Baba Stephen Koh adapts his mother’s recipes to create fusion Peranakan dishes
Growing up in a Peranakan family, I started picking up Peranakan cooking when my mum was alive, which is almost 20 years ago. I would help her in the kitchen as she could not stand for too long whenever she cooked due to her rheumatism.
I took the opportunity to jot the recipes diligently into my notebook as she explained the ingredients and how to cook them.
On hindsight, it was a wise decision to do the extra work of documenting her recipes. I am still holding on to that notebook like a treasure! Now that she is no longer with me, I can still continue to cook her dishes the way she liked them. Mak’s (mother’s) home cooked food is always sedap! (delicious!)
Cooking has always been my passion so when I left the corporate world in 2012, I decided to pick up my utensils again. Many friends have been encouraging and given me valuable feedback when I started cooking Peranakan dishes and entertaining in my home.
To date, I have even been engaged to cook at other people’s homes for their own parties. As a private chef, I feel truly honoured and happy to share our Peranakan cuisine and culture with people who appreciate good food.
Although keeping the tradition alive is key, I have also experimented to “marry” Western and Asian ingredients into traditional Peranakan cooking as a refreshing change. Here I share some fusion-style recipes that I have created and which have proven to be popular with my guests.
Angel Hair Dry Mee Siam with Udang Goreng Assam (Assam Prawn)
Ingredients (serves 4)
400g angel hair pasta
30g shallots chopped
30g garlic pounded
200g dried prawns, soaked, drained and pounded
100g dried prawns (whole), soaked and drained
1 tbsp chilli powder
4tbsp cooking oil
80ml assam water
300ml chicken stock
1 tbsp fermented soya bean (tau cheo)
300g bean sprouts
1 piece of bean curd (tau kwa), cubed and fried (for garnish, optional)
Method
Cook the angel hair pasta al dente as per instruction on the packaging. Drain and set aside.
Heat oil to stir fry garlic and dried prawns (whole) until fragrant. Dish out and set aside.
Using the same oil, stir fry shallots until slightly brown. Add pounded dried prawns and stir fry for a few minutes. Add fermented soya bean and chilli powder and stir fry until fragrant. Next add the chicken stock and assam water. Add the bean sprouts then the pasta and gently mix them well. Finally add in the fried garlic and dried prawn that was set aside earlier. Add salt to taste, if necessary.
To serve, twirl the pasta on a plate and garnish with fried bean curd (optional). Top off with one udang assam.
Udang Goreng Assam
Ingredients (serves 4-6)
0.5 kg of big prawns
3 tbsp assam paste
Salt
Pepper
1 tbsp sugar
Method
Clean the prawns and remove all whiskers. Slice the back of prawns and remove the black bits, leaving the shell, heads and tails intact. You can also remove the shell from the body only for the convenience of your guests when eating this dish.
Next, mix the assam paste with water and squeeze out the assam juice and remove the seeds. Add a bit of salt and pepper and 1 tbsp of sugar to the assam water and mix well. Pour the assam mixture on the prawns and leave them to marinate for 30-45 minutes.
When done fry the prawns in a bit of hot oil. Stir the prawns gently and allow the sauce to slowly thicken and prawns are cooked. Place the prawns on the angel hair mee siam when you are ready to serve.
This dish is also commonly served as one of the side dishes for nasi lemak.
Bakwan Kepiting (Crab Dumplings)
Ingredients (serves 4)
400g pork bones
100g minced pork
100g shredded bamboo shoots
60g steamed crabmeat
1 egg
30g round dumpling skin
1 tbsp sesame oil
1½ teaspoon light soya sauce
½ teaspoon white pepper
Coriander leaves for garnish
Method
Bring to boil the pork bones in some water and throw away the water. Then add the cleansed pork bones to1 litre of water to make the soup stock.
Add the bamboo shoots and bring to boil. Add salt to taste. When ready to serve, add the cooked dumplings to boiling soup and serve in individual bowls. Top with coriander leaves.
To make the dumplings:
Mix well the minced meat, sesame oil, soya sauce, pepper and egg. Use a tablespoon to scoop the meat mixture onto the dumpling skin. Add in the crabmeat and fold the skin to form a semi circle. Use cornstarch and water to seal the edge. Boil water in a pot to cook the dumplings. The dumplings are done when they float. Scoop out at once.
Pisang (Banana) Pengat with vanilla ice cream
Ingredients (serves 4 – 6)
1 comb of bananas
2½ cups water
200g gula melaka
1 pandan leaf
Salt to taste
200ml coconut milk
Vanilla ice cream
Roasted peanuts (pounded roughly)
Method
Crumble the palm sugar into a pot and add water. Slowly bring to boil. Once the sugar is dissolved and water is boiling, add in the pandan leaf. Slowly pour in the coconut milk and keep stirring so that the coconut milk does not curdle. Ensure fire is on low heat.
Slice the banana in half and add into the mixture. Add a pinch a salt. Once the banana softens, turn off the fire and let the pengat cool.To serve, plate the pisang pengat and add in a scoop of ice cream. Top the ice cream with the grated peanuts.
