Design Method 3 Research - Baba-Nyonya {Chinese: 峇峇娘惹}

This is my home assignment for the Design Method 3 research, is about Baba-Nyonya.
Because of this project last friday whole class is going to Melaka visit the Baba-Nyonya Museum.
We have know a lot about the Baba Nyonya according the guider at that museum but for more detail
information we need to search ourself.

Though my research for Baba-Nyonya, i more focus to Baba Nyonya cuisine.
Here is some video that telling The Peranakan Story.






Baba Nyonya Cuisine
Nyonya food as the name suggested, is the food of the Baba-Nyonya in Malaysia and Singapore. Known also as the Peranakan or the Straits Chinese (Straits-born Chinese), these groups of people are descendants of the very early Chinese immigrants to the Nanyang or 南洋 in Chinese–which literally means the “south sea” region.

The origins of the Baba and Nyonya could be traced all the way back to the Chinese Admiral explorer Cheng Ho, who sailed across the Indian Ocean more than 400 years ago to Melaka, a busy and prosperous trading port back in the early 15th century. Nanyang or 南洋 refers to the the Malay peninsula and the islands of Java.

Nyonya cuisine is generally referred to as the result of inter-marriages between the Chinese immigrants and the local Malays, which produced a unique cuisine where local ingredients such as chilies, belacan (Malaysian shrimp paste) lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, etc. are used. To assimilate to the local culture, these early days Chinese immigrants also adopted local Malay traditions–the men were called Babas and the women were called Nyonyas.

In the olden days, Nyonya is not allow going to school so they need to learn about cooking and sewing. In future they will show their skill to the mother in law and let the mother in law see that is this Nyonya suitable to marry to her family though her cooking and sewing skill.

Regardless of the history and origins of Nyonya food, making Nyonya food is no simple affair. The unique and highly flavorful cuisine requires abundant amount of time, patience, and skills. A true Nyonya would spend hours and hours pounding her rempah (spices) with batu giling (a flat slab of stone to grind the spices) to cook up authentic Nyonya dishes such as Perut Ikan (pickled fish stomach with vegetables stew), Salted Fish Pineapple Curry(Gulai Kiam Hu Kut in Hokkien), and other scrumptious Nyonya concoctions.

Nyonya food

-Nyonya Laksa
-Babi ponteh
-Sambal Belacan
-Nyonya Asam Curry
-Kangkung Belacan
-Perut Ikan
-Gulai Tumis
-Otak-otak and many more...

Though this research, this cuisine should be share to public and let the public know more about
the Baba Nyonya culture and their history and also their food.