Kuih is a collective term which we in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia give to bite-sized sweetmeats which are usually served as snacks or desserts. In Thailand, they called it khanom and, in fact, many of the steamed desserts here in Singapore or Malaysia very likely were introduced to us by the Siamese who, in turn, also learnt much of their present-day desserts from a Portuguese-Eurasian lady, Maria Guyomar de Pina who lived in 17th-century Ayutthaya and headed the kitchens of the Siamese royal court at one time.
In Singapore & Malaysia, the colourful kuihs made by the Baba-Nyonya (Straits -born Chinese) community are traditionally particularly desired for their richness and finesse, compared to those by the other main communities (Chinese, Malay and Indians). It is said that the best Nyonya kuihs can be found in the former British Straits Settlements of Penang, Singapore and Malacca.
One of Penangโs most established Nyonya kuih-makers is Moh Teng Pheow, which was set-up in 1933 by Mr Moh Teng Pheow, whoโd started learning to make kuihs at the age of 14 when he came to Penang from Hainan Island, Southern China.
Today, the bakery is run by Mr Mok Hian Beng, the son of Mr Moh Teng Pheow. 65-year-old Mr Mok Hian Beng himself learnt kuih-making since the age of 15. He makes 8 types of Nyonya kuihs today, compared to 15 types made by his father.
Mr Mok Hian Beng is married to Mdm Teoh Kheng Sim, who came from another one of the Penangโs foremost Nyonya kuih-making families - Mdm Teohโs grandmother, ๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐จ๐ค ๐๐ก๐ข๐ง, was the kuih-maker, and cousin of the legendary โTua Bakโ, who ran the business with an astute eye - her nickname was because โshe sees everythingโ, not because her eyes were large. Tua Bakโs Nyonya kuihs were the most sought-after for weddings, birthdays and celebratory โtโng tokโ (long table) dinner parties in George Town back in the 1960s. Tua Bak was a large-sized woman who was often seen ferried around in a trishaw, as she went for her โcekiโ (Nyonya card-game) sessions, back in the old days.
Moh Teng Pheowโs kitchen gets busy pretty early on.
Mr Mok is assisted by a father-and-son team of Karaelim Karupiah, 64, and his son, Vijay Karaelim, 36. Mr Karaelim Karupiah has been working with the family for more than half a century. His son is seen here making kuih lapis, which has 9 alternative white-and-pink layers, hence its Hokkien name โkau teng kuehโ (meaning 9-layer cake) - 4 white layers, 4 pink layers, and a bright red top layer. The Thais have a similar kuih (the Thai word for โkuihโ is โkhanomโ) called โkhanom chanโ which also consisted of 9 layers.
The finished product can be seen in the top-right corner of this platter of Nyonya kuihs:
Moh Teng Pheow also serves some savoury dishes in the little, rustic-looking cafe attached to its kitchen. Among these are the popular Penang asam laksa, a spicy-sour, soupy noodle dish, and the kuih pai tee, crisp pastry cups filled with shredded jicama. Both very tasty:
The selection of Nyonya kuihs which we had:
The renditions here are some of the best in Malaysia, let alone Penang. Of course, it offers a subset of available Nyonya kuihs:
Address
Moh Teng Pheow
Jalan Masjid, off Chulia Street, 10200 George Town, Penang
Tel: + 604-261 5832
Operating hours: 10.30am-5pm daily, except Monday (closed).
