Rasa Malaysia

Published June 2008

To say that Malaysian cuisine is heavily peppered with evidence of our multicultural diversity and history, would be to simplify things somewhat. If Malay, Chinese and Indian culinary genius are stalwart examples of the true Malaysian dining experience it should not be forgotten that Peranakan cooking deserves equal status and mention as well. 

Peranakan is the term reserved for descendants of Chinese migrants who settled in and around the Straits of Melaka, namely in Melaka proper, Penang and Singapore. These early Chinese pioneers married into the local Malay population, bringing with them their own culture and of course, condiments. The pairing of these two races (and more importantly ingredients) is what we now know to be Peranakan. Dishes such as the fiery laksa, otak-otak fish cakes and the pungently famous (or famously pungent, depends which way you look at it) cincalok are now staples on any self-respecting Malaysian menu.
Peranakan food is better known under the term Nyonya, which incidentally was the title one would use when referring to a Peranakan woman of prominence in society while men were known as Baba.

Low Bee Yinn, champion food blogger and owner of the overwhelmingly popular site Rasa Malaysia, is a proud Malaysian and a staunch supporter of her Peranakan roots. Based in California, Bee Yinn decided that she wanted to introduce Nyonya dishes to the rest of the world and a first step in the right direction was to start selling Pie Tee moulds online.

* What motivated you to focus on highlighting the art of Nyonya cuisine?

I come from a Nyonya heritage, my late grandmother was a Nyonya so Nyonya cuisine is what I grew up eating. I personally think that Nyonya cuisine is probably one of the most underrated in the world, and sadly, it's fast disappearing. I wanted to focus on promoting the beauty of Nyonya food and hope to preserve and revive its legacy.

* You currently offer Pie Tee for sale worldwide. That's a very original idea.

 I published a post and recipe about kuih Pie Tee on Rasa Malaysia in late 2006 and have since received numerous emails about the mould and its availability. I thought it might be a good experiment to introduce the art of making kuih Pie Tee to the world. Plus, I feel that if there is one food that would define Malaysian food in the international culinary world, kuih Pie Tee might be it as it's uniquely Malaysian. Unlike nasi lemak which is the de-facto national dish of Malaysia that might appeal only to certain people, I feel that kuih Pie Tee has more of a "mass market" appeal, especially to foreigners due to its beautiful aesthetics, pleasing and clean flavours.

* How has the response been so far?

 The response has been overwhelmingly positive. I have received orders from Australia, Europe, North America, and even Uganda in Africa.  Surprisingly, most people who ordered the Pie Tee moulds are not Malaysians but foreigners who are very keen to expand their culinary repertoire.  I am just so happy that I am able to introduce this Nyonya delicacy to the world.

* Will you branch out to offer other types of Nyonya food?

Of course I will. I plan to expand the offerings to include other Nyonya and Malaysian cooking utensils and tools such as Kuih Kapit (love letters) moulds, Kuih Bahulu moulds, Kuih Bangkit moulds, a special wooden mould that makes a Nyonya dessert called "Bee Tai Bak," and cendol moulds to name a few.

* Would you consider putting a book together regarding Nyonya cuisine in an effort to increase awareness to the rest of the world? Given your writing and photography skills it should be a cinch for you.

 I would love to have a cookbook about Nyonya food and Malaysian food, especially the food that I grew up with - my family recipes I'd learned from my late grandmother and my late mother.  My mother recently passed away in early May and that motivates me even more to have a cookbook to document all the recipes and to share them with the world. I am currently talking to a publisher so hopefully it will work out.

* What else should we know about your business?

 I personally don't run the operations of this business because I simply don't have time, so it's great that I have my niece Low J-Yee (who is funding herself through college) running this.  Other than cooking utensils and tools, we also plan to offer and introduce the world to Malaysian curry pastes, Bak Kut Teh herbs, and our very own coffee. My dream is that one day, Malaysian food will be as popular as Thai food internationally. 

* Rasa Malaysia...

 Is more than a personal food blog; it's the window to the culinary wonders of Malaysian cuisine - its colours, flavours, methods, techniques, cultures, and traditions. Through Rasa Malaysia, I hope to educate and intrigue the world with what we offer and hopefully it will lead to the growth of culinary tourism. I hope Tourism Malaysia will continue to invest in this area and Rasa Malaysia will continue to play the small role in shaping this up.

A STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO MAKING NYONYA KUIH PIE TEE
(Makes 70-80 cases)

Ingredients:

Batter for the cases/shells:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup rice flour
1 egg (beaten)
1 1/4 water
Oil for deep-frying

Fillings & Toppings:
2 tablespoons oil
2 lbs. jicama/yam bean (shredded)
1 carrot (shredded)
10 French beans (chopped)
4 oz. shrimp (shelled, deveined, and cut into smaller pieces)
4 garlic (finely chopped)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
2/3 cup water

Toppings:

1 plain omelet (shredded)
Fried shallot crisps
Scallions (chopped)
2 red chilies (chopped)
Garlic chili sauce or Sri Racha (optional)

Method:
Combine the all purpose flour, rice flour, beaten egg, salt, and water in a mixing bowl and mix well. Strain the batter, transfer it into a big bowl and set aside.

Fill a sauce pan that is deep enough for the mould with oil enough to cover the mould. 

Heat up the oil.

Then dip the mould into the heated oil until it's just hot.

Take out the mould and then dip it into the batter. 

Coat the mould until it's up to the 90-95% level and make sure it's well covered on the side and the bottom 

(the mould shouldn't be too hot and it shouldn't sizzle when it's dipped in the batter). 

Let excess batter drip off, then plunge the mould into the hot oil. 

To separate the batter from the mould, jiggle the mould up and down to loosen it. The case should off with a light shake. 

Once it's off, deep fry in the oil until it turns light to golden brown. 
Transfer it out onto a plate with paper towels to soak up the excess oil.
Store in an airtight container. 

For the filling, stir fry the minced garlic and prawns until fragrant. Add jicama, carrot and french beans, and do a quick stir. Add the seasoning and water. Cook until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes using medium heat. Dish out and set aside.

To serve, use chopsticks to fill the case with the filling, and then top with shredded omelet, chopped scallions, red chilies, shallots crisps, and garlic chili sauce.


To order the Pie Tee moulds or other products mentioned above, kindly email rasamalaysia@gmail.com to inquire further. Visit Bee Yinn atwww.rasamalaysia.com