The hardest part about visiting Baba Charlie Nyonya Cake is exercising restraint when faced with the colourful spread of kuih. These are an integral part of the Peranakan culture, and are often taken as breakfast, teatime snacks or dessert.
You’ll be tempted to shove all the morsels of gooey goodness right into your mouth, but if you don’t have enough tummy space, Charlie recommends starting with the lepat kacang, kuih bongkong and rempah udang. All three are wrapped in leaf packets, with fillings of soya bean, gula melaka and dried shrimp respectively. These homemade delicacies are cooked in the family kitchen just outside, where you’ll find Charlie’s mum and wife helping out. The talented chefs also whip up a mean nasi kunyit, or turmeric glutinous rice, that looks deceptively simple but tastes absolutely fantastic.
Baba Charlie Nyonya Cake
72 Jalan Tengkera Pantai 2C, 75200 Melaka.
Tel +6019 666 2907 / +606 284 7209
9am to 7pm, daily. Closed on Thursdays.
ONDEH ONDEH
These pandan-flavoured glutinous rice balls with a melted gula melaka (Melaka palm sugar) filling should be made with good quality ingredients, and taste best when eaten warm.
INGREDIENTS:
- Juice of 5 pandan leaves
- Juice of 5 cendol leaves
- 100g gula melaka
- 200g glutinous rice flour
- ½ grated coconut
METHOD:
- Mix the sifted glutinous rice flour with the pandan and cendol leaf juice. Add boiling hot water to get a smooth dough that’s not too sticky.
- Divide dough into small pieces, flatten, scoop some gula melaka into the centre as a filling and roll into balls.
- Drop the balls into boiling water. Scoop them out when they float to the top and shake off excess water.
- Toss in grated coconut and garnish with sesame seeds.
