Northern nyonya cooking is heavily influenced by Thai cuisine because of Thailand 's close proximity. The liberal use of chilies, lime juice and tamarind pulp (for that unmistakable sour, searing, hot sensation) is evidence of this.
Generally, northern nyonya cooking is hot, spicy and lemak (rich). A lot of pungent roots (lengkuas, serai, turmeric, halia), aromatic leaves (daun pandan, daun kaduk, daun pudina, daun kesum) and other ingredients like shrimp paste (belacan), dried prawns (heh bee), fresh and dried chilies, limes and tamarind paste, to name a few, are used in its cooking.
The richness of the dishes come from the generous use of coconut milk (santan) and spices. To counteract the cloy feeling, there are sour dishes which make use of tamarind paste or lime juice. This gives a good balance of tastes in meals.Through most homes cook similar dishes, there are prepared with great variations to suit individual family tastes. This accounts for why one family's acars (pickles) are more crunchy and spicy than another's or why first aunty's gulais (curries) are not as fiery hot or tangy as third aunty's.
However, preparation was always meticulous and results delicious. Whether it was a kuih, sambal, gulai or acar, a nyonya kitchen always turned out impeccable, perfect concoctions.
Today, a lot of these foods are rarely prepared, let alone served at family meals. Our modern, hurried pace of life and lack of willing hands have led to the commercially prepared variety of nyonya food. Grandmother's wholesome, lim-smacking and hearty meals are, alas, things of past.
The recipes in this collection show up the difference between northern (Penang) and southern (Malacca and Singapore ) nyonya cooking. Aside from the wide variety of sambals and acars that dominate northern nyonya cooking, there are also certain dishes peculiar to, and synonymous with, this cuisine. Among them are Purut Ikan (a delicacy made from fish stomach), Bosomboh (a crispy salad tossed in a thick gravy sauce), Egg Branda, Penang Rojak and Prawn congee to name a few. Enjoy cooking Nyonya food !
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