Nyonya, or Nonya, cuisine borrows from the blend of Chinese and Malay influences. The Nonya, or Straits Chinese, mingled with the local Malays to create their own culture and cuisine.
The origins of this group date back to the 15th century when a princess of the Ming Dynasty left China to marry the Sultan of Malacca. Her male attendants married local women and their children would go on to marry the Chinese traders that came down their way.
This group, called the Peranakans, would develop a language of their own, integrating English, Malay and Fukienese. The Nonya culture survives today in Malaysia and Singapore where dishes are a blend of Chinese and local ingredients with exotic spices and fruits.
You could say that Nonya cuisine is the first fusion cuisine. Other festive creations include: Pineapple Christmas Tarts, Cashew Nut Cookies, Festive Asian Appetizers, Celebratory Sweets , Christmas Drinks with an Asian Spin, Christmas Cassava Cake and Filipino Rice Cakes.
If you're seeking some terrific gift cookbooks, take a look at Periplus Edition's Authentic Recipes series.
"Kueh" refers to cake, by the way.
KUEH LAPIS (a.k.a LAPIS PLYWOOD)
Ingredients
- 15 egg yolks
- 5 egg whites
- 125 gm ( 4 oz ) flour
- 375 gm ( 12 oz ) butter
- 250 gm ( 8 oz ) fine sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
Directions
- Beat the butter and sugar together until white.
- Add in the 15 egg yolks, one by one, and continue beating.
- In a separate bowl, beat white until white and fluffy.
- Then add into the egg yolk mixture.
- Stir carefully. Then add in the flour and vanilla.
- Mix thoroughly and make sure there are no lumps.
How To Bake:
- Line two 9" square baking tins with wax paper.
- Prepare to use the broiling grill in the oven.
- Take 4 tablespoons of mixture and spread it evenly on one of the baking tins. Make sure it is a thin layer. ( as the mixture is just like a pan-cake batter it should not be difficult to spread evenly.)
- Then bake the first layer in the oven using grill.
- While waiting for the first baking tin to turn brown, follow step 3 with the second baking tin.
- When the layer of the first baking thin turns brown, take it out.
- Put the second baking tin into the oven.
- Follow step 3 and spread the next layer on the first baking tin, on top of the cooked layer.
- When the layer in the second baking tin turns brown, take it out and put the first tin in.
- Do this procedure until the mixture is finished.
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