Spicing up Tradition with Singaporean Chef

DiningOUT SPICING UP tradition A SINGAPORE CHEF WANTS TO BREATHE NEW LIFE INTO A FADING CULINARY TRADITION. WORDS & PHOTOS JUSTINE LOPEZ uring a poolside luncheon around the world – to mark the occasion The native Singaporean is the head chef at Ascott Kuningan with the release of a Peranakan-inspired and co-owner of Candlenut, a Peranakan Jakarta, Chef Malcolm cookbook. Peranakan (or Nyonya) cuisine restaurant located in the heart of Lee meticulously prepares is distinctively Singaporean, and it also Singapore’s Chinatown. a Peranakan-style feast happens to be Lee’s specialty. Lee’s passion for cooking started as a for a small group of The cookbook, a collaborative project child when he would watch his mother guests. He expertly tends to simmering between Ascott and Lee, features 30 of and grandmother prepare time- Dstews, decoratively assembles each dish Chef Lee’s innovative and spice-infused consuming and complex Peranakan and delicately garnishes each perfectly recipes. dishes in his family’s kitchen. presented plate. “When Ascott approached me to Savoring the rich, traditional fl avors The intimate luncheon was held in collaborate on the cookbook, their vision of his family’s home-cooked meals is celebration of Ascott’s 30th anniversary of bringing a part of Singapore to the rest something Lee enjoys to this day. and the release of the cookbook, 30 Years, of the world resonated with me,” says Lee. Peranakan cuisine is not only rooted 30 Recipes: A Gastronomic Journey. It was “I also wanted to share Peranakan cuisine, in Lee’s childhood, but it is deeply only natural for Ascott – a Singapore-based which is very unique to Singapore, with the embedded in Singapore’s history and company providing serviced residences rest of the world.” culture (it is also to be found in parts 8 JPLUS January 4, 2015 DiningOUT custardy confection layered with gula melaka (palm sugar) syrup and sprinkled with bits of chendol jelly. GOOD AS NEW For Lee, collaborating on this cookbook and sharing his Peranakan recipes was, in of this archipelago, especially in coastal areas of large part, an attempt to save the cuisine. Sumatra). “It is a dying cuisine in Singapore,” he The Peranakan style of cooking originated in the says. “It is viewed as traditional and 15th century, when Chinese traders began migrating old fashioned and it is also very to the Malay Peninsula. At the time, Chinese men tedious to prepare.” often married Malay women and settled down It might be viewed as in what is now Singapore. From the fusion of untrendy and diffi cult to Chinese ingredients and Malay spices and cooking prepare but Lee’s recipes techniques was born the fusion Peranakan cuisine. persuasively argue that this “Naturally their food infl uences blended together over time, creating an indigenous, unique cuisine only found in this part of the world,” Lee says. The use of centuries-old methods and unique cuisine should be aromatic spices such as galangal, tamarind, preserved and celebrated. lemongrass, garlic and chilies are what give Many of the dishes use spice this food its distinct fl avor. paste which is traditionally During Ascott’s celebratory luncheon prepared using a mortar and Lee showcased an array of Peranakan pestle. staples, all of which are featured in his “It requires the laborious task of preparing cookbook. raw ingredients such as shallots, garlic, Starters included a lemony lemongrass, galangal and chilies,” Lee says. winged bean salad topped with “Then we have to patiently pound the spices prawns and cashews and bakwan to a fi ne paste and fry the pounded paste to kepiting soup, a crab and meatball allow the fl avors to caramelize, giving you the soup. Mains ranged from beef wonderful fl avors that Peranakan cuisine is rendang, a slow-cooked beef stew known for.” infused with galangal and dried For Lee, the end result is well worth the hard chilies, to sweet and savory chap chye work. to ayam buah keluak, an earthy chicken Although Lee’s cooking style is based on and Indonesian black nut stew. traditional methods and recipes, Lee attempts to The meal was topped off with Lee’s bring the cuisine into the 21st century by adding signature version of chendol, the sweet and modern touches. Lee features his signature Peranakan recipes, many of which are also found in his cookbook, at Candlenut. His innovative take on tradition has garnered a substantial amount of attention and allowed Singaporeans to view Peranakan food in a new way. “We use new ingredients and new combinations that are not found in traditional recipes to bring a fresh perspective to the cuisine,” he says. To modernize these recipes, Chef Lee employs creative and cutting-edge cooking techniques, such as sous vide cooking (a method of slow cooking in an airtight plastic bag), brining and dehydrating to compliment more traditional methods. “Candlenut’s vision is to make Peranakan cuisine cool and modern so as to preserve the culture,” Lee says. “It is part of Singapore’s history and culture and it would be a pity to let it fade out.” JPLUS January 4, 2015 9.

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