GUAN'S NYONYA SUPPERCLUB

After months of wanting to attend one of Guan's amazing supperclubs, I finally made it (!)

It wasn't too long ago since my last trip back home to Malaysia in February, but I will always have a certain craving for good comforting Malaysian cuisine, and this was the perfect way to satisfy it.  

Nyonya cuisine is a blend of Chinese and Malays cooking styles that originate from Peranakans or Baba and Nyonya, typically found in Penang (my hometown!), the Northern part of Peninsular Malaysia, Melaka and Singapore.

The first of our starters was a fragrant and crispy dish of lemongrass and belacan wings. I do love belacan, which is a dried shrimp paste traditionally used in Malaysian cooking - it makes stuff like sambal taste so much better, but probably best utilized in a kitchen with good ventilation...

But I digress. This belacan chicken was definitely finger-licking good and a strong start to the feast that lay ahead.

Next up was one of my favourite dishes from home, made with a twist. A vibrant and refreshing Malaysian Nyonya-style salad, Guan used pineapple, watermelon and samphire which was a unique but delicious combination. Plenty of aromatic herbs and a nice level of acidity and sweetness - can I 'tapao' two portions of this home with me please...?

This was followed by fried 'assam' (tamarind) prawns - plump juicy prawns coated in a sticky sweet and sour sauce. I usually have them cooked with the shells, but this tasted just as good, and also less fidgety (!)
And don't forget to suck on the head, that's where all the flavour is... mmm...

Having finished our first round of starters, a large bowl of rice was passed round the table as we heaped them on to our plates in preparation for the mains. First up was a hearty portion of 'Daging Pongteh', which was beef flank braised in fermented soy bean paste. The meat was so tender and the stew was really flavourful that I scooped generous spoonfuls of it onto my rice. This dish is typically cooked with pork or chicken, but either way a comforting and mouth-watering dish.

The goose-fat roasted cauliflower with sambal belacan was another firm favourite around the table. I do love cauliflower and this was cooked through really well, and I particularly liked the sambal belacan which was sweeter than usual but went well with the dish, and everything else on my plate. Sambal just goes well with everything...

Next were two fish dishes, one of them the skate and pineapple curry which had really soft and silky skate meat, and the other a surprise off-menu dish - I was clearly too distracted by the food to remember the species of fish, but it was good (!)

My belly was also quite stuffed by this point - crazy, I know.

There was obviously still room for dessert.

Guan chose to steer away from typical Nyonya desserts which are usually quite heavy - a good idea after all the starters and mains...

 The first was a frozen coconut parfait, topped with a sweet caramelised banana with a sprinkle of crunchy nestum crumble - and yes, it tasted as good as it looked.

Another surprise dish of the evening were these sweet horlicks and gula melaka choux puffs - Guan really does know how to spoil us!

And just before we all rolled ourselves out of his flat to head home, we nibbled on some freshly baked mini pandan madeleines - so moreish that I also smuggled some leftovers home to take home with me...

 Overall it was a great evening filled with an amazing array of dishes that was a nice taste of home. It's no wonder that his supperclubs book out so quickly! There is a minimum donation of £35 (a bargain), with 10 spaces per session, and you can check the latest availability via this link - or just subscribe to his newsletter on the website.

I would definitely book myself in again.

The Cheekster, signing out x

DEBUT NIGHT AT THE PERANAKAN PALACE

After much admiration (and drooling) over Jason's cooking and recipe photos, I finally had a taste of his amazing amazing Nyonya food last weekend.
I previously had the opportunity of trying his yummy (rendang) balls at the Blogger Saturday event last year, and now I was ready for the full experience.

I don't often venture that far into East London, and especially not Stratford...but for this event, I was willing to make an exception (Jason, why do you live so far?!). 

We decided to make our way on foot from the station, and relying heavily on Google maps, we eventually found Jason's humble abode - according to him, the only street in Stratford with a pavement. Fancy...

Here is Jason, donning his signature Hawaiian shirt - the very same one that he was wearing when I first met him.

 

For his Peranakan Palace Debut Night, Jason had put together a meal consisting of classic Nyonya dishes that his grandmother would traditionally make for special occasions, such as during birthdays and weddings. Nyonya cuisine is basically the result of combining Chinese with Malay ingredients and cooking techniques, something which I loved eating back in my hometown, Penang.

Okay, this is not quite the most flattering photo pose...but it was the clearest one. 
Sorry Jason.

| Sambal Belacan | 

Knowing how much I love my spicy food, and how much I miss eating sambal, I strategically sat myself right next to the sambal bowl.
I used to have sambal belacan with everything back home, even spaghetti and toast.
Don't judge me, it was actually pretty awesome. Maybe I should have just sneaked out the entire jar when Jason wasn't watching.

| Achar |

Also placed on both sides of the table were jars containing Achar - Nyonya vegetable pickles with spicy paste. Great to pick and nibble on. So much better than your average pickled vegetables, and with much more flavour to them.

 

 

| Ngor Hiang |

 - Five-spice meat rolls -

Or as I call it 'Loh Bak', is made from minced pork seasoned with five-spice powder, and made into a sausage-esque roll. The meat is rolled inside a beancurd skin and then deep-fried. I excitedly nodded my head in agreement to have seconds - no need to be 'pai seh' in Jason's house, right?

| Popiah |

- Sweet braised vegetables wrapped in homemade popiah skins -

Jason even made his own popiah skins, good effort!

 

| Ox Cheek Rendang |

- Slow cooked ox cheek in spicy paste and coconut milk - 

My favourite dish of the evening. I had already seen some preparation photos from earlier in the week that Jason posted, so I knew that this was definitely going to be a great dish. Braised over 16 hours, Jason had clearly put plenty of effort into making one of the best rendang dishes that I have had in a long time. 
I would love to be able to make this myself sometime, but listening to the different stages of preparation, I think that I'll be sticking to eating for now...
Unless I find a man who is good in the kitchen to do the job for me - excellent idea.

| Babi Pongteh |

- Braised pork belly, bamboo shoots, mushrooms and potatoes in fermented bean paste -

Really soft and tender, fat and juicy meat - definitely not for those who are watching their weight...

 

| Sayur Lodeh |

- Mixed vegetables stewed in coconut gravy - 

See, we had a healthy portion of vegetables as well! In a super thick and rich coconut gravy...okay, not so healthy after all. But still very tasty! Which is what's most important...

To finish off, we were served some traditional homemade Nyonya kuih/puddings, which is a big part of Nyonya cuisine.

Kuih Dadar, or otherwise known as Kuih Katayap, is a pandan flavoured crepe filled with dessicated coconut steeped in gula melaka or Malaysian palm sugar.

The other dessert was Onde-onde (Ondeh-ondeh), which is usually made from either sweet potato or glutinous rice flour, and is best eaten when it is warm.

Both very comforting delights, especially for those who have a sweet tooth.

 

Jason had clearly missed out adding in the fine print to bring your own takeaway Tupperware (!), but I was so stuffed at the end of the meal, that more food was the last thing that I had in mind. 

Thank you Jason for a fun food-filled evening. And well done on manning both the kitchen and front-of-house on your own! Looking forward to your future supperclubs.
I will be bringing my own Tupperware box next time, or maybe even two...

The Cheekster, signing out x