Baba Nyonya Cuisine

 Malaysian cuisine is held in high esteem throughout the world. Renowned for its rich and complex flavors, Malaysian cuisine is believed to reflect the varied social fabric of Malaysian society and features several components, one of which is Peranakan cuisine or Nyonya Baba cuisine.
The evolution of the Peranakan people can be traced to the 15^th, century, a period during which the Ming Dynasty ruled in China. A Chinese Emperor from that period gave his daughter’s hand in marriage to the Sultan of Malacca in an effort to cement ties with the rich and strategically located Sultanate. The Chinese Princess arrived in Malacca with a sizeable entourage, which numbered more than 500.  The Princess’s attendants went on to settle down in Malacca as they intermarried with the local Malays. This union produced the first generation of Chinese-Malays, the Peranakan

A male Peranakan in time came to be referred to by the term ‘Baba’ while a female was known as ‘Nyonya’. The Peranakans went on to create their own unique culture and heritage, which was a hybrid of Chinese and Malay cultures sprinkled with various colonial influences as Malacca was in fact ruled by three colonial powers, Portuguese, Dutch and British.

Nyonya communities at first were concentrated around Malacca but these folk soon migrated to other areas like Penang and Singapore, and were also referred to as ‘the Straits Chinese.’  Aside from a unique culture and tradition, the Peranakans were also known for their delicious, homegrown fare, an intensely flavorful cuisine made with Chinese, Malay, European and even Thai ingredients.

This delectable Perankan cuisine is prepared several key ingredients like belacan(a dried shrimp paste), tamarind, coconut milk, lemongrass, galangal wild ginger), chilies, shallots and kaffir lime and pandan(screw pine) leaves.

Omnipresent in Malaysia at various food-courts, street-stalls and fine-dining restaurants, Nyonya Baba fare should feature as a must-sample on any gastronomic expedition in Malaysia.

Popular dishes of Nyonya Baba cuisine include dishes like Mee Siam (a piquant rice noodle dish), Chicken Kapitan (a rich chicken curry usually served with a lacy Roti Jala), Kangkug Belacan(water spinach sautéed with belacan) and  mouth-watering Peranakan deserts like Bubur Cha Cha, Cendol and colorful Kuih (Peranakan cakes).