Chef Wan’s Nyonya squid sambal is a dish that originate from the Peranakan (Straits chinese). The “Peranakan” refers to people of mixed Chinese and Malay/Indonesian heritage. They are also well known as the “Baba nyonya”. Peranakan males are known as Babas while the females are known as Nyonyas.
My brothers and me are years apart in age, thus I grew up spending quite a lot of time with my cousins who were of the same age as me. I spent many weekends at my uncle’s place as his 4 kids were my favorite playmates. My uncle married a Chinese lady, and she used to watch a lot of these Peranakan theater. As a kid, I found the Peranakans very intriguing. They are Chinese looking, still they speak Malay and were often dressed up similar to a Malay, dressed up in a kebaya top with intricate embroidery and a sarong, with their beaded slippers.
