Cook's discovery: Nyonya cuisine is both Chinese and tropical - recipes

Sunset, Jan, 1988

Cook's discovery: Nyonya cuisine is both Chinese and tropical

When Chinese traders ventured into Southeast Asia in the 15th century, many of them settled and married local women. The wives (or nyonya, as they were called in Malaysia and Indonesia) used native tropical seasonings to flavor ingredients familiar to Chinese palates. The result was a savory new cuisine called nyonya (or nonya), after the cooks.

Here we introduce some classic nyonya dishes from Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. The first menu is built on a hot-sour fish soup served buffet-style over noodles. Southeast Asian flavorings--tart tamarind, fragrant lemon grass, and astringent galangal--season the broth. Rice noodles are the Chinese contribution.

The second menu is a sampler. Here, you marinate and bake pork ribs (a meat favored by Chinese cooks) in an aromatic paste of ground coriander, garlic, and ginger. Serve with stir-fried rice noodles-- flavored with soy sauce, as a Chinese dish would be. The tropical influence is clearest in a sweet-tart pineapple-shrimp soup and a turmeric-tinted vegetable melange.

Look for the authentic ingredients--tamarind paste, dry galangal slices, fresh lemon grass, and dry rice noodles--in Asian markets; or use the alternatives.

Laksa noodle buffet

Set tart broth, noodles, and condiments on a table; guests assemble their own whole-meal soup in a large bowl.

Fish Soup with Rice Noodles and Condiments

Fresh Pineapple Spears

Iced Tea Beer

Boil noodles, coil and arrange on a platter, and prepare condiments up to several hours ahead. Cook the lean fish broth shortly before serving.

Fish Soup with Rice Noodles and Condiments (Laksa)

5 ounces (1/2 cup) unsalted tamarind paste (or 1/2 cup cider vinegar mixed with 1 tablespoon sugar)

1 1/2 cups water (if using tamarind)

2 large onions, cut into small chunks

3 tablespoons salad oil

8 thin slices dry galangal (or fresh ginger), each slice about the size of a quarter

4 stalks fresh lemon grass, tough leaves trimmed off, stalks lightly crushed (or pared peel, yellow part only, from 4 small lemons)

8 cups regular-strength chicken broth

1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne

4 pounds white-flesh fish fillets (such as rockfish), cut into 1-inch chunks, with bones removed

Cooked rice noodles (recipe follows)

1 European cucumber, cut lengthwise into quarters, then thinly sliced crosswise

1 cup thinly sliced shallots

4 to 6 fresh red or green Fresno or jalapeno chilies (or 1 large red bell pepper), stemmed and seeded, cut into thin slivers

3 or 4 limes, cut into wedges

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, cut into thin slivers

In a bowl, break tamarind into chunks; add water and let stand until pulp is soft, about 20 minutes. Rub paste off seeds.

Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, whirl onions until pureed. In a 6- to 8-quart pan, combine oil, onions, galangal slices, and lemon grass. Cook, stirring, over medium heat, until onions are soft and no longer taste raw, about 10 minutes. Add broth and cayenne. Cover and bring to boiling over high heat.

Add fish, cover, and simmer until fish is opaque in thickest part, 3 to 5 minutes.

Pour tamarind liquid through a fine strainer into a bowl, pressing liquid from seeds and fibers. To broth, add liquid (or vinegar and sugar mixture) to taste. Remove from heat and ladle into a tureen.

Offer hot soup with noodles and condiments: cucumber, shallots, chilies, lime, and mint. To eat, place noodles in a bowl and pour soup over them; add a selection of condiments. Makes 8 servings.

Cooked rice noodles. In a 6- to 8-quart pan, bring 3 to 4 quarts water to boiling. Add 1 pound dry rice noodles (mai fun or rice sticks) or coiled dry vermicelli. Stir to loosen noodles and boil, uncovered, until noodles are barely tender to bite, 2 to 3 minutes for rice noodles or 4 to 5 minutes for vermicelli. Drain and place in a large bowl of cool water. When cool enough to handle, lift small handfuls of noodles out of water and loosely coil them; set on a platter. Cover and hold at room temperature up to 4 hours.

Nyonya sampler

Mildly flavored noodles offer a neutral backdrop to spicy vegetables, hot-sweet-sour soup, and aromatic ribs. Serve the dishes together so flavors balance.

Shrimp and Pineapple Soup

Stir-fried Rice Noodles or Hot Cooked Rice

Turmeric Sweet-Sour Vegetables

Coriander Spareribs

Fresh Coconut Chunks

Sparkling Water Beer

Up to a day ahead, marinate ribs and cut vegetables. The turmeric-seasoned vegetables can be prepared several hours in advance and served at room temperature. While the ribs bake, cook noodles and soup. If rice noodles are unavailable, serve plain hot cooked rice instead. Offer chunks of fresh coconut for dessert.

Shrimp and Pineapple Soup (Lempah Udang Dan Nanas)

1 large onion, cut into 1-inch chunks

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

3/4 to 1 teaspoon crushed dried hot red chilies

6 cups regular-strength chicken broth

2 stalks fresh lemon grass (or pared peel, yellow part only, from 2 small lemons)

4 cups fresh pineapple chunks, 3/4-inch size (about half of a 3-lb. pineapple)