Dining in the home of a nyonya
There
are a number of nyonya restaurants in Melaka you’ve got to try and one place
that promotes the joy to savor her dishes is in her home, The Melaka Nyonya
Village. 马六甲娘惹村
Commonly,
nyonya cuisines are served in modern built shops and some hotels. My first try
on nyonya food was in a shop, say 29 years ago. The second try was in an
opposite shop doors away from the first. On both occasion, a former accountant
to an ex-ACCCIM president was hunting for nyonya food when he came to see me in
Melaka. We were on the road to build Malaysia’s first public-listed courier
company then. Thereafter the two experiences, I have a special liking on nyonya
food.
Last
weekend, we drove to the home-like nyonya restaurant passing through these
roads; Jalan Laksamana, Jalan Merdeka, and Jalan Parameswara. You may prefer to
take Jalan Semabok, Jalan Saint John turning right into Jalan Ujong Pasir and
before making a left turn into Taman Melaka Raya, you would see the Muzium
Penjara. Making a U-Turn at the Hatten City, and turning left into Jalan
Merdeka, keep on the right lane before turning into Jalan Pantai.
Along
our way, we have the pleasure of watching several interesting sites like the
Stadhuy, the Dataran Pahlawan and the Mahkota Parade. Men and women, boys and
girls juggling about every spaces available, taking selfie and group photograph,
as the on-going sunset casted beautiful shades of colors over those sites. The
lights of this heritage city begin to glow brighter in the darker sky when we
reached the Melaka Nyonya Village. Seconds ago, a school that charmed us is the
Convent Holy Infant of Jesus (CHIJ) with her colonial roofing materials, and
the architecture.
It
has not been so easy to park our car these days in Melaka like we did at the
Melaka Nyonya Village. Next to a huge Mercedes Benz, we are amazed with the
sight of this nyonya village, as the home front is bordered by a one-way
two-lanes Jalan Parameswara. It may look small on the front view*1, but the
length of the whole village could accommodate some ten buses.
After
the Azan Maghrib, we entered through the side door into an air-conditioned cozy
home-restaurant where everything seemed to ask for our attention. The classic
flooring, its tiles and stones; the aging-structured ceiling with its beams;
the baba’s wall décor and his antique; the dancers on stage and their musical
rhythm, the symbolic lanterns and its art; … … … and more to discover.
We
are lucky to be seated around a marble table ushered by a adinda*2 in a
full-house restaurant.
Evelyn
ordered the dishes and two glasses of fruit juices while her son selected his
favorite cendol, a nyonya dessert.
Shortly,
dinner is served warm, and as I scooped a spoon of sambal petai, a tourguide
reminded his guests that the food is classified ‘Halal’
Super-delicious,
I like the chewy green petai submerged within a creamy paste of chilli, garlic
and onion, complemented by cincalok omelette . The simmered brinjal mixed with
prawns and the hot smooth beancurd garnished with vegetable, paired tastefully
among the rice too.
The
nyonya is a dedicated lady in her home and of all her inherited family
traditions, being capable in kitchen skills is of great importance. I am a
Melakan, with the opportunity to observe the nyonya lifestyle since the 1960s
and nyonya kuih is a must during festive seasons. My mum would get a wide range
of kuih from homes of nyonya in Garden City and Bukit Serendit then and orders
was to be made weeks before the festive ceremonial days. Early orders ? … yeap
early, because nyonya uses natural ingredients, and handmade from raw till
baked or cooked above selected charcoal. And because of nyonya’s perseverance
and desires to make sure her authentic cookies, desserts, kuih, dishes and what
not is super delicious … late orders were usually rejected to shoulder a
quantity she could handle. In addition to quality nyonya cuisines, she know
that what she served has to be presentable and as such her culinary skills
always promote a festive ambience, thereby creating a cheerful moods of
everyone.
I
take pleasure to recommend you and your loved ones to make reunion dinner as
homely as your home with the Melaka Nyonya Village this coming Chinese New Year.
I must not forget, particularly as
Spring approaches, to appreciate you who visited Melaka many times and for
those who are visiting this season, by wishing you, A Prosperous & Wealthy
Year Of The Rooster 2017.
“Faith
makes all thing possible.
Hope
make all things work.
Love
makes all things beautiful”
Enjoy
your reunion dinner ! Gong Xi Fa Cai 恭喜发财
*1 Once upon a time, there was a chat about Melaka's colonial shophouses and someone explained the reason on those narrow but long structures. He told me that the Dutch would calculate the quit rent based on the shop width which therefore influenced the building of such shop-houses.
*2 Adinda is favorite title given to a local Malay waitress.
*1 Once upon a time, there was a chat about Melaka's colonial shophouses and someone explained the reason on those narrow but long structures. He told me that the Dutch would calculate the quit rent based on the shop width which therefore influenced the building of such shop-houses.
*2 Adinda is favorite title given to a local Malay waitress.
Address
178, Jalan Parameswara
75000 Melaka
+606 283 1177
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