27 March 2020 | by Patricia
We’re here to help you take on this culinary feat! To enjoy the cooking today, you have to understand and appreciate where it came from. With that, here’s a crash course on how you can nail these Nyonya recipes in the comforts of your own kitchen. Share the pictures of your cooking with us by tagging #HomebytheRiverRecipes on your socials, and best of luck!
1. Seafood Nyonya Laksa
Ingredients
- 150g of Yellow Noodles (can be substituted with thin vermicelli)
- 50g of Bean Sprouts
- 150g of Large Prawns
- 60g of Sliced Fish Fillet
- 50g of Squid
- 20g of Scallops (Optional)
- 1 Hard-boiled Egg
- 2 pieces of Dried Bean Curd
- 20g of Shredded Cucumber
- A handful of Coriander Leaves
Method
- Blend all the ingredients to make Laksa spiced paste.
- Heat cooking oil in a pot and sauté the spice paste, add Polygonum leaves and ginger flower, cook till the mixture becomes aromatic.
- Add chicken stock and simmer for 20 minutes, followed by adding the coconut milk and evaporated milk slowly while stirring.
- Add all the seafood and bring the gravy to boil. Season with salt and sugar.
- In a separate pot, blanch the yellow noodles and bean sprouts.
- Place the noodles and bean sprouts into a bowl, top it off with Laksa gravy and seafood.
Garnish
Garnish with boiled egg slices, shredded cucumber and coriander leaves.
2. Prawn with Pineapple in Coconut Gravy (Udang Masak Lemak Nenas)
Udang Masak Lemak Nenas, or Prawn with Pineapple in Coconut Gravy, is commonly packed with flavor and aroma from the spices, and sweetness from the prawns and pineapple.
Served with steamed fragrant rice, this dish is very popular and much loved by many Peranakan families in Melaka as it is often prepared for family reunion meals, or other social gatherings.
Here’s how you can prepare it.
Serving: 3 persons
Ingredients for gravy paste (A)
- 50 gm of Shallot
- 30 gm of Garlic
- 60 gm of Red Chilies
- 20 gm of Shrimp Paste
- 50 gm of Galangal
- 20 gm of Turmeric
- 20gm of Candle Nuts
Ingredients (B)
- 400 gm of Prawns (deveined)
- 200 gm of Fresh pineapple (cut into cubes)
- 3 pcs of Kaffir Lime Leaves
- 200 ml of Coconut Cream
- 2 pcs of Lemongrass (inner bulb only)
- 60 ml of Cooking Oil
- Salt to taste
- Sugar to taste
Method
- Toast shrimp paste over open fire or in a dry pan until fragrant. Blend together with ingredients (A). Add water to ease the blending process.
- Add oil to a pan and sauté (A) until fragrant. The paste will turn into a darker shade of orange in colour.
- Then drain the oil and pour away excess oil, if necessary. Add coconut milk for a more fluid consistency, add some water just enough to cover the surface of the prawns and pineapple. Allow to simmer for 8 to 10 minutes to soften the pineapple and absorb the spices.
- Add prawns, kaffir lime leaves and seasoned with salt and sugar. Simmer until prawns are cooked.
- Serve hot with steamed fragrant rice.
3. Glutinous Rice Ball with Palm Sugar (Onde-Onde)
Onde-Onde are ball-size desserts that are known to be chewy and soft on the inside, and filled with aromatic palm sugar. This dessert originates from the Nyonya heritance, whereby it can be made from flour of sweet potato or glutinous rice.
Infused with pandan (screwpine leaf) juice and coated with fresh grated coconut, these delicious Onde-Onde can literally explode in your mouth when you take a bite into these chewy balls, so do give it a try.
Serving: 10-12 pieces of Onde-Onde
Ingredients
- 100 gm of Glutinous Rice Flour
- 100 gm of Grated Fresh Coconut
- 5 drops of Pandan (screw pine) flavor
- 2 drops of Green Coloring (optional)
- A Pinch of Salt
- 100 ml of Water
- 50 gm of Palm Sugar (finely chopped)
Method
- Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl and knead to form into dough except the palm sugar, salt and grated coconut. Mix the grated coconut with a pinch of salt and set aside.
- Bring a pot of water to boil. Pinch a small piece of dough (about 10 gm each) and flatten lightly. Fill the center of the dough with 5 gm of chopped palm sugar. Roll them in your palm to form a smooth ball and cook the glutinous rice balls in the boiling water.
- When the dough floats up, scoop it out and roll over the fresh grated coconut.
- Complete all the cooked dough and ready to serve.
To discover more exciting recipes that you can try at home, visit H Paper Online.