Nyonya Colors

Malaysian Food Heritage (UM60102U3)

Group Assignment (20%)

Restaurant Review

Restaurant

·         Nyonya Colors

Location

·         LG-19, Lower Ground Floor,

Empire Shopping Gallery,

Subang Jaya,

Subang

Contact Details

·         Tel: 03-7728 2288

·         Fax: 03-7710 1263

·         Email: nyonyaacl@gmail.com

Authenticity of restaurant identified

     Nyonya or Peranakan cuisine is the outcome of using Chinese ingredients with different spices and cooking methods used by Malays. It is a combination of Malay, Chinese and other influences, which creates a unique mix. Peranakan means descendants. This refers to early Chinese immigrants who came to Malaysia and inter-marrying local Malays. Nyonya cuisine consists of main meals and Nyonya ‘Kueh’. Nyonye kueh are sweet delicacy made with the combination of Malay and Chinese cooking techniques. They are an essential part of Malaysian festivities because they are made to welcome festivities and special guests. The most common ingrdients used in making this kuehs are pandan leaves, grated coconut, palm sugar and coconut cream. Their texture and base are made from glutinous rice flour, tapioca, rice flour and glutinous flour. Other than that, green bean flour and tapioca flour is also commonly used while making kuehs. They play a big role in their soft, pudding-like and firm texture.

     There is no original or authentic recipe for making this kuehs because each and every family holds their own recipe. Kuehs are mainly made by elderly grandmother and other women. They believe they best method to cook is by approximation. They would basically mix ingredients without any measurement and judge the texture by its look. 

     Nyonya Colors specializes in premium homemade standard Nyonya kuehs and delights. They aim to provide consumer with the finest quality and mouth-watering Nyonya kuehs. Their kuehs comes in different texture, shapes and colours. Nyonya Colors offers a variety of kuehs which is prepared in different ways from steaming, boiling or baking to deep-frying and grilling.

Pulut Tai Tai and Ang Ku filled with green beans.

Pulut Tai Tai is made from steamed glutinious rice with blue pea flower and served with kaya. Ang ku is made from glutinous rice flour and filled with sweet fillings in the middle.

Onde-onde

Onde-onde is little round balls made from glutinous rice flour. It is colored with pandan flavor, which explains it color. It is filled with palm sugar and rolled in freshly shredded coconut flesh.

Kochi Nyonya, Lipat Pisang, Lipat Libi, Otak-Otak, Kochi Santan

                                               

Validity of cultural information posted

Nyonya Kuehs are a part of Malaysian Food Heritage as they carry very valuable cultural values. The Baba-Nyonya culture dates back over 600 years when the Chinese immigrants of Malacca settled in the Malay Peninsular and the intermarriage with the Malay population that later spread throughout the state. The Baba-Nyonya culture does not only show the mixture of the Malay and Chinese culture, it has became a unique culture of its own. Nyonya Kuehs are the Malaysian’s exquisite delicacy. Nyonya Kuehs are full of flavour from the natural ingredients, different textures and are usually of bright and harmonious colours that makes them even more attractively appealing to the dining and satisfaction derived from the dish.

Each Baba-Nyonya family has their own unique family Nyonya Kuehs recipes that are passed down from generation to generation. Therefore, they can be considered as a special asset for each Baba-Nyonya family. As the Nyonya Kuehs are mainly made by the elderly ladies in the Baba-Nyonya family, usually the grandmother and passed on to the younger generation, it gives a good opportunity for the older member of the family to bond with the younger members. The bond of the younger generations with their grandmothers or elders will be the vales that will be carried with them forever. To them Nyonya Kuehs are not just food, they are journals that record stories carried and remembered by their family roots. Then, the bite of the Nyonya Kuehs brings out the feeling of home and warmth of family’s love affection and memorial memories left by the ancestors.

Then, Nyonya Colors is a part of Malaysian Food Heritage as they serve memorial traditional Nyonya Kuehs that are difficult to search for I this generation timeline. Besides, most of the younger generations that are not familiar with the Nyonya cuisine, there aren’t many Nyonya restaurants in Malaysia. Nyonya Colors gives the greatest introduction of the traditional Nyonya food, especially the Nyonya Kuehs. In my opinion, Nyonya Colors is the greatest example to many other traditional cuisines in Malaysia. By having a chain modern-style restaurant like these, many traditional cuisines that are dying down could be revived and introduced to those that are not familiar. With this, we can ensure that many of these traditional cuisines are passed on to younger generations as a piece of the unique culture.

However, there are certain things to highlight when commercializing traditional food restaurant like Nyonya Colors. Firstly, the food served has to be originally authentic. This is what Nyonya Colors aims for, as they understand the importance of keeping that home warmth authentic taste. Then, the quality of the food has be delicious and consistent. To ensure that, Nyonya Colors produces the food in a central kitchen and avoids using preservatives. 

Analysis of its role as Malaysian Food Heritage

In the early 15^th century, a large number of Chinese settle in the Malay Peninsula, following on the heels of the Ming emperor’s reopening of Chinese-Malay trade relations. Some of them embraced the local culture, while retaining a degree of their ancestral culture are known as Peranakans. Peranakans are well known for their wide variety of traditional cakes, also known as kueh. Nyonya kueh was developed by the Straits Chinese whose descendants reside in today’s Malaysia. It is the result of using mainly Chinese ingredients with a mixture of Malay ingredients. Traditional Malay and Nyonya kuehs share a common feature: generous amounts of coconut are used and flavoured with gula Melaka and pandan leaves.

Most of these kuehs do not have a single “original” or “authentic” recipe.Nyonya kuehs are traditionally made by women-folk whom the best method for cooking was by “agak-agak” (approximation). Different family have different traditional recipe of their own. These traditional nyonya kuehs are sometimes made in conjunction with festivals that the Peranakans celebrate. Nyonya and Malay kuehs should not be distinguished since Peranakans have settled in the Malay Peninsula. The nyonya kuehs have adapted to Malay culinary and cultural heritage. The Peranakans have improvised and retained many kuehs native to Malay culture.

Adaptability of your comments to an international audience   

Most of the Nyonya Kuehs have names that originated from the Malay or Chinese language thus it may be difficult for the international to have a clear idea of what a particular Nyonya Kueh is by its name. Therefore, certain explanation must be provided when introducing Nyonya Kuehs to a foreigner. The origin of the name, meaning in the native language, ingredients used, cooking method and the traditional use must be explained. 

Take Ang Koo Kueh for example. The name (红龟糕) came from the Chinese dialect, Hokkien. Ang Koo translates as red tortoise and is part of the Full Moon offering. Ang Koo Kueh is traditionally served during special feast days. However, Ang Koo Kueh is a common confectionary being sold by Nyonya Kueh vendors nowadays.

The traditionaly Ang Koo Kueh is only consists of a few main ingredients that are glutinous rice flour, green beans or mung beans, food colouring and pandan leaves. The cooking method is quite simple. The skin of the Ang Koo is made with glutinous rice flour which is coloured with red food colouring. The preparation of the beans takes a bit more time. They are washed and soaked overnight and then steamed with some pandan leaves to enhance the aroma.

The traditional use of Ang Koo Kueh is associated with the worship of Chinese deities, particularly the Jade Emperor. Ang Koo Kueh also plays a big role in the Baby's Full Moon Celebration, known as “Muah Goay” in the Hokkien dialect. After new born child has passed a full month of age, the parents will make an offering. The Baby's Full Moon is both a thanksgiving celebration to the Gods for giving them the child and a proclamation to friends, relatives, the deities and long-departed ancestors, that a new member has been added to the family. There are two types of Ang Koo served during a newborn’s Full Moon. The Ang Koo Kueh is shaped to resemble a tortoise shell when the baby is a girl. If the baby is a boy, the Ang Koo Kueh is round and plain.

In conclusion, with proper explanation for a traditional food like Ang Koo Kueh, the international audience can better understand the Nyonya culture. With that, we can attract foreign audience to learn more about the Baba-Nyonya culture.