PERANAKAN-INSPIRED SOUTHEAST ASIA CUISINE

Peranakan is an ethnic group which is the mixed of Chinese-Malay. Their generation started when the Emperor of China in Ming Dynasty betrothed his daughter Princess Hang Li Po to the Sultan of Malacca. The male is being known as Baba and the female is being known as Nyonya. However, the term “Peranakan” is originated in Indonesia for the descendents of immigrant Chinese who had married and integrated with local Indonesians. Although the first Peranakan community was in Malacca, many of them also settled in Penang and Singapore. This ethnic has very special traits. They practice Chinese customs and traditions and also live in the local Malay way of life. They speak Malay language and also some Chinese dialects. They wear kebaya, Malay costume and celebrate many of their ceremonial in traditional Malay custom. They are best known for their Nyonya food. The dishes use mainly Chinese ingredients but blends with Southeast Asian spices, especially Malay spices and herbs such as coconut milk, lemon grass, turmeric, screwpine leaves, chilies, belacan or dried shrimp paste, and sambal.

Nyonya food in Penang, Malaysia is different with nyonya food in Malacca and Singapore. The ones in Malacca and Singapore are influenced by Indonesian style of cooking. They are generally sweeter, richer with the use of coconut milk and more traditional Malay spices. In Malacca, the food is also influenced by Portugese-Eurasian style of cooking. However, in Penang, the food is influenced more by the Thai cooking style with tangy or sour food.