Penang has a sizable Eurasian populace (people of mixed European and Asian ancestry) similar to the former Portuguese colonies of Goa (India), Malacca (Malaysia) and Macau (China). Besides the dominant Portuguese-Eurasian community, Penang also has significant British- and French-Eurasians, descended from refugees fleeing religious persecution in Siam and Burma to British-ruled Penang in the late-18th century. But, by and large, whatโs defined as Eurasian cuisine in Malaysia and Singapore inevitably has strong Portuguese-Goan-Malaccan characteristics.
The Creolised cuisines of Goan-Portuguese, Malaccan-Portuguese and Macanese-Portuguese have been influencing and counter-influencing each other over the centuries, even adopting African influences - from Portuguese colonies like Mozambique and Angola. Goa was a Portuguese colony from 1510 to 1961, Malacca from 1511 to 1641 (when the Dutch supplanted the Portuguese) and Macau from 1897 to 1976.
The annual Eurasian Food Fiesta 2023 was held yesterday, Sunday Aug 13, at the main hall of Saint Xavierโs Institution, with about ten different food stalls offering various Eurasian eats.
We zeroed in on a stall run by Amelleia Chamin, who specialised in Goan curries, as we know sheโs one of the best around - her stallโs continuously busy as her many fans recognized her.
What we stuffed ourselves with:
๐พ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐พ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ก, a spiced, coconut milk-enriched Goan chicken dish believed to have originated in the former Portuguese African colonies of Mozambique and Angola, where ๐๐๐๐ง๐ refers to the inhabitants of Cafraria (or โKaffrariaโ), derived from โkafirโ, a term Arabs used on the non-Muslim inhabitants of the Swahili coast. โร Cafrealโ means โin the way of the Cafresโ.
It was spicy, but the coconut milk tempered the heat of the chilis (introduced by the Portuguese to India in the 1500s).
๐๐ค๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ก๐ค๐ค - another popular Goan staple, derived from the Portuguese ๐ค๐ข๐ณ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐ท๐ช๐ฏ๐ฉ๐ข ๐ฅโ๐ข๐ญ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ด, literally โmeat in garlic marinadeโ. It was cooked using fatty chunks of pork belly, and was perfect with steamed white rice.
๐พ๐ช๐ง๐ง๐ฎ ๐ฟ๐๐๐๐ก - a very spicy chicken-ham bone-bacon curry, flavoured with candlenuts, galangal, mustard seed and vinegar from Malaccaโs Eurasian Kristang (Cristรฃo) culinary tradition. Traditionally made with leftovers from a Christmas dinner, the dish had long superceded that purpose, and can now be found at any Eurasian dinner party or fiesta.
๐๐ค๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ก๐ก ๐พ๐ช๐ง๐ง๐ฎ - this was my favourite dish of the evening. The coconut-infused, gently-spiced sauce was milder than the other options on the table.
๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ช๐จ๐ - Eurasian sweet potato buns with spiced meat filling. This was a retro tea-time or party snack which used to be so common in 1960s/70s Singapore and Malaysia, but which has become so rare nowadays, with the advent of Japanese and French-style bakeries everywhere. The version here really took me back to my childhood years.
๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐ - soy-braised pork loin, pigโs ears. Another of my old-time favourites.
Assortment of apple pies, chicken pies and curry puffs.
Also got a cookbook on sale there, but not sure if Iโll cook from it. 
