Nonya wannabe

Singapore 2009: Nonya, my sweets. 

This picture was taken on my last trip back to Singapore. We walked by a stall in Chinatown tended by a kebaya-clad genial lady who’d immediately reached for my children while I remained distracted by the pretty rows of kuehs.  Candidly, she posed with them like she’d known them for ages. I posted the picture on Facebook as part of an album dedicated to my visit back home. A friend then asked if she was my mother since she did look the part of a doting grandparent. I snorted and answered, “Nope, but I wished she were then, I would have hit the jackpot of Mothers because she would have made me many a yummy Nonya kueh!”

Sorry Mom.

I imagined that a Nonya mother dotingly handed out kuehs the way chinese dragon-mothers zealously handed out smacks. In an alternate reality, perhaps that kebaya-clad lady was responsible for the colourful, sticky and sweet kuehs which she constantly lavished on her Peranakan offspring. And any excess, she would sell at a stall -- exactly like the one in this picture -- where the dainty rainbow treats beckoned kids and mothers alike. The glutinous jewels that promised flavours like coconut, pandan essence (from screwpine leaves) and loads of gula melaka (palm sugar) were tempting reminders of childhood years gone by that would make mothers succumb, forking out the ke-ching just to relish them once more.

I figured that since I wasn’t part-Peranakan (Nonya), I'd missed out on a whole lot of kuehs in my lifetime!

(from top right clockwise: chopped pandan leaves; readying the pan with banana leaves; pandan leaves extract; steamed  glutinous rice with knotted pandan leaves)

Worse, being this far away from Southeast Asia, made Nonya kuehs plainly exotic, if not largely unheard of. Like I’ve said before, desperation can lead people -- namely me -- to some pretty bizarre thoughts like one that sprang to mind of late, “it's about time I learned to make kueh.”

(from top right clockwise: double boiling the custard; kueh sarlat sliced; side view of kueh sarlat;  steamed  glutinous rice base layer) 

Likely possessed by benevolent Peranakan deities, I channeled the powers of well-honed nonya cooks and in a trance-like stupor, googled “kueh”. The worldwide web flashed a wealth of recipes and even decent pictures of the final goods. The Gods were obviously on my side. The stars had conspired; I was ripe for kueh sarlat making.

It really wasn’t difficult; the invoked deities were obviously determined to see me succeed. I started making the kueh late one afternoon and by end-dinner time, the steamed spongy cake was ready. Ignoring my satiety, I gobbled down 2 rich slices of kueh sarlat and it was very, very, very good. I shoved down one more slice just for good measure and grudgingly shared the rest with the family and work colleagues.

I realize that part-Nonya I'm definitely not, but I’m certainly part-greedy pig.

Kueh Sarlat Recipe:
300gm Glutinous Rice (soaked for about 4 hours)
200ml Santan (coconut milk)
1/2 tbsp of Salt
Pandan leaves knotted
Banana leaves (cleaned)
* I only had 250 grams of rice and had to adjust the other ingredients accordingly.


Top Layer for Serikaya Custard
25gm Corn Flour
30gm Plain Flour
3 Eggs
125gm Sugar
200ml of Santan (coconut milk)
90ml of sieved Pandan water (blend about 5 leaves of pandan with water)
* I used about 10 leaves inspite of the recommended recipe.




Place the soaked and drained rice on a steamer.


Place the knotted pandan on it and steam for about 15 minutes.


Add the salt into santan and stir to dissolve.


Sprinkle or pour in the santan on the rice gently and fluffing the rice.


Steam for a further 20 minutes and for the santan to be absorbed into the rice.


Remove the steamed rice and place it on a pan lined with banana leaves and press it down with something flat. I used the back of a spoon. Make sure it is pressed down firmly. It helps with the end result.


Place the pressed rice into the steamer and steam for a further 15 minutes. Keep it there while making the Serikaya Custard.


Serikaya Top Layer:
In a small mixing bowl, stir eggs, santan and sugar with a wooden spoon.


When the ingredients are all mixed together, add in the corn flour, plain flour and the water from blending the pandan with water. (the water should be a shade of green).


Stir it till it is well mixed. My mixture was dark enough but seemingly with 5 leaves, it may not be and the addition of green colouring is recommended by the original recipe. I voted a big "no" since I'm not a huge fan of chemical additives. Plus, neon green isn't my preferred shade.


Strain this mixture.


Prepare a heatproof bowl over a pan of hot simmering water. Double boil it and stirring it all the time.


Make sure the fire is at its smallest to prevent curdling of the custard.


Cook till it has thicken but not overcooked.


When it has thickened, you can pour into the pan with the rice below.


Steam the two layers for about 30 minutes on low heat.


Cool the Kueh Sarlat, slice with sharp knife dipped in cold water. Serve.