Nonya Secrets

I am the daughter of Straits Chinese – the Nonyas and Babas of south-east Asia. In the early days, the role of the daughter of a Peranakan family was to learn the skills of embroidery, traditional arts and culinary practices for the enjoyment and advancement of her husband, his friends and their livelihood.

Despite growing up in more liberal times, I was put to use in the kitchen where I learned the full and varied repertoire of Nonya specialities.

When I moved to Europe I adapted to the ingredients and produce that was available here and, adopting the cosmopolitan spirit of my Nonya mother and Baba father, took the sauce recipes that had been passed down from my ancestors and began to create my own cuisine firmly rooted in my heritage.

Nonya sauces require painstaking and lengthy hands-on preparation before they can be bottled and jarred. We use a vast array of herbs, plus rhizomes such as galangal, turmeric and ginger, as well as onions, garlic, chillies and lemongrass. They all need to be carefully measured, sliced and ground to a fine texture to produce our sambals and smooth curry pastes, which are then cooked so that the onions caramelise and the ingredients come together in a melange of hot and sweet, spicy and smooth.

I am truly delighted and honoured that by cooking with our Nonya Secrets range, you and your family are able to share a taste of my family heritage and recreate in your own home the healthy, complex and delicious cuisine of south-east Asia.”