I have always been intrigued by the Peranakan culture and I decided to delve a little deeper into the beautiful world of the Baba and Nyonya.
Peranakan refers to people of mixed Chinese and Malay/Indonesian heritage. The word is derived from anak "child" and means "descendant", with no connotation of the ethnicity of descent. The Peranakans commonly refer to themselves as Baba or Nonya/Nyonya. The term Baba is an honorific for Straits Chinese men. Female Straits-Chinese descendants were either called or styled themselves Nyonyas. Nyonya is a Malay and Indonesian honorific used to refer to a foreign married lady.
The Peranakans were also known as Straits Chinese as they were usually born in the British-controlled Straits Settlements of Singapore, Penang and Malacca. While the term Peranakan is most commonly used to refer to those of Chinese descent also known as Straits Chinese, there are also other, comparatively smaller Peranakan communities, such as Indian Hindu Peranakans (Chitty), Arab and Indian Muslim Peranakans, Pekan a colloquial contraction of Peranakan) and Eurasian Peranakans (Christians of Portuguese and Asian ancestry).
Peranakans resided in several different locations in Singapore back in those days, notably the Neil Road/Tanjong Pagar, Emerald Hill and the Joo Chiat/Katong areas.
Neil Road is the area bordering Chinatown and Tanjong Pagar. It has some historical associations with the Peranakans. In the early 1800s, Peranakan merchants such as Tan Tock Seng owned a nutmeg plantation in the area. Many wealthy Peranakan families also lived in the area until the 1920s and 1930s when they moved out to the Katong area.
To learn more about the Peranakan culture and their lifestyle back then, I visited Baba House also known as NUS Baba House @ Neil Road. My initial intention was to visit Peranakan Musuem but it was closed for renovation works and will only be reopened in 2021. I came across NUS Baba House accidentally while surfing for more information on the internet.
NUS Baba House is a musuem in Singapore showcasing Peranakan history, architecture and heritage. It is a traditional Peranakan pre-war terrace-house which was formerly owned by the family of a 19th-century shipping tycoon Wee Bin who settled in Singapore, after arriving from the southern Chinese province of Fujian.
The Baba House enables visitors to experience how typical Peranakan homes looked and functioned in the 1920s, the Golden Era of Peranakan culture in Singapore. The house is a showcase of lavishly carved antique furniture and items used by Chinese Peranakans of that time. Entrance into the Baba House is based on appointment only and is free for Singaporeans.
I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the Baba House as it gave me a clearer picture of the values that the Peranakan family (who previously resided in the house) firmly hold on to. This can be seen clearly from the architectural design on the outer and interior part of the house which was symbolic to their family beliefs and values. A lot of thought and detail were also put into the intricate decorations used in and around the house. To sum up, NUS Baba House is simply worth the visit for history buffs alike.
You can also consider visiting 'The Peranakan Gallery at Claymore Connect Mall @ Orchard Road'. It is a fusion between a musuem and a peranakan restaurant. The gallery showcases the Peranakan culture, cuisine and craftworks. Entry into the gallery is priced at $15 for adults and $8 for children.
Apart from their distinctive culture and heritage, Peranakans are well known for their delectable cuisine which has strong Malay and Indonesian influences. Nonya cooking is the result of blending Chinese ingredients with various distinct spices and cooking techniques used by the Malay/Indonesian community. Nonya cooking varies according to different regional influences. Dishes from the island of Penang in the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia possess Thai influences, such as more liberal use of tamarind and other sour ingredients. Meanwhile dishes from Singapore and Malacca show a greater Indonesian influence, such as the use of coconut milk.
The key ingredients used in Peranakan cooking include coconut milk, galangal (a subtle, mustard-scented rhizome similar to ginger), candlenuts as both a flavoring and thickening agent, laksa leaf, pandan leaves(Pandanus amaryllifolius), belachan, tamarind juice, lemongrass, torch ginger bud, jicama, fragrant kaffir lime leaf, and cincalok - a powerfully flavored, sour and salty shrimp-based condiment that is typically mixed with lime juice, chillies and shallots and eaten with rice and other side dishes.
I visited Fort Canning Park 'Spice garden' to take a closer look at some of the above mentioned ingredients used in Nonya cooking that were planted there. The spice garden @ Fort Canning Park was once the site of Singapore's first Botanical and Experimental Garden started by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1822. Below is a collection of photos I took while I was there.
Apart from traditional Peranakan cuisine, the nonyas are well known for their sweet cakes, often referred to as nonya kueh. Some of these kuehs include, Ang Ku Kueh, Getuk- Getuk, Kuih Bingka Ubi, Kueh Bugis, Kueh Dadar, Kueh Kosui, Kueh Lopis, Putri Salat, Kueh Talam, Kueh Lapis, Lemper Udang, Ondeh- Ondeh, Sagu Melaka, Ongol Ubi, Talam Ubi and Yam Talam.
To learn how to make Nonya Kuih, I decided to sign up for a workshop @ Republic Polytechnic. The Easy Delicious Nonya Kuih Kuih was a one day course offered by Republic Polytechnic as part of its ACE (Academy for Continuing Education) short courses and workshops which was opened to the public. There are other series of short courses and workshops available on their website here: https://www.rp.edu.sg/ace/course-summary?courseType=Short%20Courses/Workshops
Chef Loh who conducted the workshop was a Peranakan himself and he taught us how to make Kuih Bingka Ubi, Putri Salat and Lemper Udang. Through his sharing I learnt that when making Putri Salat using Kara Brand Coconut Milk, we can opt to add in more water as it is much thicker in consistency. But if we used fresh coconut milk there isn't a need to add in more water as it is of a diluted consistency. In addition to this I learnt as well that we could choose to steam Bingka Ubi instead of baking it. We just need to remove corn flour and reduce the quantity of coconut milk so that the final product will not end up soggy.
Below are some snippets of my morning spent at RP with some of the lovely participants. I was the youngest participant there. Hehe. Imagine my pleasant surprise.
Moving on to Peranakan culture, the Peranakans were very wealthy and hold high positions during the British ruling. They were among the first community in Singapore to learn English as well as advocate for education among the Peranakan women. Thus without a doubt, Peranakans in those days lived in upscale houses that showed off their wealth and status. As mentioned earlier, historically Peranakans reside in certain parts of Singapore, such as Neil Road/Tanjong Pagar, Emerald Hill and the Joo Chiat/Katong areas.
Some of these houses remained places of interest to tourists from all over the world. This is undeniable because the houses are colourfully painted on the exterior and adorned with symbolic embellishments and neo classical forms. I took a walk around the famous Peranakan shophouses at Koon Seng Road. As you can see from the photos below, it is definitely an Instagram worthy place to visit. The only catch is that you have to be there early as it is normally packed with tourists.
The Katong area is filled with beautiful shophouses/ houses that has been conserved to maintain its unique Peranakan identity. I went to one of the houses below well known for its vibrant colour and unique staircase on the exterior. There are many other beautiful places to explore in the Katong area but my feet could only afford to walk this far cos Katong is indeed a big area to begin with. But if you are a fan of Peranakan culture, this is the area to begin with as it has a lot to offer.
As with any community heritage trail, it is never complete without a stopover to a mural painting done on one of the buildings. One of them is the jousting painters done by Ernest Zacherevic. The realistic painting features two young boys on their doodled horses facing each other.
The mural can be found between the intersection of Joo Chiat Terrace and Everitt Road. Apparently some of Ernest Zacherevic's painting can be found around Victoria Street area as well and are known to be very catchy. With that my adventure exploring the food culture of the Peranakans has come to an end. I am inspired to continuously include the Peranakan kuih kuih as part of the dishes that my students should learnt due to its rich cultural heritage. This will ensure that it will remain a favourite and will not be forgotten by the younger generations.
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