BLOGGER TEMPLATES AND TWITTER BACKGROUNDS

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Nyonya's accessories











Nyonya's Kebaya
















Nyonya's cuisine



Kuih Chang






Taibak






Buah Keluak







Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Nyonya Laksa




Bahan-bahan ( 10 orang )
• 1 bungkus mee laksa kering, rebus hingga lembut, toskan dan gaul dgn sedikit
minyak makan.
• 1 biji timun, diracik halus
• Segenggam daun kesum, dimayang
• 10 biji limau kasturi, dibelah dua
• 5 biji cili merah ditumbuk dgn 1 inci belacan bakar hingga lumat
• Isi kerang dan udang rebus serta taugeh secukupnya


• BAHAN2 UNTUK KUAH:-

• 300 ml pati santan
• 1 liter santan cair (perahan kedua)
• 5 biji buah keras*
• 5 batang serai*
• 2 inci lengkuas*
• 1 inci kunyit hidup*
• 15 ulas bawang merah kecil*
• 3 biji bawang putih*
• 1 inci belacan, dibakar*
• 12 tangkai cili kering, potong dan celur dgn air panas, toskan*
• 1/2 camca teh lada sulah*
• 1 camca besar serbuk ketumbar*
• 50 g udang kering, rendam 10 minit dan toskan*(*dikisar halus)
• Segenggam daun kesum
• 3 kuntum bunga kantan, dibelah dua
• 3 ekor ikan kembung besar, kukus dan ambil isinya, hancurkan
• 10 biji tauhu "pok", dipotong dua
• 2 keping "fish cake", dihiris nipis
• 3 keping asam gelugor
• Garam dan gula secukupnya

Cara-cara
1. Dalam periuk, panaskan 1/2 cawan minyak, tumis bahan2 kisar hingga wangi. Masukkan santan cair dan biarkan mendidih.
2. Bila mendidih, masukkan isi ikan, daun kesum, bunga kantan, asam gelugor, fish cake dan tauhu pok. Biarkan menreneh kurang lebih 20 minit. Masukkan pati santan dan perasakan dgn garam dan gula. Biarkan mereneh pada api perlahan utk 10 minit lagi, sambil dikacau selalu. Matikan api.
3. CARA MENGHIDANG:- Dalam mangkuk, bbuh mee laksa, diikuti taugeh dan timun, curah kuah, bbuh bahan2 sampingan lain seperti sambal belacan, limau, udang/kerang dan taburkan dgn hirisan daun kesum.

Kuih Lapis (Kuih Genggang)






Ingredients :
160g rice flour
20g green bean flour (hoen kwe flour)
150ml water
For the Syrup:
150g castor sugar
300ml water
2–3 screwpine leaves/pandan leaves, knotted
250ml thick coconut milk, squeezed from 1 grated coconut
1/4 tsp salt
A few drops red colouring

Method:
1. Combine sugar, water and screwpine leaves in a saucepan. Bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar. Strain and set aside to cool. Put rice flour and green bean flour into a large mixing bowl. Pour in water gradually and leave aside to soak for 40–45 minutes.
2. Add coconut milk and salt to the rice flour and mix well. Stir in syrup. Strain the batter to ensure it is free from lumps. Divide batter into two. Leave half a portion white and add colouring to the other half.
3. Place a greased 20cm tray in the steamer and heat up for 4–5 minutes. Pour half cup of the white batter on the heated tray. Cover and steam over medium heat for 5–6 minutes or until set. Pour half cup of the pink batter over the white layer and steam covered for 5 minutes.
4. Repeat the procedure, alternating white and pink batter until all the batter is used up.
5. To the very last layer add a little more colour to make it a deeper shade of pink. After the final layer is set, steam the kuih for a further 12–15 minutes. Halfway through open the lid to release the steam, then cover again until the end of the steaming process.
6. Cool the kuih thoroughly before cutting into small diamond-shaped pieces.

Clothing



The Peranakan retained most of their ethnic and religious origins (such as ancestor worship), but assimilated the language and culture of the Malays. The Nyonya's clothing was identical to that of the native Malay's: baju panjang (long dress), batik sarung (batik wrap-around skirt) and kerongsang (brooch). Beaded slippers called Kasut Manek were a hand-made made with much skill and patience: strung, beaded and sewn onto canvas with tiny faceted glass beads from Bohemia (present-day Czech Republic). In modern times, glass beads from Japan are preferred. Traditional kasut manek designs often have European floral subjects, with colors influenced by Peranakan porcelain and batik sarongs. They were made onto flats or bedroom slippers. But from the 1930s, modern shapes became popular and heels were added.

In Indonesia, the Peranakans develop their own Kebaya, most notably 'kebaya encim', and developed their own batik patterns, which incorporate symbols from China.

The Language

The language of the Peranakans, Baba Malay (Bahasa Melayu Baba), is a dialect of the Malay language (Bahasa Melayu), which contains many Hokkien words. It is a dying language and contemporary use is mainly limited to members of the older generation; this is indicative also of the Peranakan culture at large. However, most Peranakans do speak English, Mandarin and their respective Chinese dialects in addition to Baba Malay.

In the 15th century, the city states of the Malay Peninsula often paid tribute to various kingdoms such as the kingdoms of China and Siam. Close relations with China were established in the early 15th century, during the reign of Parameswara, when Admiral Zheng He (Cheng Ho), a Muslim Chinese, visited Malacca. In return for such tribute, a princess of China, Hang Li Po was presented as a gift to Sultan Mansur Shah, the Sultan of Malacca, at that time (+/-1459 AD).

The royalty and servants who accompanied the princess initially settled in Bukit Cina and eventually grew into a class of straits-born Chinese known as the Peranakan. The Peranakan retained most of their ethnic and religious origins (ancestor worship), but assimilated the language and culture of the Malays. They developed a unique culture and distinct foods. A lot of sources claim that the early Peranakan inter-married with the local Malay population.

However, the lack of physical resemblances have also led many experts to believe that the Peranakan Chinese ethnicity has hardly diluted. Some Peranakan distinguish between Peranakan-Baba (those Peranakan with part Malay ancestry) from Peranakan (those without any Malay ancestry). The Peranakan often sent their sons and daughters to China to look for spouses. Also, the religion of the local Malay population was Islam which forbids inter-marriage with other religions without conversion first. In the early 1800s, new Chinese immigrants to the Straits Settlements bolstered the Peranakan population.

Marriage





It was not uncommon for early Chinese traders to take Malay women of Peninsular Malay or Sumatera as wives or concubines. Consequently the Baba Nyonya possessed a synergistic mix of Sino-Malay cultural traits.

Written records from the 19th and early 20th centuries show that Peranakan men usually took brides from within the local Peranakan community. Peranakan families occasionally imported brides from China and sent their daughters to China to find husbands.

Marriages within the community and of similar stature were the norm. Wealthy men prefigured to marry a chin choay: or matrilocal marriage where husband moved in with wife's family.

Proposals of marriage were made by a gift of a pinangan, a 2-tiered lacquered basket, to the intended bride's parents brought by a go-between who speaks on behalf of the suitor. Most Peranakans are not Muslim, and have retained the traditions of ancestor worship of the Chinese, though some converted to Christianity.

The wedding ceremony of the Peranakan is largely based on Chinese tradition, and is one of themost colorful wedding ceremonies in Malaysia and Singapore. At weddings, the Dondang Sayang, a form of extempore rhyming song in Malay sung and danced by guests at the wedding party, was a highlight. Someone would begin a romantic theme which was carried on by others, each taking the floor in turn, dancing in slow gyrations as they sang. It required quick wit and repartee and often gave rise to laughter and applause when a particularly clever phrase was sung. The melodic accents of the Baba-Nonya and their particular turns of phrase lend to the charm of this performance.

Culture

Historical and cultural items from the Baba culture are displayed in cultural establishments on Heeren Street, Jonker Street and other streets in the same neighbourhood in Malacca and in Penang in Malaysia, and at the Peranakan Museum in Singapore. There one can find museums displaying furniture, food stuff, and even traditional clothes of the Baba and Nonya. There are also a small number of "Nyonya" restaurants in Singapore, Penang, Malacca, and the West. Free weekly street shows featuring Baba performances, and traditional and pop Chinese cultural performances are found in Jonker Street in Malacca (Melaka). The shows are part of the night market scene, and are usually crowded with shoppers, both local and foreign.

The Peranakans were partially assimilated into the Malay culture (especially in food, dress, and language), while retaining some Chinese traditions (religion, name, and ethnic identity), thereby creating a fusion culture of their own. For instance, from their Malay influence, a unique "Nyonya" cuisine has developed using the spices of Malay cuisine (examples are Chicken Kapitan, a dry chicken curry, and Inchi Kabin, a Nyonya version of fried chicken). The women (Nyonyas) have taken to wearing the baju kebaya (a Malay dress, seen most notably as the uniform of Malaysia and Singapore Airlines' female flight attendants). However, most of the Peranakans are not Muslim, and have retained the traditions of ancestor worship of the Chinese; though some converted to Christianity. The wedding ceremony of the Peranakan is largely based on Chinese tradition, and is one of the most colorful and fascinating wedding ceremonies in Malaysia and Singapore.

Peranakan culture is disappearing. Without colonial British support for their perceived racial neutrality, government policies in both countries following independence from the British have resulted in the assimilation of Peranakans back into mainstream Chinese culture. In Singapore, the Peranakans are classified as ethnically Chinese, so they receive formal instruction in Mandarin Chinese as a second language (in accordance with the "Mother Tongue Policy") instead of Malay. In Malaysia, the standardization of Malay as Bahasa Melayu — required for all ethnic groups — has led to a disappearance of the unique characteristics of Baba Malay.
The migration of some Peranakan families, particularly the well-to-do ones, has led to a small Peranakan disapora in neighbouring countries, from Vietnam to Australia. However, these communities are very small, and with the increasing use of the various languages in their respective countries, the use of Peranakan Malay or Baba Malay will be diluted.

Museums



Historical and cultural items from the Baba culture are displayed in cultural establishments on Heeren Street, Jonker Street and other streets in the same neighborhood in Malacca and in Penang in Malaysia, and at the Peranakan Museum in Singapore. There one can find museums displaying furniture, food stuff, and even traditional clothes of the Baba and Nonya. There are also a small number of "Nyonya" restaurants in Singapore, Penang, Malacca, Jakarta, Semarang, Surabaya, and the West. Free weekly street shows featuring Baba performances, and traditional and pop Chinese cultural performances are found in Jonker Street in Malacca (Melaka). The shows are part of the night market (pasar malam) scene, and are usually crowded with shoppers, both local and foreign. In Indonesia a large population of Peranakans can be found in Tangerang, West Java.

The Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum is popular museum in Malacca. The museum showcases the best of distinctive cultural values and lifestyle inherited by the Baba Nyonya community of Chinese - Malay ethnics. Baba refers to the Male descendent, while Nyonya refers to the female. The interesting intermarriage between the two different races of early Chinese male settlers and local Malay women resulted in this unique culture which is uncommonly seen in today’s urban city.

The Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum comprises three well-preserved townhouses dating back to mid 19th century. The museum is privately owned with a traditional homey ambiance unlike visiting a conventional museum with items kept inside the glass enclosures. The design of this ancestral house is influenced by the neo-classical European architecture, with heavy Greco-Roman columns. The interior of the house is furnished with numerous antique pieces in finely carved hardwood. The furniture is generally bulky and heavy, but featuring classic Chinese work of art.

Political Affinity

Baba Nyonya were financially better off than Chinese born Chinese. Their family wealth and connections enabled them to form a Chinese elite, whose loyalty was strictly to Britain or the Netherlands. Due to their strict loyalty they did not support Malaysian nor Indonesian Independence.

By the middle of the twentieth century, most Peranakan were English or Dutch-educated, as a result of the Western colonization of Malaya and Indonesia, Peranakans readily embraced English culture and education as a means to advance economically thus administrative and civil service posts were often filled by prominent Straits Chinese. Many in the community to convert to Christianity due to its perceived prestige and proximity to the prefered company of British and Dutch. The Peranakan community thereby became very influential in Malacca and Singapore and were known also as the King's Chinese due to their loyalty to the British Crown. Because of their interaction with different cultures and languages, most Peranakans were (and still are) trilingual, being able to converse in Chinese, Malay, and English. Common vocations were as merchants, traders, and general intermediaries between China, Malaya and the West; the latter were especially valued by the British and Dutch.

Things started to change on the first half of the 20th centuries, some Peranakans started to support Malaysian and Indonesian independence. In Indonesia three Chinese community started to merge and become active in the political scene.
They were also among the pioneers of Indonesian newspapers. In their fledgling publishing companies, they published their own political ideas along with contributions from other Indonesian writers. In November 1928, the Chinese weekly Sin Po was the first paper to openly publish the text of the national anthem Indonesia Raya. On occasion, those involved in such activities ran a concrete risk of imprisonment or even of their lives, as the Dutch colonial authorities banned nationalistic publications and activities.

Chinese Indonesians were active in supporting the independence movement during the 1940s Japanese occupation, when the all but the so-called "Overseas Chinese Association", or residents of Chinese ancestry were banned by the Japanese military authorities. Some notable pro-independence activists were Siauw Giok Tjhan and Liem Koen Hian, and Yap Tjwan Bing, a member of Panitia Persiapan Kemerdekaan Indonesia, who in 1960's became a citizen of the United States.

History Of "Peranakan" and "Baba-Nyonya"

In the 15th century, some small city-states of the Malay Peninsula often paid tribute to various kingdoms such as those of China and Siam. Close relations with China were established in the early 15th century during the reign of Parameswara when Admiral Zheng He (Cheng Ho), a Muslim Chinese, visited Malacca and Java. According to a legend in 1459 CE, the Emperor of China sent a princess, Hang Li Po, to the Sultan of Malacca as a token of appreciation for his tribute.

The royalty and servants who accompanied the princess initially settled in Bukit Cina and eventually grew into a class of Straits-born Chinese known as the Peranakans.Due to economic hardships at mainland China, waves of immigrants from China settled in Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. Some of them embraced the local customs, while still retaining some degree of their ancestral culture; they are known as the Peranakans. Peranakans normally have a certain degree of indigenous blood, which can be attributed to the fact that during imperial China, most immigrants were men who married local women. Peranakans at Tangerang, Indonesia, held such a high degree of indigenous blood that they are almost physically indistinguishable from the local population. Peranakans at Indonesia can vary between very fair to copper tan in color.

Peranakans themselves later on migrated between Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, which resulted in a high degree of cultural similarity between Peranakans in those countries. Economic / educational reasons normally propel the migration between of Peranakans between the Nusantara region (Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore), their creole language is very close to the indigenous languages of those countries, which makes adaptations a lot easier.

For political reasons Peranakans and other Nusantara Chinese are grouped as a one racial group, Chinese, with Chinese in Singapore and Malaysia becoming more adoptive of mainland Chinese culture, and Chinese in Indonesia becoming more diluted in their Chinese culture. Such things can be attributed to the policies of Bumiputera (Malaysia), mother tongue policy (Singapore) and the ban of Chinese culture during the Soeharto era in Indonesia.

Over the centuries, the Peranakans have evolved a unique culture that maintains many Chinese traditions, such as celebrating the Lunar New Year and the Lantern Festival, while adopting the customs of the land they settled in, as well as those of their successive colonial rulers. There are traces of Portuguese, Dutch, British, Malay and Indonesian influences in Baba culture.

By the middle of the twentieth century, most Peranakan were English educated, as a result of the British colonisation of Malaya, and the natural propensity of these people who were able to easily embrace new cultures. Because the Peranakans readily embraced English culture and education, administrative and civil service posts were often filled by prominent Straits Chinese. The interaction with the British also caused many in the community to convert to Christianity.
The Peranakan community thereby became very influential in Malacca and Singapore and was known also as the King's Chinese due to their perceived loyalty to the British Crown. Because of the interaction of the different cultures and languages that Peranakans had, most Peranakans were (and still are) trilingual, being able to converse with Chinese, Malays and the British.

Common vocations were as merchants, traders, and general intermediaries between China, Malaya and the West; the latter was especially valued by the British, since the Babas also enjoyed good relations with the Malay community and served as advisors to the royal Malay courts. In fact the term "Baba" is an honorific term in Malay; probably derived from Hindi/Sanskrit [Baba: literally means grandfather or father, and is used as a term of reverence and affection for an elderly gentleman].

The Word "Peranakan" and "Baba-Nyonya"

Peranakan, Baba-Nyonya and Straits Chinese (named after the Straits Settlements) are terms used for the descendants of the very early Chinese immigrants to the Nusantara region, including both the British Straits Settlements of Malaya and the Dutch-controlled island of Java among other places, who have partially adopted Malay customs in an effort (chronological adaptation) to be assimilated into the local communities.

The word Peranakan is also used to describe Chinese Indonesians. In both Malay and Indonesian, 'Peranakan' means 'descendants'. Babas refer to the male descendants and the Nyonyas the female. The word nyonya (also commonly spelled nonya) may originate from the Portuguese word dona, which means 'lady'.
Most Peranakan are of Hokkien ancestry, although fair denominations of them are of the Teochew or Cantonese descent.

Written records from the 19th and early 20th centuries show that Peranakan men usually took brides from within the local Peranakan community. Peranakan families also commonly imported brides from China and sent their daughters to China to find husbands. A small group of Indian Peranakans, known as the Chitty, does exist as well. Another similar group of Eurasian Peranakans also exist as Kristang people.