nyonya cuisine

from The Blue Lotus Asian Arts and Cultures magazine Special Issue 7

by martin bradley

18th c chinese figurine art

Cuisine

by Bee Lee Tan

‘Nyonya’ enclaves are found in Penang, Malacca, Singapore, Medan Jakarta, Bali, Sulawesi, Bangkok, Hattyai, Mandalay, Rangoon, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, and so on – there are many other places which might not have been mentioned.

These enclaves mirror some centuries of dignitary entourages and settlement waves of immigrants from China, and with it the splendid traditions that came along with them and their wide-eyed hopes and aspirations.

Current generations of the community have harmonized themselves with the environment.

As a result, the diaspora communities prospered and became resilient part of the socio-economic and political ecosystems of Southeast Asia, to become must know, see and experience tourists’ attractions.

Of these enclaves, the Malacca enclave is reputed to be the oldest, but the vibrancy of the community has flourish to other areas as economic and social drivers attract the community to settle and invest their future elsewhere.

Each of these more recent enclaves has its own reputation, but the basic trait, food culture, are still relatively homogenous and very relevant.

And this is explained when you meet a ‘Nyonya’ on a street in Penang, that ‘Nyonya’ will most probably greet you saying, “Chiak Pa Ah Boey?” in Hokkien which means “Have You Finished Eating Yet?”

Be assured, the same goes for other places in Southeast Asia, but may be in other languages.

The ‘Nyonya’ communities in Southeast Asia have held on to their uniqueness of its customs and food strongly, to wherever they go, even to non-traditional places like United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.

Quite clearly, and more than popularly, the ‘Nyonyas’ hold on to their food culture wherever they go, because it presents a stunning blend of tastes and aroma which most would salivate at the thought of it, not forgetting having their nostrils seared. The senses awaken and the adventurism into “Nyonya” cooking begins with selecting recipes for favourite dishes, that can simply motivate the zest for living.

Do not be mistaken that ‘Nyonya’ food culture is highly sophisticated in cooking preparation methodology. It is not.

Cooking ‘Nyonya’ food does not require expensive high-tech kitchens, and other pretentious utensils, pots and pans and because often than not, dowdy old kitchens with fired clay pots, clay charcoal stoves, and smokey musty atmosphere, lend their magical ‘spirit’ to harness the best outcomes for all to share.

Add on……… Using charcoal produced the best fragrant and slow cooking is healthy and good for digestion benefiting best for the young and the elderly over the years.

The real sophistication lies in the unforgettable lethalness of the blending of tastes and aromas using a variety of tropical spices and good quality fresh food that can be bought from the neighbourhood wet markets.

Sophistication can only be derived from years of practice, appreciation, and unpretentious criticisms from family and friends – the word ‘Connoisseurism’ surely can’t be enough to describe the level of sophistication when one hazards to travel the regal corridors of ‘Nyonya’ cooking.

But what’s the meaning of ‘Nyonya’? There are many definitions of who or what a ‘Nyonya’ is. Some are atrociously loud because the word is getting popular to be associated with new brand names, whilst some simply missed the point altogether.

‘Nyonya’ can be divided into two portions: - “Nyo” and “Nya”. Here, if you speak Hokkien like we most do in Penang, you will quickly understand the former means “Young Girl” and the latter means “Aunty or Mother”.

Combinedly, they represent and simply mean “Women Folk”. And now we understand why “Nyonya” cooking has been a rage since a long time ago because traditionally, “Women Folk” are always doyen maestros of cooking, and through their cooking, they have kept the prosperous enclaves and communities alive and well in Southeast Asia, not forgetting the reputation of “Nyonya” food has in fact globalized.

However, like the ancient, but evergreen Chinese saying, “Journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step”, my books contribute to pushing the envelope of taste and life-style extravaganza.

Bee Lee Tan

Kueh Lapis, Pulut Tai Tai and Chai Tow Kueh.

martin bradley

Martin Bradley is the author of a collection of poetry - Remembering Whiteness and Other Poems (2012) Bougainvillea Press; a charity travelogue - A Story of Colors of Cambodia, which he also designed (2012) EverDay and Educare; a collection of his writings for various magazines called Buffalo and Breadfruit (2012) Monsoon Books; an art book for the Philippine artist Toro, called Uniquely Toro (2013), which he also designed, also has written a history of pharmacy for Malaysia, The Journey and Beyond (2014). Martin wrote a book about Modern Chinese Art with Chinese artist Luo Qi, Luo Qi and Calligraphyism from the China Academy of Art, Hangzhou, China, and has had his book about Bangladesh artist Farida Zaman For the Love of Country published in Dhaka in December 2019.

He is the founder-editor of The Blue Lotus formerly Dusun an e-magazine dedicated to Asian art and writing, founded in 2011.