by Nuraini Bte Baki
The Malays are a part of the Asian community in Asia. In Singapore they are one of the main 5 prominent ethnic cultures. Most of the Malay people that came to this country in the earlier centuries were traders or sailors who came to the island to trade. The majority were travellers from the sea thus working on a boat or living close to the sea was a natural thing to them.
Most of the Malays here are related to the people in Malaysia because they shared a lot of similar traits from the olden kampong days. “For Malays in both town and country rice and fish are staple food” (Firth, Page I, 1966). While many travellers settled onto this island, both in the ‘urban’ or the ‘rural’ area, seafood has become their main staple food along with fresh produce that was mostly produced from the main in land.
MALAY FISHERMEN
Fishing is a casual day labour for fishermen (nelayans) who brought in the seafood to “trade” for fresh produce from the mainland in the olden days or basically for business, now, in the modern days. Trading had also helped spread the use of seafood for the people who live mostly inland in the olden days to get use to having seafood as their staple food.
Back then, many were uneducated to hold jobs as professors or teachers; they had to find ways to survive on daily basis with the main goal in mind – to bring food home for their own family and for themselves. Getting their hands on resources that are easily attainable pretty much shaped their diet as well.
STAPLE FOOD: SEAFOOD
The reason why seafood is vastly used in the Malay cooking is the ease of access to get the fresh produce and there are many different types’ herbs and spices that they grew themselves, would accompany the fish dishes well and an easy way to create a sumptuous meal.
Without realizing, seafood has become a staple food for all Asians, not only for the Malays, where soup and fish paste, that are rich with vitamin B, are used daily in Asian culinary**. From cleaning the fishes to preparing them and serving them, they take advantage of everything around them.
CONCLUSION
Since it is the staple food for most Malays, their lives revolves around it because the fresh harvest from the sea is generally the best, mainly fishes. Having a vast supply of the same type of fishes every other day, the Malays are able to prepare the same seafood dishes every other day or spice up something unique to add variety to their everyday dish along with some dishes that consists of vegetables or fruits.
The Malays are a part of the Asian community in Asia. In Singapore they are one of the main 5 prominent ethnic cultures. Most of the Malay people that came to this country in the earlier centuries were traders or sailors who came to the island to trade. The majority were travellers from the sea thus working on a boat or living close to the sea was a natural thing to them.
Most of the Malays here are related to the people in Malaysia because they shared a lot of similar traits from the olden kampong days. “For Malays in both town and country rice and fish are staple food” (Firth, Page I, 1966). While many travellers settled onto this island, both in the ‘urban’ or the ‘rural’ area, seafood has become their main staple food along with fresh produce that was mostly produced from the main in land.
MALAY FISHERMEN
Fishing is a casual day labour for fishermen (nelayans) who brought in the seafood to “trade” for fresh produce from the mainland in the olden days or basically for business, now, in the modern days. Trading had also helped spread the use of seafood for the people who live mostly inland in the olden days to get use to having seafood as their staple food.
Back then, many were uneducated to hold jobs as professors or teachers; they had to find ways to survive on daily basis with the main goal in mind – to bring food home for their own family and for themselves. Getting their hands on resources that are easily attainable pretty much shaped their diet as well.
STAPLE FOOD: SEAFOOD
The reason why seafood is vastly used in the Malay cooking is the ease of access to get the fresh produce and there are many different types’ herbs and spices that they grew themselves, would accompany the fish dishes well and an easy way to create a sumptuous meal.
Without realizing, seafood has become a staple food for all Asians, not only for the Malays, where soup and fish paste, that are rich with vitamin B, are used daily in Asian culinary**. From cleaning the fishes to preparing them and serving them, they take advantage of everything around them.
CONCLUSION
Since it is the staple food for most Malays, their lives revolves around it because the fresh harvest from the sea is generally the best, mainly fishes. Having a vast supply of the same type of fishes every other day, the Malays are able to prepare the same seafood dishes every other day or spice up something unique to add variety to their everyday dish along with some dishes that consists of vegetables or fruits.
** Originally translated from “Sup dan pes ikan yang kaya dengan Vitamin B digunakan di seluruh Asia Tenggara setiap hari” (Rajah, Page 6, 2005)
Firth.R, 1966, Malay Fishermen 2nd Edition, Butler and Tanner Ltd Frome and London, Great Britain.
Rajah C.S. Ishak I.S, 2005, Makanan laut ...sedap!, Marshall Cavendish Cuisine, Singapore.
http://members.tripod.com/unique_sg/society.htm
FEATURED PROFILE
The Malays are well known for being a close community, especially the older generations. If observed carefully, it is easy to see how the older generations can simply interact with others, neighbours or even grocery shoppers at the wet market, regardless of race and religion.
Madam Pungot Binte Sarip is one of them. She is a mother to 7 children – 2 of them deceased and along with 10 grandchildren; she has lived through the old days and being very familiar to the culture of the Malay society.
“The Malays can work together anytime in the old kampong days, weddings, community gathering, you name it, we attend it and help out,” she said referring to the olden days where the community is always in the effort of ‘gotong-royong’. “We were all poor back then and have a lot of kids. My late husband has to work and my kids started working early just to feed the hungry mouths”.
When asked about cooking, especially seafood and fishes, she stated that those are always in the family’s staple food to begin with. Being able to get fishes in large quantities at a little price, they can simply fry the fish or make a simple soup dish within minutes and feed the family.
“Those little small fishes, like ikan selar kuning, are small but when fried crispy, tastes good all the time. It is even used in Nasi Lemak these days because of its’ delicious flavour and it is cheap,” Madam Pungot commented.
This fish dishes are usually accompanied by a dish of fried vegetables or ulam – a dish of fresh raw vegetables eaten with a spicy dipping sauce (sambal) but it is also possible to eat it on its own.
Fried fish and lauk pindang recipe (the main focus of the soup dish), are said to be passed down by her late mother to her just as the dishes has been passed down through generations as well. “It is really practical and consists of very simple ingredients”, she added.
If in the past they had to blend the chillies, one of the main ingredients by batu gilling or known as the mortar and pestle, now they use blenders to simplify the process of making the dish even further, she added, “Last time, it takes a while even with my daughters helping me but now I can make the dishes by myself because of the machineries”.
When asked about her opinion about fishes being the most common food in the diet of the Malay society, she stated, “That’s true – it is cheap and delicious”.
FEATURED DISH
IRIS PINDANG
Ingredients:
- Oil for sauteing
- 1 kg of fish or mackerel machete
- 20 stalks dried chilli
- 10 onion seeds
- 2 red chilli seeds
- 2 stalks lemongrass
- 2 sm turmeric life
Cooking Method:
- Dried chilli, onion, turmeric, ground until fine.
- Citronella sliced to pulp and mixed with chilli that has been milled.
- Saute, stir ingredients into the pot and add coconut milk.
- Bring to a boil.
- After boiling put the fish into the sauce and simmer for 10 to 15 minit.
Lauk Pindang is a simple soupy dish that mainly is shared with 3-4 people if cooked in a large quantity. The soup usually softens the flesh of the fish so the it tastes better with the aromatic and flavourful soup.
Preparation of the dish only takes about 15 minutes with all the ingredients ready. This is mainly why the Malays in the olden days prefer to preparing such a dish because it is fast, fuss free and feeds their large families.
Due to the versatile nature of this dish, they can vary the use of the fishes in the dish too. It fits well to the nature of the malay families in the past, be it they were poor or rich. This dish can cater to their tastes buds just by changing the fish that they used.
The more expensive the fish is, the better the quality of the dish.
A popular Chitty everyday dish is lauk pindang which bears strong Malay influences.
"Lauk pindang is fish cooked with a blend of shallots, garlic and turmeric, in a tamarind and thin coconut milk gravy,'' (Amuthavathi, http://peranakan.hostoi.com/IndianPeranakans.htm)
http://peranakan.hostoi.com/IndianPeranakans.htm
