Bundles of goodness – Peranakan style
A fifth generation family is bringing back the taste of yore for this festive tradition
GEORGE TOWN: The making of chang (rice dumpling) is a labour of love steeped in culture for Jerry Kong, a fifth generation of Baba Nyonya descent.
Kong, 44, said he watched his grandmother prepare rice dumplings when he was young.
Together with his Nyonya wife Su Pei, 43, he would replicate the taste of traditional Peranakan recipe to keep the culture alive.
“The process requires hard work with long hours put in to make the chang for the Duan Wu Jie or Dumpling Festival.
“We will always remember the taste of food cooked by our grandmother and mother because it is the taste of home,” said Kong, who operates a Peranakan private dining with his wife in Lebuhraya Bodhi.
It’s Duan Wu Jie today, which is to commemorate Chinese poet Qu Yuan who drowned himself to protest corrupt practices in China about 1,000 years ago.
After his death, the people threw rice dumplings wrapped in lotus leaves to prevent the fish in the river from eating his remains.
According to Kong, one of the types of Penang Nyonya chang is the sambal heh bee (spicy sambal dried shrimps rice dumpling), which is hardly found in Penang today.
“It was common in the 1970s. However, due to the rising cost of dried shrimps, it disappeared in the 1980s. Now, it has made a comeback and is a delicacy.
“We can still find it in Melaka and Singapore,” he said.
He said the pnua kiam tnee (traditional rice dumpling that is half savoury, half sweet) is white, contrary to the popular blue and white rendition of Nyonya chang, which originated from the south.
“We place more emphasis on the use of spices, especially pepper, sand ginger root and coriander powder,” said Kong.
“Also, the sweetness in the filling is not from sugar but candied melon.”
His Baba friend Junior Ang, 34, introduced the use of Kurobuta pork belly, imported from Japan, to replace the usual pork filling of pnua kiam tnee and bak chang to enhance the taste.
Ang said that the use of the premium ingredient was introduced into the Peranakan cuisine, which prides itself on its distinctive flavours.
“Traditionally, the Peranakan were hailed as the King’s Chinese and they had elite status in the Chinese community.
“Therefore, to showcase its status, premium and imported ingredients are always introduced into the cuisine,” he said.
Kong also said the five-spice bak chang was made using their family heirloom recipe of five-spice powder handed down over three generations.
“Premium whole spices are individually roasted over charcoal to bring out their character,” said Kong, adding that they sold thousands of chang this time.
“Peranakan cooking is all about community cooking and bonding.
“As Baba Nyonya, we should ensure that the cuisine survives for generations to come.”