Peranakans Today

 The Peranakans or "Local Born" originated in south east Asia a few hundred years ago.  The hybrid of culture resulted when immigrants from India and China settled in the Malayan Peninsular, Borneo, southern Thailand, the Indonesian archipelago and Burma.  These first arrivals intermarried with the women in their new lands of adoption.

The Straits Chinese Peranakan had formulated a developed lifestyle of Chinese cultural rites, Malay wardrobes, fusion culinary and patois, loyalty to the British colonists,  a matriarchal family arrangement and acumen for business.  

Many of the men or Babas had maintained their essentially Fujian or Hokkien values and practices in combination with an adoration and passion for British education and trappings.

The women or Nyonyas were traditionally trained in the nuances and arts of house rule, often spending much time and effort in the fine arts and details of elegant cookery.  This was pretty much the reality before universal education liberated females around the world.

Roll up to 2025 and the contemporary world of the Baba and Nyonya descendants has moved to a transitionary uncertainty.

Malaysia and Singapore are lands that compartmentalise their populations by race and religion.  The Peranakans are not recognised for their niche identity, often having to choose in their identity cards as belonging to one of the three main demographics.  ( Thailand and Indonesia remarkably do not follow the same system).

The significant waves of emigration in the past forty years to Western nations from south east Asia have placed many families of Peranakan heritage in cities far from their origins in Malacca, Penang, Ipoh, Medan, Phuket, Rangoon, Surabaya and Singapore.  Subsequent generations from these families are now intermarrying more with Caucasians, Vietnamese and Filipinos in the Westen societies.

Historically the Peranakans are a minority and it continues to be even so.  The practice of three generations living under one roof has dwindled, especially under the individualistic mindset in Western culture.   The emphasis, knowledge and mindset of Peranakan values have dissipated and diluted in the 21st century, especially amongst its younger descendants.

Those who hold on to the Peranakan heritage and sentiment are essentially baby boomers.   The exquisite porcelain, the practical coconut scraper and the food baskets remain as powerful symbols when used in the house, but can soon become historical icons when the meaning, mantra and measure of Baba and Nyonya life is lost with the passing of the elders.

Peranakans thrive in song and dance, having social afternoons and dressing up.  The refinement and care with which traditional foods are prepared can be most significant - think of Babi Pongteh, Ayam Buah Keluak, Kueh Pie Tee, Ayam Tempra, Pulut Tai Tai, Kueh Talam, Ang Koo, Ondeh Ondeh, Kueh Lapis and Seri Muka.  

The Kebaya, which in 2024 was finally recognized by UNESCO, is a unique creation of design that flatters and brings out the best when adorning the female figure.  The  high skill, design and art of making the Kebaya underlies both the symbolic and real  problematic future of Peranakan prospects.

Will Peranakan icons like the Kebaya increasingly move into a commercial colllection sphere rather than being actually be used in daily life?

Peranakan culture cannot positively evolve when it is overwhelmed by stronger and other social overlays and is viewed as not contributing to modern life.  The language is no longer spoken by the grandchildren.

The foods are not served om a regular basis at home but have been hijacked by commercial outlets.  Weddings are now of a Westernised practicality.  

Ths Singapore government seems consistent in showcasing the Peranakan heritage in encouraging ways, compared to her neighbours. This is done even if her Baba and Nyonya constituents are not many in number.  The Peranakans in other nations carry on in rather limited and informal ways.

#yongkevthoughts

Summer Garden Food Bistro Penang

Salted fish curry with veg and Tofu puffs.

Jee Hoo Char - that veg and cuttle fish combination that is easy to eat but more challenging to make.

Prawns marinated in tamarind juice before deep frying.

Summer Garden is located at 2 Lorong Lembah Permai 3, at the corner with the Vale of Tempe Road, Tanjung Bungah, Penang island.
Opening hours are from 11am to 11pm every day.
Contact   +604 890 0977

The restaurant offers a bar and a varied menu, including Japanese, Western and Straits Chinese dishes.

Chung Ling Alumni Association Petaling Jaya Klang Valley

Lobak, or deep fried pork and crab roe filled soy bean wraps. Highly recommended.

Otak-otak or steamed spicy fish mousse.

The key precepts of every Chung Ling School student.  I am told by Mr Lee Chao Chin, a university classmate of mine, that initially he reckoned they are a pair of lines of poetry that adhere to strict traditional rules.   Such calligraphy are often hung in frames on walls or doorways of homes in China.  In literature, they are known as antithetical couplets.   The characters chosen are usually profound in meaning and yet precise in message.  ON a second viewing by Mr. Lee, they may not be such couplets but provide praises for families with scholarly achievements.

Pig trotters braised in vinegar and dark soy sauce - the "Too Kar Orh Cho".  Highly recommended.

Jee Hoo Char with a dollop of Sambal condiment on a lettuce leaf.  Move over, Sang Choy Bow! The fried Yambean or Jicama is combined with shredded cuttelfish strips, carrots and cabbage, together with shallots, garlic, pork strips and soaked cut mushrooms.
Highly Recommended.

Indian fish curry with all the works and taste.  Highly recommended.

Not sure if this is Lam Mee per Straits Chinese style or the Hakka version of the noodles.    Usually eaten for birthday celebrations.

Belachan chicken, where the shrimp paste is marinaded with the meat  together with other balancing ingredients to ensure a crispy and flavourful outcome. Oyster sauce, black pepper, plus a pinch of sugar and salt, are used to condition the chicken over night.    Before deep frying , a batter of rice and corn flour, with a pinch of salt, is coated over the marinaded chicken.

The Chung Ling School Alumni Association in the Klang Valley is located at 14 Jalan Utara, 46200 PJ.  Table bookings are essential, although the dining hall spreads over two sections within the ground floor of the building.

Telephone Contact:  +603 7957 0318

Katong Singapore

Tanjung Katong in Singapore has had its original shoreline moved as a result of land reclamation.  It once fronted a seaside, has a distinguished history of settlement by an eclectic mix of races from both Europe and Asia and is now touted as a hub of the surviving Eurasian and Straits Chinese culture and tradition in the modern day Republic. Not far from Changi Airport, on the eastern side of Singapre Island, Katong offers a cuisine and culture that stands out depute the multiculturalism and fusion that is today's Singapore.

Who does recognise these very intimate items from a hair dressing table from  20th century Singapore?

Front beaded slip-ons.   The stitching is an art form that requires patience, a good eye and a creative sense of patterns.

Variety of snacks that echo fusion in preparation styles and use of local ingredients, drawing from on practices and recipes from South-east Asia, Southern China, Portugal, Holland and Britain.  There are baked, steamed, deep fried and bamboo leaf wrapped food, many using coconut milk, chestnuts, mung beans and Pandanus flavours.

Typical ware in a Straits Chinese kitchen, ranging from tiffin carriers to enamel coated pots and a Thai-styled steamed rice container.

Cantonese styled mooncakes and pig shaped biscuits.

The bridal chamber.

Peranakan curry laksa, with a more creamy soup and a variation of the multitude of laksas found in south-east Asia.
The version affectionately related to Katong originated from the Joo Chiat area by a vendor known as Janggut by the local Straits Chinese community - Mr Ng Juat Swee.   Such laksa is often best accompanied by the otak-otak, a fish mousse steamed with pandanus leaves (background to the upper right).

An outlet of Awfully Chocolate is located in Katong.
This has one of the most uplifting and flavoursome ice creams, cakes and sorbets in Singapore.

Suggested influences from China, Arabia and Thailand.

Mr. Francis Bernard, the son-in-law of the First British Resident of Singapore, Lt. Colonel William Farquhar, built a coconut plantation here in Katong.    This was followed by land purchases and developments by a series of characters now well embedded in Singaporean history -  Mr. Chew Joo Chiat, Mr. Thomas Dunman, Mr. Whampoa Hoo Ah Kay, the Little family and Mr. Thomas Crane.

The character of Katong transformed to that of large seaside bungalows and a wealthy suburb.. Ornate Straits Chinese mansions particularly were sited along Meyer and Mountbatten Roads.  Another significant group, the Eurasians, congregated in the Joo Chiat side of Katong after the Depression in the 1930s.   The forebears of the founder of the Republic of Singapore, the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, and those of former Prime Minister Mr. Goh Chok Thong, have also resided in the Katong area.  

The Straits Chinese come from a long line of ancestors beginning in the Malayan Peninsular with migrants from both Fujian and Guangdong Provinces of China in the tenth century AD.  The 2015 world-wide gathering of Straits Chinese takes place in Singapore later this year - 6 to 8 November for the 28th Baba Nyonya Convention, as organised by the Pernanakan Association Singapore.

Eurasians in Singapore can be Kristang (of Portuguese and Spanish descent), of Dutch or British colonial origins or more recently, arise from the mixed marriages due to the city state being  hub of significant commerce and immigration.  I did not get an opportunity to visit places or homes of Eurasian culture on my recent visit to Katong - many have also migrated overseas like to Perth Australia.   Eurasians of note include Mr. Benjamin Henry Sheares, a former President of Singapore;  national swimmer Mr. Joseph Schooling; Ms. Jean Danker, radio personality; Mr. Leslie Charteris, author and creator of novels with the character of Simon Templar, aka The Saint; Mr. Edmund W. Barker, former Cabinet Minister; and Mr. Daniel Shen-Yi Critchley, UK Ambassador Model for the United Colors of Benetton and GAP.

Many of the above photographs taken by me on this visit to Katong Singapore were shot inside the Katong Antique House at 208 East Coast Road.  The staff were most helpful and friendly in explaining the many facets of Straits chinese culture, crafts and lifestyle.

Peranakan Place - Straits Chinese in Auburn Sydney

Durian custard puff served with Choux pastry.

The outside of the restaurant may look unassuming and the location is more of light industry rather than a food hub.  Parramatta Road in near western Sydney can be confronting with passing traffic at times and yet can be a quiet neighbourhood otherwise.

We were looking for the traditional dishes of Straits Chinese cuisine - and there they were.  Peranakan is an Indonesian-Malay term for "descendant" and have two main streams, Indian and Chinese.  The cuisine here primarily refers to the Straits Chinese tradition, which is a major fusion development in south-east Asia for already a few hundred years.

I have not tried the Chicken Buah Keluak, a rather challenging dish to prepare.  Just like the Japanese art of getting ready the Fugu fish for sashimi.

First you have to source the fresh nuts, like what this restaurant does by importing them, from trees known as the Pangium Edule, native to Sumatra.  Treatment of the Buah Keluak is critical to obtain the edible washed kernels, which are ground up to become the rawon, used for gravies in beef, Sambal, chicken and rice recipes in the Spice Isles.  The fresh nuts are high in poisonous Hydrogen Cyanide, which is patiently removed by boiling in water and burying them in ash.   So a potentially dangerous ingredient is transformed to a safe to eat savoury must, rich in iron and Vitamin C for the body's nutrition, in this Straits Chinese offering.

Prawn and pineapple yellow curry.

I did dive into the Babi Pongteh, belly pork or trotters marinated in soy sauce and other ingredients ala Baba and Nyonya.  ( Baba refering to the gentlemen and Nyonya, the lady)  This appetising braised gravy dish goes well with steamed rice and Sambal - I was more than happy with the Pernanakan Place rendition of this unique item.    The chestnuts had been cooked properly and the Shitake mushrooms not over done.  The critical ingredient for Babi Pongteh I reckon is  the quality and right amount of the fermented soy bean paste ( Tau Cheong in Cantonese).  Potatoes are cut into bite sized chunks to soak in the gravy flavours whilst cooking.  Palm sugar (or the Gula Melaka), dark soy sauce and ground white pepper are added for taste.  I had been unclear what the difference between Hong Bak and Babi Pongteh is and now I know.  The Hong Bak utilises dark soy sauce, Cekur roots, coriander powder and lesser portions of the fermented soy bean paste.

Babi Pongteh is  a desired item for wedding festivities and in the past, an essential serving for the Tok Panjang, the long table laden with various food items of good omen and significance for wedded bliss.  Many a Straits Chinese maiden had to master to exacting standards the quality and presentation of several key dishes, as they count high in the evaluation scores by matchmakers, prospective in-laws and measures of general society expectations. 

To be fair, this meant many long and regular hours of practice and skills build up staying at home.  The world of the Peranakan meant the man ideally went out to earn fabulously and the woman focused on crafts, cuisine and family relationships.  One can now observe that this arrangement no longer applies in such distinct shades.

Mortar and pestle ready to unravel the Buah Keluak.

The menu offerings are not restricted to Straits Chinese in this restaurant.  The owner hails from Singapore.  Advance orders are required for specialties like the iconic Singapore chili or pepper crabs and two specific Teochew classics, the Chwee Kway steamed rice cakes and the traditional Teochew styled duck (the Lor Ark in Hokkien dialect).

Which Aussie cannot recall the pleasure of digging into fresh Singapore crabs on a sweaty afternoon on the East Coast and then having the pleasure of downing Tiger beer? 

Now we may be more familiar with Beijing duck, but this version found at the Peranakan is another that hails from Chaozhou province in southern China.  The latter has the outside of the duck marinated in a mixture of five spice powder (or the Ng Heong Fun in Cantonese).  The inside of the duck is rubbed with the ever popular fermented soy bean paste and placed with Galangal and garlic cloves for flavour.  Hmm, did they really use Galangal back in Chaozhou province? Spices in the Ng Heong Fun used include black peppercorn, star anise and cinnamon sticks.

The Chwee Kway ( literally meaning "water dish" so they are light on the palate) is popular amongst true blue Singaporean Chinese and it is consumed like a ready on the run snack, being easily available from food courts and hawker entertain the island republic.  Initially I did find these a bit plain but I cannot underestimate the delicacy about this creation, with preserved radish placed on top of a plain base when served.  This water dish started from less positive economic times in southern China, when rice holdings had to be sparingly and carefully used in consumption.  The migrants who then landed in Singapore carried the recipe for this snack to contemporary times.  Corn flour and shallot oil are used to enhance the rice dough and these snacks are best eaten fresh.

Classic motifs on Straits Chinese porcelain on display at the Peranakan Place.

Penang inspired Char Koay Teow.

There are two versions of Char Koay Teow in the menu, the Singapore and Penang variations, both of which I have yet to try.  What is the difference, can anyone please tell me.

The owner operator, Sam, is a gently sociable and experienced personality with lots to chat about, adds to the ambiance of this restaurant.  Sam is passionate about this cuisine and tells me he is doing this mainly to promote his heritage and culinary styles.  This does open the eye of the Sydney diners to another yummy branch of cuisine and culture from south-east Asia.  Even back in south-east Asia, such restaurants are few and far in between, with Singapore and Penang promoting much of this niche heritage.  A few diners find that orders come out not as fast when there is a crowd but the place does run on minimal staff.  The wife at times cooks in the kitchen, her husband engages with the customers and there are framed prints to check out on the walls.  A display shelf cupboard is devoted to Straits Chinese craft and cultural items.

Ngor Heang.

For those who loved their deep fried pork stuffed inside bean curd rolls from Penang or Malacca, there is this Straits Chinese twist  called the Ngor Heang.   Serving was small here but the taste passed the required test. Best of all, I fell in love with the durian custard puff tucked in Choux pastry buns for dessert.  The chicken satay was well marinated sufficiently and the accompanying gravy stood up to the palate, thick and peanut spicy.

To add to the confusion, Ngor Heang literally means 'five spices" in Hokkien dialect.  Concurrently it refers to this deep fried roll that is a cousin of the Penang Lobak. No surprises that the Ngor Heang requires use of Chinese five spice powder, but it also utilises finely cut up water chestnuts, potato starch, deveined chopped up prawns and diced carrots. Perhaps the common elements between Penang Lobak and Straits Chinese Ngor Heang are the the use of shoulder pork and the bean curd skin wraps.

A trove of Straits Chinese cultural icons for the display cupboard.  Tiffin carriers in red, woven baskets and beaded slippers are just some of the significant craft used especially in the 19th and early 20th centuries in colonial Malaya and Singapore.

Let-downs one evening on another visit were the Kueh Pie Tee and the prawn Nyonya curry cooked with pineapple.  The former did not remind me of those served at house parties back in Penang and Singapore, perhaps the slicing was not fine enough or there was just something missing.  

Kueh Pietee (or also known as "Top Hats") have daintily crafted crispy to the bite miniature casings,  holding tapas-like fillings of chopped and deveined/shelled prawn bites, julienned carrots, finely cut shallots and julienned Jicama.  To make the casings, you need a specialised mold.  The casings have to be just right freshly made on the bite,  having been shaped from lightly beaten egg contents, plain rice flour, a pinch of salt and water to form a mixture that is then deep fried.  They are best served for high tea or as starters to dinner courses. Each "top hat" is small and can be held by the fingers.

The lack of freshness that evening in the prawns used threatened to spoil the latter dish and I wanted the gravy to be stronger.

I did notice a few dishes from the Straits Chinese cuisine that were not served here.  The classic curry Kapitan, concocted by local cooks on board a ship run by a colonial master.   The deep fried chicken as in Inche Kabin, perfect as pub food, with a unique marinade as only traders, chefs and a certain Mr Cabin could conjure and make into reality.  I also did not find the Katong inspired Nyonya Laksa or the chicken Kerabu (cold entree mixture).

Perhaps I should just be content that in this restaurant, I can still have my Thai Otak Otak, Indian Muslim Nasi Briyani,  Malay-Indonesian chicken Rendang and Hainan styled pork or chicken chops.  It says a lot that the Straits Chinese mostly lived in harmony with the other ethnic groups in years past - and that dishes from other races and cultures are still offered in the Peranakan Place Restaurant in Australia.

Babi Pongteh - marinated pork belly from a traditional recipe.

The Peranakan Place is located at 139 Parramatta Road in Auburn, not far from the major intersection with St Hillier's Road and Costco.
Telephone: 02 9737 8989
Opening Hours: Wednesdays to Sundays only, lunch from 1130am to 230pm and dinner from 530pm to 10pm.
Vehicle parking is best along the nearest cross street, Station Road.



 

The Making of Ang Koo

Beauties in rows!

Just before steaming them - the outer skin should not be overly red, the banana leaf must not stick to the snack sand have lots of patience and tender care in making this snack.


These snacks should not be overly sweet, nor can they turn hard too fast and must have the texture of having undergone experienced hands. The mould patterns must be clear and show detail.  They are savoury on your palate and go well with tea.

All prepared to make the outer skin.

Glutinous rice flour. Edible red food colouring. Fresh banana plant leaves. A bamboo steamer. Deft experienced hands. Mung beans. Some sweet potatoes. A carefully chosen wooden mould for beautiful tortoise top patterns. Mindfulness that the dough does not stick to the mould. A sense of expectation. Ability to form tight  balls in a size to fit the mould you use.  Warm weather helps, like back along the Straits of Malacca or beside the South China Sea.  Have friends and relatives help out!

The final outcome, red tortoises, made to mark festive occasions.


Unlike some other specific Straits Chinese creations, there are not too many obvious variations for this snack, whether you talk to Penangites, Malaccans or Singaporeans.  The beauty of being able to savour this snack is that they are not made  for daily consumption, so there is a special gratefulness about being able to partake them. I prefer the authentic and original version, red ones, instead of some of the new fangled recipes that use panda or durian flavours.  In south-east Asia, you can source them commercially but nothing is as tasty as those made lovingly at home to celebrate the first month of a an infant.   Increasingly you can at times spot these home made versions brought over to be served at the end of an eight course banquet at a restaurant.

Wooden mould for the Ang Koo outer skin designs.



Lots of preparation and planning are entailed -as required for most of these Straits Chinese creations!  The yellow coloured mung beans have to be washed and soaked at least overnight.   Aroma, texture and taste are key factors used by elderly aunts or uncles to judge the quality of your Ang Koo.   If you want to be dainty, you can serve them in lacquer coated coffin carriers and imagine them being carried along to relatives and neighbours along the narrow lanes of heritage Georgetown in Penang or down Jonkers Street in Malacca. Some for the Ang Koo shapes produced vary, as you can find round balls, rectangle versions and more, but roundness signifies wholesomeness and achievement of a cycle.  Those round ball Ang Koo balls indicate the north of male infants.  A lot of the ingredients are left to stand at room temperature and never see the inside of a fridge.

The fillings on the right - mung bean with sweet potato.


Ingredients for making the skin for Ang Koo:

Cooking corn oil
A pinch of salt
A pinch of sugar
One tablespoon ordinary rice flour
300gm glutinous rice flour
200grams of steamed and meshed skinned sweet potato
Edible food dye, preferably light hued pink
100 ml hot water



Ingredients for making the filling for Ang Koo:
100g castor sugar
Quarter teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cooking corn oil
200 grams of pre-soaked mung beans


Other things to pre-assemble:
Banana leaves cut into small squares to fit the intended size of each Ang Koo.
Use light grease over each pre-cut banana leaf square.


Procedure for the fillings:
1. Wash and soak the mung beans at least overnight.
2. Next day,m begin by steaming the soaked mung beans for around 20 minutes.
3.  Place the warm cooked mung bean mesh to blend in a food processor with the salt, cooking oil and sugar garnishing.
4.  Obtain a smooth outcome with the mung bean mix.
5. Hand shape the mung bean mixture into balls of the size that fits your mould.
6.  Let the mung bean balls stand at room temperature.

Procedure for the skin:
1. Blend and mix the related ingredients of sugar, ordinary rice flour, glutinous flour and sweet potato.
2. Add the cooking oil, edible  dye and hot water as you knead the mixture.
3. Put aside the mixture under muesli cloth and let it stand.

Making the Ang Koo:
1. Allocate the skin dough into portions to accommodate the pre-shaped filling balls.
2. Flatten the divided skin portions to fit in the filling balls - ensure each ball is sealed adequately.
3. Flour dust the mould and place pre-shaped dough with skin into each mould.
4. Press the dough properly into each mould  and knock each out, to be placed on top of each pre-cut banana leaf square.
5. Occasionally flour dust each mould used to prevent unwanted sticking of the dough into the details of the mould.
6. Place all ready moulded pieces on to a bamboo steamer over a heated wok.
7. Steam the snacks on medium heat until done or around 10 minutes. Watch over this process like a hawk!






Photographs above were taken in the kitchen of Ms Suan Chee, Melbourne.

First Moon for Hayden Yeap - January 2015 Melbourne

Hayden Yeap with grand aunt at the Shark Fin's Restaurant in suburban Melbourne.  Hayden is clutching a red packet
offered by Lucy to mark his very first one month.
Photo credit: SC Yeap.

Celebratory Straits Chinese snacks, the Ang Koo, made with tortoise shaped moulds and packed with steamed fillings of mung bean and sweet potato paste.  These are usually only prepared to mark the first month of new born infants, accompanied by round red coloured balls for boys and peach shaped snacks for girl babies.

Edible red dye is poured over the shells of these hard boiled eggs.  Droplets of vinegar help to seal in a consistency of colour and eggs must be placed at room temperature to help ensure the shell does not stick to the cooked inside of the egg.

Straits Chinese cuisine combines the best of southern Chinese  dishes with those of South-east Asia for over six hundred years.  Turmeric coloured steamed glutinous rice is often served with  Indian inspired chicken curry to distribute to family and friends in signifying a new addition to a family.  The Western style cake was added with the arrival of the European colonists , opening the Portuguese, Dutch and British influence.  Red is the preferred colour to signify positive omens of brightness, wealth and good luck.

Kevin, Mackie, Hayden, Eu-Gene and Matthew on a summer's night.
Photo credit: SC Yeap.

Kuala Lumpur Revisited - Cuisine

Roast pork buns, baked with a flourish and taste - Dragon-I Restaurant

Nasi Lemak version 4.0 from Benjamin Yong's WanderMama, Bangsar Village One, KL, with prawn curry (background) and the chicken rendang (foreground).   The curry tradition in Malaysia is primarily based on significant Indian influences, as for thousands of years before the Arab traders arrived in south-east Asia, Indian politics, language, culture and customs predominated this region.

Fish head noodle soup, garnished with tomato, shallots and bean curd - a Cantonese favourite from Goon Wah Restaurant, Jalan Kuchai Lama, KL

Kl street food - the wanton egg noodles, mixed with two types of soy sauce, a great any time snack that has its roots in immigration tradition from South China - the versions I prefer are from Hong Kong and Kl.

Marinated chicken wings, peppered with sesame seeds, a classic favourite of Goon Wah's, Jalan Kuchai Lama, KL.

Wok stir fried meal, garnished with scrambled egg, bean sprout and shallots - from Dragon-I.

Centre court at the Pavilions KL, Bukit Bintang district -this shopping centre has the best food court choices as well.

Cheese cake or coconut mixed with oats biscuit? - Artisan Cafe, Bangsar Village Two.

Hakka classic - the Yong Tau Foo, from the Ying Ker Lu Restaurant, Pavilions KL.

Not what I see as cream brûlée, but this was offered at one of the trendy expresso cafes in the Klang Valley.

Classic plate and bowl setting in a Chinese restaurant  - replete with chill condiment, vinegar sauce and Guangzhou dessert of longan and twice boiled almonds.

Dainty dumplings from Shanghai - as in most cities around the world, central and northern Chinese food are now easily available around the world.  This photo depicts the siew long pau, with hot soup and minced pork inside.

Traditional Hakka dish, a one spot meal.  The Hakka heritage of KL is not emphasised these days, although it is a fact that Kapitan Yap Ah Loy established and strengthened  a multi-racial community KL in the 19th century, that was later chosen by the British colonials to be the administrative capital of Malaya, covering the Straits Settlements as well.

Yum cha has always been a much appreciated practice amongst the Chinese in KL - above the delicately shaped steamed wortip, eaten with a dipping sauce and with held chopsticks.