A taste of the Nyonya flavour

Nyonya Kueh is one of the favourite Peranakan delicacies that have a long history since the 15th Century.

Peranakan has a very long history in Singapore and Malaysia. They are the descendants of the Straits Chinese that settled along the Malay Archipelago.

They have a strong cultural background. These customs and traditions have evolved overtime, having traces of Portuguese, Dutch, British, Malay, Indonesian and Chinese influences.

Peranakan cuisines are well liked by the locals in Singapore. These dishes are a combination of both Chinese and Malay food.

One of the top hits in Singapore is the Nyonya Kueh. Nyonya is the term for female Peranakans and ‘kuehs’ means cakes, thus Nyonya Kuehs are the cakes made by female Peranakans.

Nyonya Kuehs are rich and varied, made from ingredients such as glutinous rice, coconut milk and palm sugar. Some examples of Nyonya Kuehs are, Ang Ku Kuehs, 9-layered Kuehs, Tapioca Cakes and Rice Cakes.

However,  as there are little confectioneries that are selling Nyonya Kuehs, these delights are no longer common among the younger generation today.

Hence, my group has decided to research on these Nyonya kuehs, introducing it to the younger generation, sharing the customs and traditions of this unique culture.

by Felicia

 

Our Enjoyable Food Hunt

On 16 May (Thursday), we made our way to Lek Lim Nyonya Cake Confectionery, located at Block 84 Bedok North Avenue 4, to interview the third generation owner of the Lek Lim family business, Mr. Gavan Sing.

Mr. Gavan was very friendly and welcomed us warmly upon our arrival. Before the interview, Mr. Gavan showed us around the shop and gave us a brief introduction of what some of the shop workers were doing.

During the interview, he shared with us the history of Lek Lim. The business started in 1967 when his grandfather and grandmother learnt Nyonya kueh-making from a master and decided to sell them in their home kitchen. As the business picked up, they  set up their own shop in 1987 at Bedok (current location) and was there ever since.

This is the video clip of the full interview:

After conducting the interview, Mr. Gavan prepared some ingredients for us to get some hands-on experience in the making of their traditional Nyonya kueh, Ang Ku Kueh!

Throughout the process, Mr. Gavan guided us patiently and even gave us some tips on how to perfect our skills.

Even though the kuehs we made were hideous looking, we really enjoyed the process and we are grateful for being given a chance for this experience.

by  Clarissa

Their Specialities

What makes Lek Lim Cake Confectionery so successful?

The unique selling points which make Lek Lim Cake Confectionery successful are:

• Handmade products: A large variety of traditional Nyonya Kuehs are mostly handmade in the shop

• Freshly made daily: All Nyonya Kuehs are freshly made daily

• No preservatives: All Kuehs and snacks cannot be kept for long as they all preservatives-free

• Vegetarian: Suitable for vegetarian

• Halal certified: Lek Lim received its Halal certification and thus their products are suitable for Muslims to consume

Kueh Salat Nyonya

The Kueh Salat Nyonya consists of a layer of sweet glutinous rice topped with another layer of eggless kaya.

Ang Ku Kueh

This is one of their most well-known delicacy at Lek Lim. It is made from soft dough and  freshly prepared fillings. Different colours of food dye are used to colour code the different fillings.

Peng Kueh (Rice Cake)

The rice cakes at Lek Lim are all freshly handmade. The fillings include glutinous rice, dried shrimp, mushroom, peanut, mushroom and parsley. They are then wrapped up using their signature glutinous flour skin, which is thin and smooth. It is usually served with  sweet sauce and fried onion garnish for extra flavouring.

Kueh Bengka Nyonya (Tapioca Cake)

Kueh Bengka Nyonya is made of blended tapioca, oven-baked to golden brown which is crispy on the top and soft in the center.

Pulut Inti Nyonya

This is one of their signature Kuehs. Soft and chewy glutinous rice added with a tinge of blue that makes it prettier, and topped with grated coconut cooked in gula melaka (palm sugar), wrapped with banana leaf for an added dose of fragrance.

 

by Beishan