Mrs Lee's Cookbook (Nyonya Recipes)
- Year
- 1974
- Era
- 20th century
- Origin
- Singapore · Southeast Asia
- Language
- English
- Category
- Southeast Asia
Mrs Lee's Cookbook (Nyonya Recipes), compiled by Lee Chin Koon and first issued in Singapore in 1974, is among the earliest English-language records of Peranakan home cookery to reach a wide readership. Drawing on the Straits Chinese culinary traditions of a long-established Singaporean family, it documents the labour-intensive rempahs, sambals and kuih of Nyonya kitchens. The compiler, mother of Lee Kuan Yew, lent the work considerable domestic prestige.
Cooking from this book
Ayam Buah Keluak
Signature dishThis dark, brooding chicken stew built around the buah keluak nut is perhaps the most emblematic of Peranakan dishes, and it sits at the heart of Mrs Lee's collection. The nut's earthy, almost truffled flesh, scooped from its hard black shell, lends a flavour that no other cuisine can mimic. As a record of Nyonya home cooking compiled by Lee Kuan Yew's mother, the book preserves this laborious heritage dish for a new generation.
An editorial note on a dish associated with this book, written for The Coquinist. It is not a reproduction of the book's recipe.
