Singapore / Food / Nonya

Nonya or Peranakan food, is the closest Singapore has to an indigenous cuisine, combining Chinese, Malay and other influences. Invented by the Peranakans,a people whose heritage stems from inter-marriages between early Chinese settlers and local Malay women as far back as the 15th century, Peranakan cuisine combines the culinary skills and tastes of these two cultures. It features Chinese ingredients —vegetables, sauces and pork - prepared with local spices such as belacan, chilli and coconut cream. Examples are laksa (a delicious noodle dish served in a spicy coconut gravy), and batik keluak (stuffed Indonesian nuts cooked with chicken). Nonya cooking requires much preparation and time - certainly not easy to reproduce in commercial quantities - although some of Singapore’s Peranakan restaurants come close to producing real Nonya home cooking.