The T’ng Tok Panjang in Ancestral Worship
9 min read
The traditional t’ng tok panjang is rather narrow, with chairs arranged on both sides of the table. The two ends of the table are traditionally left unoccupied.
There are Rolls and There are Rolls, in Nyonya Cooking
5 min read
The question is, how do I describe all the fine details on how to make choon piah to beginners? It all started more than a decade ago when I offered to cook for some of my old St. Xavier’s Institution classmates in KL.
Recovering the Forgotten Art of Making Lem Peng
6 min read
Lem peng is traditionally baked in a large bok kang (clay pot) over a charcoal fire for 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown. The clay pot is filled with sand and covered with paper, and the lem peng is placed over the paper.
Getting The Next Generation Excited About Cooking
6 min read
What happens when a mother who cannot cook becomes a grandmother? What culinary heritage is there to pass down to the next generation?
Penang Nyonya Recipes: Preserving Our Important Heritage
4 min read
A collection of old recipes accumulated over time will provide a record of changing tastes with regard to Penang Nyonya cuisine, and we would be able to recreate the “old and traditional taste” (what Hokkiens call kochabi) from recipes retrieved from the repository.
Kuih Kapit – Love Letters to be Consumed Crisp and Fresh
5 min read
The melt-in-your-mouth kuih kapit is a huge favourite, and not just during the Chinese New Year celebrations. Legend has it that kuih kapit was once used by lovers to communicate covertly, hence its more poetic name, love letters.
Some Finer Points about Nonya Delicacies
9 min read
My research led me to look into the ingredients used for lor bak, heh and chim choe, and bak and tu kua kian. These are traditional dishes that I grew up with in Penang.
The Hainanese Influence in Penang’s Cuisine
9 min read
The Hainanese were among the last Chinese language groups to arrive in Malaya, when the other language groups had monopolised most of the trades. They ended up working for the British in their households and kitchens, eventually playing a major role in the local food and beverage industry.
Such Succinct Differences between Kiam Chai Boey, Khong Assam and Kwa Chai Thng
7 min read
Trawling the internet and leafing through classic Malaysian and Singaporean cookbooks into the origins of kiam chai boey and khong assam led to an interesting connection to the soup dish, kwa chai thng.
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Which Came First, the Chneh Hu or Pasembur?
8 min read
In the southern part of Malaysia, pasembur closely resembles the Indian Muslim or “Mamak” rojak. The Singapore Indian rojak is also similar to Malaysia’s northern pasembur or the southern Mamak rojak, but with several key differences.
Nyonya Dishes: Old, New or “Con”-Fusion?
7 min read
Innovations and modifications made to Nyonya dishes are necessary if the cuisine is to survive; however, only those that are accepted by the community will thrive.