Nyonya kueh are bite size cakes, sweets and snacks which are a big part of Peranakan cuisine. Nyonya kueh are often colourful and always addictively delicious. There are over a hundred varieties - this post trace their origins and highlight a selection of the most popular ones.
Origins of Peranakans and their Cuisine
The earliest Chinese in the Malay peninsula and archipelago (today's Malaysia, Indonesia and southern Thailand) arrived as early as the Han dynasty (202 BC - 220 AD). They were sojourners and traders who came in junks with the Northeast Monsoon during the winter. Among them were pilgrim monks on their way to India in search of Buddhist scriptures and traders who came for spices, aromatic wood, and hornbill casques (ivory) in the fabled spice islands.
In the days of sail, traders had to wait for the next Southwest Monsoon (summer) to take them and their goods back to China. During the interim six months, traders intermingled with and some married locals. The local wives took care of the family and business while their Chinese husbands returned to Guangdong and Fujian province to sell spices and come back with silk and porcelain. As the local wives brought up the children, Peranakan culture has a very strong Malay cultural imprint.
(The spices would take the overland
Silk Road from southern China to Europe where they fetch astronomic prices. The Silk Road of legend operated from around
100 BC till around 1500 when the Europeans [Portuguese first] found the sea route to the
spice islands.)
The offsprings of Chinese trader and local marriages are known as Peranakan which means "local born" in Malay. Males of known as Baba and ladies are addressed as Nyonya.
The Peranakans created a cuisine that reflected the marriage of Chinese
and Malay cultures, hence Peranakan cuisine is an eclectic mix of Chinese
and Malay culinary traditions.
In Peranakan cuisine, you will see blending of Chinese and Malay
ingredients as well as Chinese and Malay cooking techniques. Hence, you
will see in Peranakan cuisine, dishes that have its roots in China's
Guangdong and Fujian province, as well as from the Malay peninsula and
archipelago.
Peranakan cuisine is sometimes referred to as Nyonya cuisine. On the
other hand, kueh is always called Nyonya kueh, never Peranakan
kueh. Nyonya kueh refers to the kueh of Chinese Peranakan.
Traders from India also came to the spice islands and some married locals. The offsprings of Indian Muslim and Malay marriages are known as Jawi Peranakan. The descendants of Hindu Indian and Malay marriages are known as Chetti Melaka as the traders were from Chettinadu.
In 2023, Peranakan Indian (Chitty Melaka) Association Singapore and Allspice Institute launched the world's first Peranakan Indian cook book. Heritage Food of the Peranakan Indians: In the Chitty Melaka Kitchen which showcased 100 of the community's favourite recipes from everyday staples to festive specials.
Kueh, kuih or kue, the art of Nyonya kueh heritage is passed down through the generations and binds people together across time and place. Today, Nyonya kueh is enjoyed by all communities and throughout the world from Singapore, Beijing, London to San Francisco.
Nowadays, kueh is often made on an industrial scale in factories. Many people buy these mass manufactured kueh instead of making them at home. With this, the social aspects, the passing down of tradition from generation to generation of kueh culture are unfortunately lost.
Popular Nyonya Kueh
 |
| Ang Ku Kueh |
The glutinous rice skin is tender, spongy chewy while the sweet mung bean
paste filling is soft. The snack tastes sweet in layers. Ang ku kueh also
come filled with different fillings like yam paste, crushed peanut,
etc. There are also other colour skin besides the traditional red.
Ang ku kueh is an everyday snack but also used on special occasions like
birthday celebrations as well as food offerings in religious rituals.
The tortoise is an auspicious animal in Chinese culture symbolising
longevity.
|
| Kueh Bingka Ambon |
Kueh Bingka Ambon batter is made with tapioca flour, eggs, coconut milk
and yeast. When baked, the yeast leavens, forming the signature tunnels
and honeycomb of kueh bingka Ambon.
The sweet Bingka Ambon is one of my favourite Nyonya kueh as I like its
unique soft spongy chewy texture.
|
| Kueh Bingka Ubi |
Kueh Bingka Ubi is baked tapioca cake. It is made by mixing finely
shredded tapioca (cassava) with coconut milk, eggs and pandan leaf (no flour is
used). The batter is poured into a tray lined with banana leaf and baked
in an oven.
Kueh Bingka Ubi has a tender, slightly chewy browned crust on the surface
while soft and moist underneath. It is sweet and fragrant from coconut
milk, eggs, pandan leaf and banana leaf.
Simple yet wonderful sweet snack!
|
| Kueh Dadar |
The pancake / crepe is made with rice flour, egg, sugar and pandan leaf
which gives it its green colour. The batter is lightly pan fried with
margarine / oil on a flat griddle to make the pancake / crepe. The filling of
grated coconut pulp, gula Melaka palm sugar and cinnamon is cooked
separately. The browned grated coconut is rolled into the pancake to make
kueh dadar.
Soft outside, oozing with juice inside, sweet and fragrant, a wonderful
snack!
|
| Kueh Kosui |
I get my kueh kosui from Indo Sumatera stall in Chinatown.
|
| Kueh Lapis |
Nine or 九 in Chinese is an auspicious number symbolising longevity, resilience, and endurance. Originally from Fujian province of China and made with glutinous rice, in the Malay archipelago sago flour and natural food colours are added to the plain white Chinese rice cake.
Most people eat kueh lapis in chunky bites but the prescribed way to enjoy
this kueh is to peel off the layers one by one and eat the kueh layer by
layer. It is funny how I ate kueh lapis layer by layer as a child but as an
adult I gulped it down in chunks 🤔🤷 Anyway, the nine layers all taste the
same - only the colour is different 😄
|
| Kueh Lopes |
|
| Kueh Pie Tee |
Found mainly in
Singapore, Malacca and Penang, the Peranakan strongholds of former British
Straits Settlements, its origins are a mystery unknown only recently unraveled.
Christopher Tan, author of The Way of Kueh suggested that kueh pie tee is the Peranakan derivative of the patty mould. Pie tee being the Baba patois for "patty".
Take a look. I am convinced!
I personally love kueh pie tee for the contrasts in texture and savoury
sweet flavours. Eating it with savoury spicy hot sambal makes it
irresistible for me.
|
| Kueh Salat |
It
is a sweet and fragrant cake with sweetness and perfume from glutinous
rice, coconut milk and pandan leaf. Nice mix of soft and tender-chewy
textures.
The firmer glutinous rice layer is often tinted blue with butterfly pea
flower. The blue blotches make the kueh look prettier but doesn't add any
flavour or aroma.
|
| Kueh Talam |
Again, this kueh is addictive to its fans due to its blend of different
sweet and soft-tender layers. The green / brown bottom layer is firmer
than the white layer on top.
|
| Lemper Udang |
There are other versions of lemper with seasoned shredded chicken, dried fish floss
or toasted grated coconut pulp filling. All have lovely nicely balanced
savoury sweet spicy taste.
|
| Ondeh Ondeh |
In Chinese, ondeh ondeh is called 椰糖椰丝球 which means "coconut sugar
and coconut shred ball" - a very descriptive name.
Ondeh ondeh tastes sweet in layers from the soft-spongy glutinous rice
ball, molten palm sugar and squeaky grated coconut.
Ondeh ondeh originates from Java, Indonesia where it is known as
klepon. In Malacca, it is often called buah Melaka or "fruit of Malacca" as Malaccans love and embrace this snack.
|
| Putu Ayu |
Putu ayu mini cakes are made in small flower shaped moulds. The grated
coconut goes in first, and then the wheat flour, egg, pandan leaf etc batter
follow over it. The filled moulds are steamed. When done, the fluffy cakes
are released from the mould. The white now appears on top and the spongy
green at the bottom.
Soft, bouncy, spongy, sweet and fragrant, putu ayu is the perfect
accompaniment for tea or coffee.
|
| Pulut Inti |
|
| Pulut Tai Tai |
But, it is actually a relatively humble kueh. It is simply glutinous rice
boiled with butterfly pea flower which gives it an attractive blue tint.
The cooked glutinous rice is compacted, cut and served in bite size cubes
(hence it is also called pulut tekan which means "pressed glutinous
rice").
The sweet tender-chewy glutinous rice cakes are eaten with
kaya or coconut jam
which is slathered or piped on top of the kueh. Alternatively, the kueh is dipped in kaya before eating. Pulut tai tai is enjoyed
by everyone, not only rich aunts 😄 Nyonya kuehs are very democratic 😄
Discussion
When is a kueh Peranakan and when is it not?
I need more research and study to answer this question but the current convention is somewhat vague. For example, ang ku kueh is often listed among Nyonya kueh but it is the same kueh made since time immemorial and still made by Hokkien in China with no family ties with Peranakan. Another example, ondeh ondeh is considered quintessentially Peranakan by some but the same snack known as klepon is made in Java by locals who have no family ties with Peranakan.
I would love to hear your take on this.
I missed out your favourite Nyonya kueh?
Give me a shout out in the comments and I shall go look for it. Promise that I will include it in this list after trying it.
Thank you for helping me make this list better 🙏
Here are more kueh sketched by renowned Singapore mural artist and illustrator Lee Xin Lin. You can purchase these beautiful posters at Zazzle.
Written by Tony Boey on 18 May 2021.
Image of ondeh ondeh courtesy of Wikipedia. Image of kueh talam courtesy of Wikipedia. Image of assorted Nyonya kueh courtesy of
Wikipedia. Image of Chinese junk courtesy of
Wikipedia. Image of Peranakan ladies courtesy of
Wikipedia. Image of Peranakan family courtesy of
Wikipedia. Image of Peranakan wedding courtesy of
Wikipedia. Image of Nyonya kueh courtesy of
Wikipedia. Image of ang ku kueh courtesy of
Wikipedia. Image of kue seri muka courtesy of
Wikipedia. Image of kueh kosui courtesy of
Wikipedia. Image of kueh Bugis courtesy of
Wikipedia. Image of putu ayu courtesy of
Wikipedia. Image pulut inti courtesy of
flickr. Image of bingka ubi courtesy of
flickr. Image of kueh lopes courtesy of
flickr. Image of pulut tai tai courtesy of
flickr. Image of kueh pie tee courtesy of
Wikipedia. Image of kueh bingka Ambon courtesy of
Wikipedia.
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