that can be accepted by others, this new taste called as “new innovative”, also can be reading as “ improvement”.  It’s better than continue walking in the old steps or follow the time ?