Kueh Lapis

As a little girl, I loved kueh lapis. I grew up with the rainbow coloured sticky version as a breakfast or tea time treat.  It was a game to me, peeling layer after layer of the soft, stretchy sweet dessert, folding each layer to bite holes in the centre creating patterns. Yeah, I played with my food more than I ate it as a kid.

As I grew older, the nonya version appealed more to my tastes. Each in typical, elaborate nonya style comprised of fine layers of cake baked one on top of the other. The composite cake is sliced to expose the thin yellow and brown layers of cake.

At a reunion dinner, an old friend brought the nonya version of kueh lapis. Tried it, loved it.

Nonya chap chye recipe

I must confess. Mom made this dish , not me.

I remember how my late grandpa used to share his recipes with me. Though we spoke English , when it came to food, he'd explain it all in Malay . Typically the amounts were estimated , like a pinch of the, a handful of that , just enough of this etc.

The secret to great food was always stir frying pounded shallots and garlic or rempah in oil til brown then adding in the meat, then everything else.

Here's a simple way to prepare chap chye.

1. Soak dried black fungus , rice vermicelli and dried tau kee on water to hydrate these.


2. Dry with a paper towel.


3. Peel fresh prawn


4. Slice belly pork finely


5. Peel and slice a carrot or two


6. Slice a cabbage


7. Peel and Pound a clove of garlic and five shallots.


8. Stir fry the garlic and shallots til brown


9. Add the pork and prawns and let it cook


10. Add in the cabbage, carrots, black fungus, tau kee and vermicelli


11. Season with sea salt


12. Serve hot

Flowers

Growing up in Katong, the ladies around me wore kebayas adorned with finely embroidered flowers, a testament to their patience and needlework skills

I love flowers. Though I prefer scented ones like tuberose or the tropical roses that flourished in grandpa's garden, this struck a chord with me.

Foggy memories of a kebaya with small pink flowers just like these come to mind, but I can't recall who wore it.

I don't own any kebayas. Never did. I preferred western clothes, jeans and tees when I was young and later married out of the peranakan community . I did wear cheongsam to fit into my husband's culture but now, I have a yearning for the world I was born into .. Decades ago.. When life was simpler. Happier

Nonya noodles

Went to my parent's home for dinner. Mom made nonya noodles, the way my dad's family does it.

It's like the regular hokkien mee but with no bee hoon. Just the yellow noodles. Streaky pork sliced thinly. Lots of big fresh prawns. Yum

What makes it special is the grated cucumber heaped generously on the noodles. Add finely sliced omelette and garnish with shallots which I forgot to add. It was delicious !

Ondeh ondeh

Sitting outside Bengawan Solo, enjoying chilled ondeh.

They're usually hulk green but today, they are a tad more like the thing.

I'm happily reading marvel comics while savouring the chewy nonya kueh with that intensely sweet liquid gula melaka center that oozes out with each bite.

A little like an Asian take on mini lave cakes.

Beaded slippers

My aunt took a year to bead these slippers.

Nonyas in the past wore elaborately decorated clothing and slippers beaded with fine beads, which they made themselves.

The amount of loving work that goes into each is astounding

She made these perfectly symmetrical with shading of colours to bring the picture to life. This photo just cannot do it justice

Nonya kueh

The one nonya kueh I don't buy because the ones sold outside always disappoint is kueh kosui. Or kuih kosui. It's made with Gula Melaka, Pandan leaves, tapioca flour, and grated coconut.

Everytime i bought it and bit into it, I was sorely disappointed . It was hard compared to the soft yummy ones my mom used to make.

Growing up in my parents home, kuih kosui was a favourite mom would make. She's steam it, cut it up, roll it in grated coconut with a pinch of salt. We'd eat it right away, while still warm. That was heavenly. So soft, just the right texture and sweetness. How I miss mom's cooking.

I do buy nonya kuehs now and then, like ondeh ondeh.

I love how the sweet liquid gula melaka oozes out with every bite. The ones from bengawan solo are good.

Though I'm a nonya by birth, I hardly make kueh since I married out of the nonya clan. I buy my kuih instead :p

But I can make a mean chocolate truffle ;)