Baba Heath Yeo loves to experiment – his one-of-a-kind kebayas are wearable fantasies. Baba Emeric Lau interviews this dedicated embroiderer.

Like many of his contemporaries, Baba Heath Yeo struggles to qualify himself when asked if he is Peranakan. He knows his paternal grandmother is tionghua Peranakan from Indonesia, but his mother is Singaporean Chinese, “so I guess I’m half”. Nonetheless, anyone who has seen his embroidered creations certainly won’t think twice addressing him as “Baba”. His growing-up memories include seeing the sarong worn often at home, listening to the adults converse in patois and inhaling the aromas of nyonya cuisine wafting out from the kitchen.

When he was enrolled at St. Anthony’s Primary School, his parents selected Malay as his second language, but he was “reunited” with his Chinese classmates after his mother was consulted. In other respects, Heath had a normal childhood, often getting up to mischief with his brothers and then hiding behind their grandmother to avoid the cane!

Heath went on to study Fashion Design at Lasalle College of the Arts. He was eager to learn all about the industry. It was later, when working as a designer of formal and evening wear that he started to learn embroidery techniques. Each design had to be hand-drawn to fit the garment, and he was charmed by the simplicity of how needle and thread could render various motifs, richly shading them into life. Technically speaking, embroidery was but one method of garment embellishment, alongside beading, lacework and applique. What made it special was his recollection of his grandmother donning her beautifully embroidered kebayas and how different the effect was when compared with its use on more contemporary fashion. Heath embarked on a journey of sorts – researching books, museums, antique stores and even consulting friends who had vintage kebayas. Sadly, his grandmother’s kebayas had been buried with her when she passed away.

Heath eventually found a teacher in Madam Moi of Kim Seng Kebaya who imparted the art of embroidering kebayas to him. His favourite motifs are the rose, peony, and phoenix – in general, all things flora and fauna. He likes the process of handiwork as one can vary seemingly repetitive patterns subtly – slight differences in shades and sizes of flowers on a kebaya enhance its artistry. He also likes the Chinese character for longevity (shou), and duplicated a kebaya that Madam Moi had with this character.

In 2012, he attracted attention when he designed a national costume for male pageant winner Jason Chee. With a twinkle in his eye, Heath recalls that there was very little “time, resources and fabric” to work with, and while some derided the look – “Javanese rent boy” was one critic’s assessment – he was not hurt as he understood that the comments were not to be taken too seriously. The piece was, after all, meant for a stage segment in a beauty pageant. He is also grateful that veteran fashion designers Francis Cheong and Hayden Ng gave it the thumbs up.

Today, Heath continues to experiment with his designs. His facebook wall sports a photo of supermodel Christy Turlington printed on a kebaya. In fact, printmaking is another technique that Heath admires, and he cites Peter Teo’s work as a strong influence. The Christy kebaya is one commendable attempt to evolve away from traditional expectations. He hopes more designers will look towards the kebaya for inspiration. On his part, he seeks inspiration from nature and in natural settings; he also continues to visit museums and bookshops for fresh ideas.

Looking towards the future, Heath believes that the kebaya’s form will change. He has a strong affinity for traditional methods, including sulam produced on a manually-operated Singer sewing machine for its singular uniqueness, but also acknowledges that industrial-scale machines can embroider kebayas at a faster pace and in ever more sophisticated designs. Quality voile and silk should never be compromised, and if possible, there should always be some evidence of the embroiderer’s hand to ensure finesse in the final product and a bit of personalisation.

Recently, Heath has held mini exhibitions and ‘live’ embroidery demonstrations. His works were also included as part of OH! Open House @Joo Chiat. “I want more people to experience the beauty of kebaya sulam; it deserves its place alongside traditional techniques such as Indian embroidery and hand-embroidered Chinese silk – above all, it is unique to us.”

16th September 1923-23rd March 2015

Pantun Enche Lee Kuan Yew
Nama Dia paling cermelang,
Petir terang langit malam,
Terima kasih seluruh orang,
Pemimpin Singa dari alam!
Tebar bernih tengah ladang,
Puchok da-jadi pokok besar,
Tukang tabor hilang bayang,
Cukop sedih kita bepisah!

(English Translation)
Bright ever shinning is his name,
Lightning brightens the nights,
Grateful are we one & all,
A Lion of Leaders of an era!
Seeds sown in fields around,
Saplings grown to sturdy trees,
The Sower’s shadow is now gone,
Sorrowful indeed is our parting!

Pantun by Chan Eng Thai
The Peranakan Association Singapore
In Memory of an Illustrious Peranakan

The inaugural Peranakan Arts Festival and the 28th Baba Nyonya Convention from November 4 – 8 2015 have come and gone in a twinkle of an eye.

During this time, The Lawn at Empress Place and Victoria Theatre were turned into a festive celebration of Peranakan culture and ethos, in conjunction with SG50, Singapore’s jubilee.

The Convention, in particular, from 6 – 8 November, was celebrated with a record 350 delegates from 14 Peranakan associations from Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia, Singapore and even a delegate from Japan.

Convention highlights included:
– The musical comedy Bibiks Behind Bars, Kena Again!;
– The launch of the Marshall Cavendish publication, Being Baba, done in collaboration with The Peranakan Association Singapore;
– A full morning seminar in an engaging never-tried-before format that featured the likes of Cultural Medallion winners Ivan Heng and Alvin Tan, and renowned food consultant and chef Violet Oon; and
– The first ever Tok Panjang in the open grounds of Empress Place.

By all accounts of delegates, the Convention in Singapore was a qualified, enjoyable success. Delegates loved Richard Tan’s Bibiks Behind Bars Kena Again! – many laughed until they shed tears. They took to the book Being Baba (a compendium of selected articles from 20 years of The Peranakan magazine). They loved the new interactive seminar format, masterfully managed by Ivan, which allowed them to share in-depth views with passion with the larger Peranakan community from so many cities. Many were also touched to tears by the second play, Pintu Pagar, an excellent production scripted by Desmond Sim and staged with gifted actors.

The only let down was the food. Not the food quality, but its delivery. Particularly at the Tok Panjang. On behalf of the organizing committee of the Convention, we apologize unreservedly for falling short. We had the best of intentions and were committed to providing a grand, enjoyable time for Convention delegates. There were very painful moments but there were also very good moments. Valuable lessons have been learnt from the challenges and these will be shared with our friends from the Federation of Peranakan Associations in the region as they take turns to organize the annual Baba Nyonya Convention.

The 28th Convention was the very first time that the younger members of the Association like myself have been entrusted to conceptualise and take the lead. This is part of our Association’s vision that the continuity of the culture rests on the younger generation and the reins of leadership must be passed on eventually.

Having said all these, on behalf of the organizing committee of the Convention, I would like to thank our partner GenerAsia for putting tremendous energy and effort in helping us to organize the complex elements of the Festival and the Convention, the government agencies, our sponsors, volunteers and all participants who pitched in. We couldn’t have made it without you.

Most importantly, I would like to express our sincere appreciation to all Convention delegates for making time and effort to be part of our celebration.

To everyone, a big KAMSIAH.

See you next year in Phuket.

Raymond Wong
Chairman
Organising Committee
The 28th Baba Nyonya Convention

This year, the 30th Baba Nyonya Convention will be held on Penang Island from 24th to 26th November 2017 with the theme: Creating Connections & Building Communities of Peranakan. The State Chinese Penang Association cordially invites all participants to come together for this annual event in addition to enjoying the myraid of programmes and activities which we have lined up especially for all of you.

Please download the registration form here.

Save

DESPERATE TIMES
By Maureen Lim

The evening calm was shattered by insistent shouts and thunderous banging on the front door of the Tan bungalow. In the main hall, Bibik Siew Tin, her son, his wife and their baby stood silently staring at the door.

Siew Tin sighed. It was not the first time that the Japanese soldiers came calling. It was common knowledge that soldiers would frequently gain entry into local houses in search of young, unmarried women. That was the reason Siew Tin had hastily married off her 18-year-old daughter Bee Lian, minus the pomp and ceremony that usually accompanied such an occasion in a wealthy Peranakan family like theirs. After all, her husband, Tan Guan Seng, was a prominent figure in Singapore’s business circles. A lengthy, grand wedding was expected, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

Three surly soldiers barged in and surveyed the house. Once they were satisfied that there were no young maidens to be had, they stormed off.

The matriarch’s mind wandered back to the events of the past year. No one imagined that the mighty British battleship HMS Prince of Wales and battle cruiser HMS Repulse would be sunk off the east coast of Malaya. Who would have thought that the invincible British Forces could be vanquished by the Japanese army who invaded Singapore on bicycles? The inhabitants of Syonan-to struggled to survive. With a severe shortage of rice and other staples, many declared that they could not bear look at another piece of ubi kayu (tapioca) again after consuming it at every meal, months on end.

Those who had pre-war money (not the wortless Japanese “banana” notes) hid their cash in Jacob’s Original Cream Crackers tins and buried them in their gardens. Siew Tin herself had taped stacks of banknotes to the back of two ancestral portraits that hung above the family altar. “Rather ingenious,” she thought smugly. But alas, her gold jewellery was gone forever! She sighed at the memory of the many pieces she had bartered for her chuchu’s (granddaughter’s) milk powder. “When the child is older,” thought Siew Tin, “I will tell her how she ‘ate up’ all her grandmother’s gold jewellery!”

Siew Tin smiled slyly when she thought about her secret. “I may have lost all my gold, but I will never part with my anting-anting berlian (diamond earrings)!”

The earrings were an unexpected gift from Guan Seng when their son was born. Large berlian (diamonds) set in a bintang (star) design. The family jeweller had assured her that the stones were top grade. They sparkled so brightly and never failed to elicit compliments at weddings and other grand parties that she and Seng attended, often at the Raffles Hotel.

Her precious earrings, carefully wrapped in grease-proof paper, now lay hidden in her tempat sireh (A set of small containers and a pair of cutters used to prepare betel leaf and areca nut for chewing. The tempat sireh is a personal item that most nyonyas had).

Siew Tin thought long and hard before choosing a hiding place. A teapot, a kamcheng or some other vessel might not have been so safe as these were regularly handled by many, but the tempat sireh was hers alone. No one else used it. Once, her sister who was visiting had approached the set, but Siew Tin swiftly intercepted and offered to prepare ‘Bibik’s chewing gum’ for her. A close shave!

The earrings were small enough to be buried deep in the lime paste. Whenever she prepared her sireh, Siew Tin was careful to gently scrape the surface of the paste. The only other person privy to her secret was her daughter, just in case anything should happen to her.

Siew Tin was also grateful that she still had her silver and pearl earrings, the ones reserved for tua ha (mourning). Peranakan tradition dictated that gold jewellery was not to be worn during mourning, so when her Mama died, eight-year old Siew Tin had to have shaved garlic stems inserted into her pierced earlobes to keep them from closing up. What a horrid experience that had been! The stems were so thick! She winced when she remembered the pain. It was much worse than getting her ears pierced by a Katong goldsmith who jabbed a hot needle into her six-year old earlobes, then slid on a pair of slender gold hoops.

Siew Tin and her family survived the war years relatively unscathed, thanks to an unlikely friendship.

The former school next to the Tan bungalow served as a Japanese Officers’ Club during the war, complete with female entertainers. Siew Tin often wondered if they were they real geishas from Japan. From her verandah, she had a good view of the Club. By mid-afternoon each day, the ladies would start to doll themselves up. They whitened their faces and pinned sparkly ornaments to their elaborate black wigs. At dusk, uniformed men began to stream through the wrought-iron gates. As the sake flowed, the officers became increasingly boisterous. Music, male guffaws, feminine squeals and shouts of “Kanpai!” filled the night air, sometimes so loudly that Siew Tin was sure her sister who lived further away at Longkang Besar could hear them.

One night, a uniformed officer, complete with holstered revolver and a sword at his side, knocked on their front door. The majies (maids) were terrified, so Siew Tin answered the door herself. To her surprise, he was not drunk or looking for young girls, but had merely dropped by to enquire if the loud sounds from the Club were disturbing the family. Siew Tin invited him in and offered him tea. That was the start of an unexpected friendship with Hontoku-san.

He often dropped by for a chat and sang Japanese nursery rhymes to Siew Tin’s chu chu as he bounced her on his knee. Perhaps she reminded him of his own daughter back home. He sometimes brought extra rations of rice and sugar for the family. Siew Tin served him her homemade kueh. Kueh kosui (steamed rice flour cake rolled in grated coconut) quickly became his favourite.

Then one day in 1945, Japan surrendered. Crestfallen, Hontoku-san paid the family one last visit. He sat in his usual seat – a black mother-of-pearl armchair in the main hall– and announced that he was returning home in disgrace. Years later, Siew Tin tried to find him, through advertisements placed in Japanese newspapers, but she would never know what had become of the kind soldier.

After the war, Syonan-to became Singapore again, but so much had changed. Siew Tin retrieved her diamond earrings from their hiding place. She had made up her mind; she was not going to wait for special occasions to flaunt them. “I shall use them every day,” she thought. “Goodbye to desperate times!”

The post Charm Bracelet Contest Winning Entries: Desperate Times by Maureen Lim appeared first on The Peranakan Association Singapore.

WAK WAJEK, THE DIAMOND LICKER
By Baba Tan Geok Koon

She was well-known for her kueh wajek, (glutinous rice steamed with gula melaka (palm sugar) and thick santan (coconut milk). Each piece is cut into a wajek (diamond shape), hence the name. Most of the kueh wajek sold in the market was soft and soggy, but hers was firm, lemak (rich) and tasty. Both children and adults always reached out for a second piece. She was proud to be called Wak Wajek instead of “Bibik” because “Wak” implied senority and expertise.

Her expertise was the result of her adopted mother’s insistence on raising her as a seronoh (refined) nyonya. A child of an unwed Cantonese woman, she was given to a Peranakan family as a baby. From a young age, she was often reminded that she was not a true nyonya by blood, and must strive to be seronoh as theirs was a respectable family.

She was taught to take great care in her appearance – to ensure that her baju panjang was always properly pinned, and not a single hair out place in her tightly knotted sanggul (chignon). She was instructed to be refined in her cooking; reminded to be filial, courteous, respectful, and above all else, virtuous and honest. She was told that these were the hallmarks of a true nyonya.

As a young bride, her neo (mother-in-law) encouraged her to chew sireh (areca nut shavings wrapped in betel leaf smeared with lime paste) because “every respectable married nyonya does so”. Before long, she was addicted to sireh. Her gums and lips were stained a deep red. Her tempat sireh (sireh set) and spittoon went everywhere she did.

One day, Wak Wajek received an invitation from her landlord to attend his daughter’s wedding. She knew that it would be a grand affair as the family was wealthy. At such weddings, nyonyas would pile on their finest berlian (brilliant-cut diamond) jewellery. Wak Wajek felt ashamed that she did not own any berlian. She had a kerosang intan (a set of three brooches set with rose-cut diamonds) but felt that it would look inferior. Not wanting to appear unrefined, she decided to borrow some berlian ear studs from a good friend. However as the date drew near, she hatched a new plan.

Dressed in her best baju panjang, with three gold hairpins atop her immaculate sanggul, Wak Wajek set off with her niece to a goldsmith shop on North Bridge Road. She made the girl carry her tempat sireh and spittoon. Her ruse was to appear as a rich nyonya who wanted to have a kerosang berlian made.

At the shop, she told the goldsmith that she wanted to select the diamonds herself before they agreed on an auspicious date for the craftsman to come to her house. The goldsmith laid a velvet-lined tray on the counter and emptied the contents of a small box into it. Wak Wajek’s eyes widened at the sight. There must have been at least a hundred diamonds there!

She deliberately took her time selecting the stones. As chance would have it, the jeweller was called away to attend to another customer and she was left alone with the diamonds. Her niece had wandered off and was admiring some carved gold bangles. As swift as a hawk, Wak Wajek’s bony fingers swooped into the tray and fished out two large diamonds. Her hand flew to her mouth and popped the stones into the red cavern. They felt cold on her tongue. She swirled them in her mouth then quickly spat out a crimson gob into her spittoon.

When the goldsmith returned she calmly told him that she had to leave for a cherki (card) game and arranged to come back another day.

The moment she arrived home she grabbed the spittoon from her niece and washed it herself. The girl was surprised because she was usually made to clean it, but she didn’t question her aunt…it was one less chore for her.

Alone in her bedroom, Wak Wajek admired the glittering diamonds. How magnificent they would look on her earlobes! For a brief moment, an image of her adopted mother flashed before her – she was weeping with rage and disappointment. Wak Wajek pushed the image out of her mind. To soothe herself, she doused her sapu tangan (handkerchief) with Florida Water and dabbed her brow, as if wiping away her guilt. It was just the afternoon heat, she told herself.

She planned to return to the goldsmith’s the following week. She would tell him that she had changed her mind about the kerosang berlian and wanted a pair of anting-anting (earrings) made instead. She would then show him the two diamonds, claim it was gift from her late husband and tell him to use them for her earrings.

When she returned alone to the goldsmith’s, he greeted her excitedly and told her he had another box of diamonds to show her. Before she could refuse, he was already spreading the stones out on the velvet tray. The shop was busy that afternoon and he was soon called away by another customer.

Alone with the diamonds once again, Wak Wajek was struck with a pang of guilt. Her whole life she had strived to be seronoh, to be a true nyonya. Now, she was…a thief.

She drew out a small woollen purse that she had crocheted herself. Inside, the two diamonds were wrapped in cotton wool. Wak Wajek took one last glance at them in her palm and dropped them onto the tray. Relief washed over her.

She said a quick goodbye to the goldsmith with the excuse that she had an appointment she forgot about. Calmly, Wak Wajek walked out of the shop with her head held high.

The post Charm Bracelet Contest Winning Entries: The Diamond Licker by Baba Tan Geok Hoon appeared first on The Peranakan Association Singapore.

PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE
By Maureen Lim

(The first 10 lines are sung to the tune of “I’m a little teapot”)

1. “I’m a little tingkat, short and stout,
   Carrying Bibik’s food, Peranakan ‘take-out’.
   There’s my older sister, four tiers high.
   Her trays are filled with Nyonya chap chye
   .
   
2. Ayam buah keluak, satay babi,
   The filling and garnish for kueh pie-ti.
   All the chuchi mulot is with me,
   Kueh dada, lapis and kueh ko swee
   .
   
3. And bubor terigu, chukop perkat,
   Surely you can smell that durian pengat…’’
   “Hey! Stop please! You shouldn’t be singing that song,
   As for your made-up words, they’re horribly wrong.”
   .
4. “Oi! Who said that?” Tingkat asked coral Kamcheng
   “Was it you?” This directed at old Tien Teng.
   “It’s so dark here, it’s impossible to see.
   Besides, not your business! This song’s about me.”
   .
5. “Oh no, it’s not!” squealed the yellow teapot,
   “It’s all about ‘teapot’. ‘Tingkat’ it is NOT!”
   “Who doesn’t know that?” enamelled Tingkat said.
   “I’m not daft! I’m perfectly right in the head.
   .
6. Do you know I’m somewhat of a history buff?
   May not know a lot, but I do know enough.”
   All eyes were on her; they were willing to learn.
   The Tingkat – she loved it. It was her star turn.
   .
7. “Did you know this shop in Katong’s an icon?
   Was here long before many people were born.
   Here all the precious Peranakan things can be found,
   It’s the avid collector’s rich hunting ground.
   .
8. Once filled to the rafters with antiques so rare,
   Some of you behind glass, and ‘preserved’ with care.
   But there’ll soon be an auction, I heard them say.
   That’s why we’ve been gathered here, put on display.
   .
9. Some of us have not met each other before.
   Shall we introduce ourselves, and chat some more?”
   “Hello,” said the porcelain Spoons, dainty and fine.
   “There were once 10 of us, and then we were nine.”
   .
10. When Ah Soon dropped Elsie (it happened of late)
    She smashed into pieces, and now we are eight.”
    The pink Teacup sisters, a set of just four,
    Had never known this. They were shocked to the core.
    .
11. Tingkat was now eager to tell them her tales,
    Well aware that with ageing, one’s memory fails.
    Since others seemed ready to hear, so why not?
    What’s that we were told? ‘Strike while the iron’s hot.’
    .
12. “My ancestors came from India, so they say,
    Where workers packed their own lunches for the day.
    In Penang and Malacca, and Singapore,
    My parents too carried food from door to door.
    .
13. Many had made the ocean trip with the Brits,
    Here, Peranakans decorated us to bits!
    Adorned us with colours, blooms, and butterflies…
    We’re conversation pieces now, highly prized!
    .
14. Then Kokums, from Sweden, made plain ones, good stuff!
    Pale yellow with green rims – these tingkats were tough!
    Once easily found in every Bibik’s dapor,
    Perched close to the daily pot of kopi-O.”
    .
15. “Ahem,” said red Kumcheng, “you speak of design,
    Few can match me – just take a look at my fine
    Ogival medallions with blossoms and bird,
    A pity lion-dog on my lid looks injured.”
    .
16. They tried not to stare at the dog’s missing tail,
    Some thought they heard Kumcheng suppress a faint wail.
    No one spoke. A sad hush fell over the hall,
    Till Mama Bakul Siah said, “I do recall…
    .
17. I was sent to a wedding, shown off with pride,
    Bearing gifts for the groom and his blushing bride.
    Though my black, red and gold have gone rather grey
    The scenes and the memories burn bright to this day.”
    .
18. “Adoi! What glamorous stories all of you tell –
    Unlike me – brown, glorified portable ‘well’.
    I’m a Tempayan. I’m green-glazed inside.
    The dragon emblazoned outside is my pride.
    .
19. I was not displayed, and always on the floor.
    I carried no gifts, plain tap water my store,
    To be used for a bath in the penchiwan.
    Trust me, nudity all the time is no fun.
    .
20. I could have been outside collecting the rain.
    That’s water so useful for washing the drain.
    Or used as a pot to grow butterfly pea.
    Its indigo-blue colours pulot inti.
    .
    
21. And my bigger cousin was used to rear fish
    Fresh ikan betok makes a very nice dish.
    To kill it, the cook had to bash in its head.
    My cousin hated this; it filled her with dread.
    .
22. “Hey!” yelled the cracked Spitoon, “my role was far worse!
    In fact, my whole family’s convinced it’s a curse!
    My decorative outside hid what is unseen.
    Inside swirled all kinds of phlegm, yellow and green!”
    .
23. “Oh, that is so sickening! You’re crude. Have some class.”
    This came from the lady in ruby-red glass.
    Ms. Epergne considered herself partly French.
    She tried to speak crisply like Dame Judi Dench.
    .
24. “My people were European,” the group was told,
    “Our flutes and curled vases were fashioned to hold,
    In earliest times, chips, dips, fruit and sweetmeats,
    Finger food, candies….impressive party treats.
    .
25. Then when their descendants were brought to this place,
    The Peranakans loved us, our beauty, our grace.
    They used us for flowers. I posed on a stand.
    With my four perfect flutes, of course I looked grand.
    .
26. See that silver epergne hiding at the back?
    No pride! She’s let herself go, and turned quite black!”
    “Shut up!” the twin vases chorused with one voice.
    “You don’t have to be mean! It wasn’t her choice.”
    .
27. “What if I’m useless too, and quite out of date?
    Discarded like rubbish…will that be my fate?”
    Rose Chupu’s small voice echoed every one’s fear.
    Said Tingkat with confidence, “One thing is clear.
    .
28. We’ll increase in value as we get more rare,
    And we SHALL be displayed gloriously, somewhere.”
    “Like a museum?” said Epergne hopefully,
    Where we’ll be admired for eternity.”
    .
29. The vessels were thoughtful. A truth or a lie?
    The words of a prophet or pie in the sky?

The post Charm Bracelet Contest Winning Entries: Past, Present, Future by Maureen Lim appeared first on The Peranakan Association Singapore.

Bangkwang Chah (from Matt Tan’s Daily Nyonya Dishes)

Yam bean stewed in garlic and fermented soya bean paste

1.5 kg (3.5 lb) bangkwang (jicama or yam bean)
6 medium taukwa (firm soya bean cakes)
20 cloves old garlic
4 tbsp taucheo (fermented soya beans)
3-4 drops dark soya sauce
Groundnut oil
Salt
Sugar

Pork Belly
600g (1.3 lb) pork belly
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp salt

Prawns
1 kg (2.2 lb) small or medium prawns
1.2 tsp pepper

Prawn & Pork Stock
Reserved prawn heads and shells
1 kg (2.2 lb) large pork bones
½ tsp pepper
1 litre (4 cups) water for first boil
2 litres (8 cups) water for stock
½ tsp salt
½ tsp sugar
1 tbsp groundnut oil

Preparation
Slice off the tops and bottoms of the yam beans. Peel, then wash and drain them. Quarter the yam beans then cut into 2-mm (0.08-in) slices. Arrange the slices into stacks and shred them finely into 2-mm (0.08-in) strips.

Rinse and drain the firm soya bean cakes. Cut each in half, and slice each half into 5 mm (0.2-in) pieces. Cut these pieces into 3-mm (0.1-in) strips. Peel the cloves of garlic and pound them with a mortar and pestle to a smooth paste. Remove and set aside. Drain the fermented soya beans and pound them to a fine paste.

Pork Belly
Rub pepper on the pork belly and leave to marinate for 15 minutes. Rinse and drain.

Put the pork belly and dissolve the salt in a pot of water and bring to a boil. Lower the flame and simmer for 20 minutes with the pot partially closed. Remove the pork belly when it is cooked and soak it in cool water.

When the pork belly has cooled, cut it crosswise into 5-mm (0.2-in) slices. Next cut lengthwise into 3-mm (0.1-in) strips.

Prawns
Peel the prawns. Rinse and drain the prawn heads and shells and keep them for making the stock. Devein the prawns and rinse and drain them too. Mix the prawns with pepper and refrigerate. Rinse and drain before use.

Prawn and Pork Stock
Mix the prawn heads and shells with the ½ teaspoon of pepper and set them aside for 15 minutes.

Fill a large pot with 1 litre of water and bring to a boil over a high flame. Put in the pork bones and bring to a boil again. When the scum surfaces, drain and discard the water. Rinse the bones. Bring another 2 litres of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the pork bones and once it comes to a boil again, adjust the flame to low and simmer for 2 hours.

Season the prawn heads and shells with the salt and sugar. Heat a frying pan till hot, then add 1 tablespoon of groundnut oil, and heat till hot again. Stir fry the prawn heads and shells till they change colour and become fragrant. Take the prawn heads and shells and add them to the pork stock. Simmer gently for another hour.

Frying
Heat the wok until it is hot. Add enough oil to deep fry the sliced firm soya bean cakes. When the oil is hot, lower the flame to medium and put in the slices of soya bean cake in batches to fry till light golden. Remove to a tray lined with paper towels to absorb the oil. Continue frying the remaining taukwa.

Remove all but 3 tablespoons of oil in the work. Adjust the flame to medium and fry the pounded garlic till light golden and fragrant. Next, add the fermented soya bean paste and stir fry till fragrant.

Put in the pork belly and fry till aromatic and lightly browned. Push it aside. Add the prawns to fry over high heat till cooked. Remove the prawns and set aside. Spoon in the yam bean in batches, mixing it with the pork belly. Stir fry for around 10 minutes till the yam bean starts to soften. Add the prawn and pork stock tablespoons at a time, continuing to mix well. Add the remaining stock after 10 minutes. Next, include the fried firm soya bean cakes and the prawns. Continue to braise till the yam bean has softened.

Transfer the contents into a big pot and push the vegetables to the sides of the pot to form a well. Cover the pot, and simmer over a low flame, opening it once in a while to ladle the soup from the centre over the vegetables. This is to infuse the yam bean with the sweetness of the stock. Season to taste with salt, sugar and dark soya sauce. Cook till the vegetable take on the light brown of the stock.

Serve it a day after cooking to allow the taste to develop.

The post Dalam Dapor: Bangkwang Chah appeared first on The Peranakan Association Singapore.

Ikan Submat Chilli (from Matt Tan’s Daily Nyonya Dishes)

Pan-fried fish stuffed with chilli

Ingredients
1 kg (2.2 lb) selar (yellowtail scad)
1 tsp pepper
1 ½ tsp salt
235 ml (1 cup) groundnut oil

Rempah (Spice Paste)

20 old cloves garlic
6 candlenuts
12 red chillies
6 chilli padi (bird’s eye chillies), optional

Preparation
Scale the fish, then gut and clean them keeping the heads and tail on. Rub the pepper on both sides of the fish and in the cavity. Set aside for 15 minutes then rinse and pat dry.

Rempah (Spice Paste)
Peel the garlic. Rinse the candlenuts and soak them in water for 5 minutes. Chop the chillies roughly. Pound these ingredients into a fine paste.

Method
Use a sharp knife to cut a slit along the top of the fish, running the knife through the flesh and freeing it from the bones to create a deep pocket. Repeat on the other side. Stuff the pockets with the spice paste but do not overfill them. Set aside the extra spice paste. Pat the fish dry and wipe off any spice paste on the fish skin.

Heat a wok till it is hot. Put in the oil and when it is hot, lower the flame to medium and fry the fish till it is golden brown on both sides. Drain, set aside the oil for later use and rinse the wok.

Reheat the wok and put in 2 tablespoons of the oil that was set aside. When the oil is hot, lower the flame to medium heat and fry the extra spice paste for five minutes. Sprinkle in 1 ½ tsp of salt and stir. Pour this rempah on the fried fish and serve.

The post Dalam Dapor: Ikan Sumbat Chilli appeared first on The Peranakan Association Singapore.

Enjoy Baba Dick Lee’s Peranakan Love Story below!

Photo courtesy of Changi Airport Group.

The post Baba Dick Lee’s Peranakan Love Story at Changi Airport T4 appeared first on The Peranakan Association Singapore.

For more information on the Bukit Brown Wayfinder, download the PDF.

The post The Bukit Brown Wayfinder appeared first on The Peranakan Association Singapore.

印尼蜡染布染出儒家的人伦礼仪
By Koh Hwei Ling 许慧玲

     小时候，由于父母忙于工作，我经常被寄养在外公外婆家。他们住在章芳林街，距离直落亚逸街的天福宫只需步行七八分钟。

童年的回忆有很多天福宫的美好记忆，至今记忆犹新。那时的我经常陪家人逛庙会或参与天福宫的祭祀活动。记得每当一有考试，妈妈就会带我和妹妹去天福宫向孔夫子的金身塑像鞠躬，之后祭拜孔子。

2017年的10月15日，我和父母相约去天福宫庆祝“至圣先师”孔子的 2,568年诞辰。之后，我开始思考着儒学在古代与现代社会中的价值。作为传统社会的主流文化，儒学对我国早期华人移民族群有着非常重要的影响。 甚至是新加坡的早期土生华人，也深受儒家文化影响，成为我国早期的儒商。

儒家思想不仅是由土生华人在商场上实践。 由于土生华人的文化是中华文化和本土文化的混搭而形成，我们偶尔能在娘惹瓷器或蜡染布中找到能够体现儒学思想的图腾 。

鸟类图案为主的印尼蜡染布

中国文化中有五种鸟类（ 凤凰、仙鹤、鸳鸯、鹡鸰、黄莺 ）象征五伦。 凤凰象征君臣关系，仙鹤象征父子关系，鸳鸯象征夫妻关系，鹡鸰象征兄弟关系，黄莺象征朋友关系。 它们是儒家所提倡的君臣、父子、夫妻、兄弟（长幼）、朋友之间的五种伦理关系。

“五伦”（也被称为五常） 指的是五种人与人之间关系的道理标准和行为准则。 五伦讲究君臣有义、父子有亲、夫妻有别、长幼有序、朋友有信。 这是因为古人设想、观察或记录这些鸟类的习性行为，之后觉得它们可以代表五伦的人际关系。

五伦图是中国画和瓷器的传统题材之一。由于土生华人文化受中国文化的影响，我们可以在娘惹陶瓷如花瓶、 kamching （ 一种有盖器皿, 福建话叫 kamching，是“感情”的意思 ）、娘惹服饰、蜡染布等找到一些以五伦图图形的创作。

凤凰表示君臣之道

凤被视为百鸟之首，凤与群鸟犹如君与臣，故用凤以表示君臣之道。 据晋代张华《禽经》：“鸟之属三百六十，凤为之长，又飞则群鸟从，出则王政平，国有道。”

凤的出现也代表着君王有德，国有道。 汉代孔鲋《孔丛子·记问》有记：“天子布德，将致太平，则麟凤龟龙先为之呈祥。”

我们能在印尼蜡染布中能常找到双凤吉祥的寓意。旋转飞翔的一对凤代表凤为雄、凰为雌。他们象征和谐的婚姻。

仙鹤象征父子关系

据《易经》：“鸣鹤在阴，其子和之。”

古人认为仙鹤在叫唤它的子女的时候，就算它影藏在阴暗之处，它的子女也能识别它的呼叫并作出反应。

这让人想起父母与孩子之间的密切联系，因此鹤被用来比喻父子关系。

Batik with crane motifs from the collection of Baba Peter Wee.

我们经常可以在蜡染布中找到鹤或像鹤般的图腾。

鹭（Heron）是鹳形目鹭科鸟类的通称。它的图腾与莲花、芦苇也经常被绘画在蜡染布。「鹭」与「路」同音，「莲」与「连」同音，有「一路连科」 仕途顺遂的寓意 。

鸳鸯象征夫妻关系

鸳鸯古称“匹鸟”，意思是“成对的鸟”。 鸳鸯的成双成对，难分难离常被用来象征夫妇的忠贞，表示夫妇之道。

据晋·崔豹《古今注·鸟兽》：“鸳鸯，水鸟，凫类也。 雌雄未尝相离，人得其一，则一思而死，故曰匹鸟。”

处了鸳鸯，我们也能在蜡染布中找到其他终身奉行“一夫一妻”制的鸟类，如雁。

鹡鸰象征兄弟关系

古人用鹡鸰来比喻兄弟友爱之情。

周代古人宴会兄弟时会以《小雅·常棣》这首诗歌唱兄弟友爱。这是《诗经》中的一首诗，诗中句句把鹡鸰的习性行为用来形容兄弟之间的亲情与密切关系。

“四海之内皆兄弟”是一句常被引用的汉语词语。

它出自于《论语·颜渊》：“君子敬而无失，与人恭而有礼，四海之内，皆兄弟也。”

庆德会的座右铭就是这句词语。庆德会是在1831年由36位土生华人 （多数来自马六甲）所创立的私庙，宗祠与及互助组织。他们入会时，会在三官大帝前结拜为兄弟。

黄莺象征朋友关系

黄莺表示朋友有信, 朋友之道。

《诗经·小雅·伐木》里有提到黄莺。这是一首古代民间宴请亲友的乐歌。

黄鹂因其羽色鲜黄而名，俗称 “黄鹂”、“黄莺”、“黄鸟”。

与其他吉祥主题相比，以友谊为主题的蜡染布相当罕见。迄今为止，我只收集到以汉字形式来描述 “友谊和信任” 的蜡染布。

以前早期的华商和儒商都持有诚信至上，一诺千金，童叟无欺的行为守则。儒家思想的概念之一就包括 “诚信”， 就是做人要讲信用。孔子的意思就是：「一个人如果不讲信用，就不知他怎样跟人往来相处。就像大车没有輗，小车没有軏一样，它们得靠什么行走呢？」

这张手绘蜡染布书写着汉字“仁”， “诚信”和“福”。它用“仁”和 “诚信”总结了儒学的重要概念。它也提醒我们，这些价值观在今天依然重要。没有它们，我们真的能有福吗？

All photos are by the author unless stated.

The post Confucian Ideals in Batik (Mandarin) | 印尼蜡染布染出儒家的人伦礼仪 appeared first on The Peranakan Association Singapore.

Watch Nyonya Lee Su Kim, a sixth generation Nyonya, share about keeping the Peranakan cultural heritage alive!

The post My Nyonya Journey by Nyonya Lee Su Kim appeared first on The Peranakan Association Singapore.

The post Issue 1 2018 appeared first on The Peranakan Association Singapore.

Click here to download the registration form.

The post 31st Baba Nyonya Convention 2018 appeared first on The Peranakan Association Singapore.

Notice of Annual General Meeting (AGM) for The Peranakan Association Singapore

Date: 27 May 2018 (Sunday)
Time: 2.30pm sharp
Venue: Ixora Room, level 1, The Peranakan Museum, 39 Armenian Street, Singapore 179941

Our agenda for this AGM includes the election of new office bearers for the 2018-2020 term. If you are unable to attend, you may appoint a proxy. An original proxy form would have been sent to your Singapore mailing address.

You can download the proxy form here.

You may also fill up this OPTIONAL Nomination Form if you would like to nominate one or more candidates for the election. *NOTE: This is an OPTIONAL Nomination Form that TPAS members can use to nominate ONE or MORE candidates to run for TPAS’ election of new office bearers for the 2018 – 2020 term. This Nomination Form does not supersede any Proxy Forms submitted.

Kindly mail the form back to us at:

The Peranakan Association Singapore
Raffles City P.O. Box 1640
Singapore 911755

Proxy forms must be deposited at this P.O. Box by 12 May 2018 to be accepted as valid.

We look forward to seeing you then. Thank you / Kamsiah!

The post Annual General Meeting 2018 appeared first on The Peranakan Association Singapore.

Dear Nyonyas and Babas

I thank members of TPAS for voting in my team and I for a new term of two years through to 2020.

It is a trust we take seriously and which we will humbly nurture with care.

There is much to be done. My team and I cannot do it alone. We will need the support and help of our fellow members of TPAS.

In all that we do, the decisions that we take, TPAS must always come first.

I would like to thank our supporters for believing in us. We will not let you down.

For those who did not, we respect your decision. But we also extend our hand to you to join us in building up TPAS into an association that we can all be proud of.

Only if we are united can we grow and prosper as one big family.

Thank you once again. Our thanks also go to past General Committees and volunteers for their passion and their time in serving the Association.

My team and I wish you all, and your loved ones, a blessed and safe June holidays.

Colin Chee
President

The post Going Forward, United appeared first on The Peranakan Association Singapore.

Come and support our TPAS choir, the Peranakan Voices, at the #Filterlife Weekend Festival at the Peranakan Museum this weekend!

Our choir will be performing twice each afternoon on Saturday 23rd, & Sunday 24th June at 1.30pm and 3.30pm.

Enjoy other fun activities and take in the fabulous Amek Gambar exhibition about Peranakans & Photography.

Find out more here: https://www.peranakanmuseum.org.sg/whats-on/festivals/23-24jun2018-filterlife-weekend-festival

Join us for a sojourn into the world of Indonesian batik! This itinerary has been specially tailored for TPAS with unique experiences (see highlights) that cannot be found in any other tour.

Limited places – book today!