Nyonya's accessories

Nyonya's Kebaya

Nyonya's cuisine

Kuih Chang

Taibak

Buah Keluak

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.