food in malaysia /about little nyonya

About Little Nyonya

        

     Echnique of cooking does not differ much from Malay cuisine, a lot of steaming and simmering are involved and also cold preparation is also one of the typical ways of cooking, especially of their kerabu (raw salad).

  A typical Nyonya home had a large kitchen. Extended family lived under the same roof, in one long shop house. In this kitchen, the stove used wood and later charcoal as fuel.
     Spices were grounded manually, large granite stone mills were indispensable in a typical Nyonya household. During celebration or religious ceremony, the "tok panjang", a long dinner table that could  seat at least 16 people would be full of dishes painstakingly prepared for that special occasion

  Young girls were trained in the kitchen so that they would catch a rich husband. The way to the men's heart were supposedly through their stomachs. The young ladies were also taught other crafts like how to make beaded slippers or embroider intricate patterns on silk table clothes or bedspreads


 Nyonya food also places a lot of emphasis on how the food looks when served. Local kuihs are individually crafted, piece by piece. Each morsel is supposed to taste as good as it looks.

     Desserts can also include sweet broth (bubur). Almost anything can be added into this "bubur". Basic ingredients are palm sugar, coconut milk, sago and pandanus leaves. Then, it is up to you to put in any tubers or fruits for that tasty tea treat. Some of evergreen Nyonya dishes for lunch or dinner which are still served now include otak-otak, perut ikan, asam pedas, kari kapitan, kerabu bihun and a lot