Carrot n Veg Talks: Peranakan Cuisine

Peranakan is used to describe Chinese Indonesians and most are Hokkien ancestry, with few Teochew or Cantonese descent. Babas refer to the male and Nyonya the female. With the recently Mediacop show on Channel 8 “Little Nyonya”, the Peranakan cuisine is on the limelight.

Peranakan or Nonya cuisine combines Chinese, Malay and other influcences into a unique blend. Most of their food include coconut milk, blue ginger, candlenuts, laksa leaf, pandan leaves, belachan, lemongrass, shallots, chilliesand so on.

Personally I have tried two Peranakan cuisine. One is the Ivin Peranakan Cuisine at the 19/21 Binjai Park Bukit Timah, Singapore 589827 Singapore and the other is the Peranakan Inn & Lounge at 210 East Cost Road, Singapore 428909, Tel 64406195.

Final result, I prefer Ivin Peranakan Cuisine. The food is served hot and spicy and there are more choices to choose. However if you are looking for Peranankan environment, then Peranakan Inn will be better than Ivin Peranakan Cuisine. Peranakan Inn is a old coffee shop with Peranakan setting and you can see many photos of famous people hanging on the wall. Beside the shop is a Peranakan antique shop which was closed on weekend when I went. Ivin is situated at a village shophouse and it is not accessable, but then I prefer the food.

Ivin Peranakan Cusinie

Peranakan Inn & Lounge

The following are the food I have tried almost the same at both restaurants.

This is fish ball, meat ball, fish mew soup. This tastes good and it looks like what my mom prepared. I guess this is a hokkien dish.

Sotong Assam Puteh Squid in tamarind gravy. Be careful when you take this disk as it will stink your teeth all black.

Ayam Buah Keluak Signature dish of Peranakan Cuisine. Chicken braised in thick spicy tamarind gravy with buah keluak nuts. This taste good too.

Nonya Chap ChyeStewed mixed vegetables in soy bean sauce. This dish is hokkien dish too! The Peranakan Inn Chap Chye is black in colour which I do not prefer it.