RECIPE: 8 delicious and authentic Peranakan recipes

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

100ml cooking oil

1 litre coconut milk

Salt, to taste

Sugar, to taste

500g rice vermicelli/laksa noodles, blanched

125g beansprouts, blanched

5 pieces tau pok, cut into strips

10 quail eggs, cooked and deshelled

150g prawns, blanched

1 fi sh cake, sliced

24 cockles (optional)

2½ tbsp chopped laksa leaves

For The Laksa Paste

2 tbsp dried shrimp, soaked in water

1 tbsp belacan

8-10 cloves garlic, skinned

8-10 shallots, skinned

30g turmeric root, skinned

25g galangal (blue ginger)

2 candlenuts, soaked in water

2 stalks lemongrass

10-15 pieces dried chilli, soaked in water

For The Sambal Shrimp Paste

2 tbsp dried shrimp, soaked in water

1½ onion, skinned

10-15 pieces small dried chilli, soaked in water

2 tbsp cooking oil

Salt, to taste

Sugar, to taste

DIRECTIONS

1 Blend all the ingredients for the laksa paste in a blender until it becomes a smooth paste, adding some water if needed.

2 In a medium-sized pot, heat the 100ml of cooking oil on medium heat. Cook the laksa paste for 10-15min, stirring constantly so the paste doesn’t get burnt at the base. Continue cooking till the oil separates and the paste becomes aromatic.

3 Pour in the coconut milk and add salt and sugar to taste. Bring to boil and set aside.

4 To make the sambal shrimp paste, blend dried shrimp, onions and dried chillies in a blender until it becomes a smooth paste, adding some water if needed. Heat the 2 tbsp of cooking oil, add the shrimp paste mixture and stir well till the oil separates. Season with salt and sugar.

5 To serve, place blanched noodles, beansprouts, tau pok, quail eggs, prawn, fish cake and cockles in a bowl. Scoop the laksa gravy over. Garnish with chopped laksa leaves and sambal shrimp paste at the side.

Read more: The 4 most delicious laksa recipes to cook

Makes 10

INGREDIENTS

For the rice:

600g glutinous rice, soaked for 1 hour and drained

2 tsp salt

1 tbsp light soya sauce

3 tbsp peanut oil

1 tbsp dark soya sauce

For the filling:

6 tbsp peanut oil

120g dried shrimp, soaked until soft

3 tbsp XO sauce

1 tbsp Nonya sambal belacan

600g roast pork belly, cut into bite-sized pieces

150g candied winter melon*, finely chopped

5 tbsp light soya sauce

2 tbsp dark soya sauce

1 tsp five spice powder

For the wrapping:

40 bamboo leaves*, soaked in hot water for 1 hour and drained

Hemp string*, soaked in hot water for 1 hour and drained

Candied winter melon can be found at Chinese medicine shops and dried-goods stores; bamboo leaves and hemp string are available at supermarkets.

Read more: VIDEO RECIPE: Crispy Chinese pan-fried dumplings

Makes 24

INGREDIENTS

2 bundles bean vermicelli (glass noodles)

2 tsp Kubara Yuzu dressing*

3 crabsticks, chopped

100g seasoned scallops (chuka hotate)

3 tbsp flying fish roe (tobiko), plus more for garnish

24 kueh pie ti cups

S&B Chili Pepper (ichimi togarashi)

DIRECTIONS

1 Cook the bean vermicelli in a pot of boiling water for 4min. Drain and cut into shorter strands. Cool at room temperature for 5min.

2 Mix the yuzu dressing with the noodles. Add the crabsticks, seasoned scallops and flying fish roe. Mix well.

3 Put the noodle filling in the kueh pie ti cups and top with a pinch of flying fish roe and Japanese chilli pepper.

Read more: RECIPE: Quick and easy seafood kueh pie tee

Serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS

800g pork shoulder (twee bak)

10 cloves garlic, skinned

20 shallots, skinned

3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces

Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

½ cup salted bean paste (tau cheo)

10 Chinese dried mushrooms, soaked, stemmed and squeezed (save the water)

1tbsp dark soy sauce

1tbsp Chinese wine

1tbsp light soy sauce

Pinch of salt

¼ cup rock sugar

DIRECTIONS

1 Cut pork into bite-size pieces and season with the dark soy sauce, Chinese wine, salt and pepper.

2 Finely chop garlic and shallots (a food processor saves time).

3 Heat oil in a wok and scald the potatoes until light brown, then drain to remove excess oil. Set aside.

4 In the same oil, scald pork briefly over high heat then remove and set aside.

5 In the same wok, fry ground garlic and shallots over a medium heat in ½ cup of oil, until oil surfaces. Add salted bean paste and stir-fry until fragrant.

6 Add pork and mushrooms and stir-fry until fragrant.

7 Measure 800ml of the water the mushrooms soaked in (top up water if needed), add it to wok and bring to the boil.

8 Add the light soy sauce, salt and rock sugar.

Read more: REVIEW: 3 new restaurants to check out for good Peranakan food

Serves 10

INGREDIENTS

5 litres water

1 cup rice vinegar

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

3 cucumber, deseeded and cut into 5cm-long strips and seasoned with 1 tsp salt

2 carrots, cut into 5cm-long strips

230g long beans, cut into 5cm-long strips

200g cabbage, cut into 5cm squares

1 pineapple, core removed and cut into 5cm-long strips

For The Rempah

50g dried chillies

5 stalks lemongrass

250g shallots

1 tsp turmeric powder

7 tbsp olive oil

4 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

40g tamarind pulp

½ cup water

250g peanuts, chopped

60g sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS

1 Add the water, rice vinegar, salt and sugar to a pot and bring to a boil. Rinse the cucumber and squeeze dry.

2 In the rice vinegar mixture, cook the carrots for 8sec. Add the cucumber, long beans and cabbage, and boil for another 5sec. Remove the vegetables and set aside the rice vinegar mixture.

3 To make the rempah, blend the dried chillies, lemongrass and shallots into a fi ne paste in a food processor. Add the turmeric powder and mix well.

4 Heat the oil in a wok. Fry the rempah for 3min. Add the sugar and salt. Continue frying until the mixture is fragrant and the oil has surfaced, about 5min.

5 Mix the tamarind pulp with the water and strain the juice.

6 Mix the tamarind juice into the cooked rempah. Mix in the peanuts and sesame seeds.

7 Add about 2 tbsp of the reserved vinegar mixture into the paste until it’s thick, like satay sauce.

8 Add the pineapples and bring it to a boil. Turn it down to low heat and add the blanched carrots, cucumber, long beans and cabbage. Mix well and transfer to a big plate to cool.

Read more: 3 spicy dip recipes for chilli lovers

Makes about 20 pieces

INGREDIENTS

100g glutinous rice flour

100g tapioca flour

1 tbsp pandan juice*

500g sweet potatoes, steamed

50g palm sugar (gula melaka), chopped into small chunks

8 pandan leaves

2 cups grated coconut

DIRECTIONS

1 Combine the flours, pandan juice and sweet potatoes in a mixing bowl, and knead until a smooth dough forms.

2 Pinch a small amount of dough, and roll it in your palms to form a ball.

3 Make a dent in the centre of the dough, and place a piece of palm sugar in it. Pinch the dough to close it, and roll it to form a smooth ball.

4 Bring a pot of water to the boil. Add the pandan leaves, then the dough balls. When they fl oat to the surface, drain, then transfer the balls into a pot of cool water.

5 Drain, then roll in grated coconut to coat evenly.

*To make pandan juice:

Rinse, then finely slice a handful of pandan leaves. Place in a blender and add water to about halfway up the leaves. Whizz until you get a fine paste. Add more water if the blades get stuck. Pass the paste through a sieve to extract the juice; discard the pulp. Use what you need and freeze the extra in ice-cube trays.

Read more: RECIPE: Ondeh ondeh, muah chee and 8 Singapore desserts that are really easy to make

Makes 20-30 pieces

INGREDIENTS

300g glutinous rice, washed and soaked for 30min

2 pandan leaves, knotted

100ml coconut milk

250ml water

½ tsp salt

360g palm sugar (gula melaka), roughly chopped

600g grated coconut

30 banana leaves, cut into 9cm by 16cm pieces and steamed for 5min

DIRECTIONS

1 Place the glutinous rice and pandan leaves on a muslin cloth and steam for 10min.

2 Remove from heat and mix in the coconut milk, 100ml water and salt. Set aside for 10min, then steam it for 20min until the rice is soft.

3 To make the coconut topping, mix 150ml water and palm sugar in a pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the grated coconut and stir-fry for 15min over medium heat, until the mixture turns glossy.

4 Place a mound of rice on the matte side of the banana leaf.

5 Top with 1 tbsp coconut topping, lightly pressing it down with a spoon.

6 Fold in the sides of the banana leaf to enclose the glutinous rice and coconut topping.

7 Tuck in the ends of the banana leaf to make a triangular mound.

Read more: REVIEW: 5 best chendol in Singapore

Makes about 20 pieces

INGREDIENTS

500g tapioca, grated

250g sugar

50g butter, softened

2 eggs, beaten

300ml coconut milk

100ml warm water

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tsp tapioca flour

100g grated coconut

½ tsp yellow food colouring

DIRECTIONS

1 Preheat the oven to 180 deg C.

2 In a large mixing bowl, combine the tapioca, sugar, butter and eggs, and mix well.

3 Add the coconut milk, water, vanilla essence, tapioca flour, grated coconut and food colouring, and mix evenly.

4 Transfer to a baking tin and bake for 45min. Cool the kueh to room temperature and serve. If you prefer it slightly browned around the edges, pan-fry lightly over low heat.

Read more: 7 traditional bakeries in Singapore for old-school pastries and treats