Eurasian cuisine of Singapore and Malaysia

Sugee cake, a cake commonly eaten by the Singaporean Eurasian community

The Eurasian cuisine of Singapore and Malaysia is a type of fusion cuisine.

Origins

In general, Eurasians are people of any mixed European and Asian ancestry. However, if referring to Eurasian cuisine, usually the amalgamation of Portuguese, Dutch, British, Chinese, Malay, and also Indian and Peranakan influences is meant. Within this cuisine, ingredients in European dishes are replaced or complemented by Asian ingredients. Conversely, European ingredients are used in Asian dishes. The cuisine dates to the 16th century.

For example, cream in European recipes is replaced by coconut cream and dried Chinese sausage (lap cheong) is used instead of chorizo. Also, the use of soy sauce, chilli and ginger is used interchangeably with vinegar, mustard and Worcestershire sauce.

Definition

The word Eurasian is a portmanteau of European and Asian. There is no clear definition of what can be specified as Eurasian cuisine. Some dishes are also found in Portuguese, Indonesian, Malaysian, Singaporean and Chinese cuisines. By local adaptation(s), or by its ubiquitous presence within the Eurasian community, a dish is sometimes considered "Eurasian".

Dishes

Chap Chye

Semur Daging Kentang

• Baca assam, beef cheeks cooked in tamarind water
• Chap chye, a stir fried vegetable dish consisting of lily buds, wood fungus, shiitake mushrooms, glass vermicelli/cellophane noodles, bean curd sheets, cabbage, carrots and turnips, dried shrimp/prawn, and onions.
• Devil's curry or curry debal (Portuguese), chicken and potatoes in a sauce of chilli, galangal, lemongrass, ginger, turmeric powder, mustard seeds, shallots or onions, garlic, vinegar and kemiri nuts (candle nuts).
• Oxtail stew (British), a stew with cinnamon, soy sauce and star anise.
• Putugal, a steamed rice cake
• Kueh kochi pulot hitam, a cake of black and white glutinous rice flour with a filling of mung beans or coconut.
• Semur, a type of meat stew (mainly beef), that is braised in thick brown gravy.
• Shepherd's pie (British), a traditional dish with meat and mashed potatoes with the addition of soy sauce, oyster sauce, Chinese mushrooms and garlic.
• Sugee cake, a semolina cake

Related cuisines

• Indo cuisine
• Kristang cuisine
• Peranakan cuisine
• Macanese cuisine, a fusion of Portuguese and Chinese cuisines

See also

• Eurasians in Singapore
• List of Asian cuisines

Further reading

• Gomes, Mary (2009), The Eurasian Cookbook, Horizon Books, Singapore, ISBN 981-04-4344-7
• Hutton, Wendy (2003), Eurasian Favourites, Periplus Mini Cookbooks, Periplus, Singapore, ISBN 978-0-7946-0136-2
• Pereira, Quentin (2012), Eurasian Heritage Cooking, Marshall Cavendish Cuisine, Singapore, ISBN 978-981-4346-46-7
• D'Silva, Damian (2012), Rebel with a Course, Ate, Singapore, ISBN 978 981 0703424