Nyonya-Style Steak

One would think during these times of stay-at-home orders, I would be doing a lot of cooking.  While I am doing some cooking, it is not as much as I would like. There are a couple of reasons.  Work, of course, is one of the main reasons.  The other reason is that I really don't like going to the grocery stores right now.  It is not as enjoyable as it once was.  I have spent quite a bit of my spare time researching how to order directly from farms and other local suppliers.  

Still, I have my fair shares to continue with my cooking hobby.  My beautiful Angel recently bought a couple of sirloin steaks when she went to the grocery store.  I went online looking for recipes and found a recipe for "Nonya-Style Flank Steak" from Steven Raichlen.  According to Steven Raichlen, it is a recipe of steak, Malaysian "Grandmother"-style.  The "style" is defined by the of oyster sauce, anise (or Chinese Five Spice) and topped with fried garlic. As much as I love Steven Raichlen and his contribution to cooking and cuisine (I am a big fan of all his shows), there is a little more to the Nonya-style.

Initially, it is Nyonya, not Nonya. The Nyonya (or Baba Nyonya) are the descendants of the Peranakan Chinese.  The Peranakan Chinese left what is now Guangdong and Fujian in modern-day China.  They emigrated to the Malay peninsula and the islands of what are now Indonesia. The emigration began in the 10th century but mostly took place from the 15th to the 17th centuries.  Thus, the Nyonya are a subculture of Chinese descendants who live in modern-day Malaysia. Those who live in Penang, Malacca and Singapore refer to themselves as Baba Nyonya.

In researching the cuisine of the Nyonya, I came across a very detailed research paper by Chien Y. Ng and Shahrim B. Karim, which can be found here. Both Ng and Karim discuss the historical and contemporary influences on Nyonya cuisine in their paper. They generally describe that cuisine as "a product of of cultural borrowing and cultural innovation through exposure to local sources of food such as ingredients and food preparation, that are non-Chinese." In other words, given the roots from whence they came, the starting point is Chinese cuisine. Once they reached the Malay peninsula, some of the ingredients they would have have used were no longer available or easily attainable.  This is where other cultures, such as the Malay, could fill in the gaps.  This allowed the Nyonya to adapt Chinese cuisine to life on the Malay peninsula.

Commonalities between Nyonya and Malay cuisine emerged over time, particularly when it came ot the use of certain ingredients. Both cuisines extensively use pungent roots (such as turmeric, galangal and ginger), leaves (laksa leaves, galangal leaves, and coriander leaves), spices (cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin and nutmeg) and other ingredients (such as lemongrass and tamarind).  One other common ingredient between the two cuisines is the use of chiles. both dried and fresh.

Ng and Karim posit there are three types of Nyonya dishes: (1) traditional Chinese (Hokkien) dishes; (2) Malay-style dishes; and (3) innovated foods. Returning to Steven Raichlen's recipe, the use of oyster sauce, soy sauce, garlic, and turmeric make it hard to distinguish where this recipe draws its inspiration within those types.  Those ingredients are common in both Chinese and Malay cuisine.  It is perhaps the use of Chinese five spice (which is really a Chinese ingredient) that would put this dish in the first category (if categorization were possible).

Overall, this is a very good recipe for a steak, especially when one may be short on time. It was also a great recipe because it got me to look a little further into a culture and cuisine which I never knew about.  That is what cooking means to me.

I just have to remember the fried garlic slices.  Always something for the next time .... 

NYONYA-STYLE STEAK

Recipe adapted from Steven Raichlen

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

1 1/2 poounds of flank steak, sirloin steak or any steak

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons of oyster sauce
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons of Chinese five-spice powder
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Kosher salt.

Directions:

1.  Prepare the marinade.  Heat oil in a small skill over medium heat.  Add the garlic and cook until golden brown, about 1 minute.  Transfer the garlic to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.  Pour the garlic flavored oil into a heatproof mixing bowl and let cool to room temperature.  Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, Chinese five spice, turmeric, and pepepr to the garlic oil.  Season with salt to taste.  Pour the marinade over the flank steak, turn it to coat both sides.  Let the steak marinate in the refrigerator, covered, 1 to 4 hours, turning it once or twice.

2. Grill the steak.  Heat a grill on high heat.   Brush and oil the grate.  Drain the steak and arrange it on a hot grate at a diagonal to the bars.  Grill the steak until cooked to taste, about 3 to 5 minuts for medium rare.  Transfer the grille dsteak to a platter and let it rest for 2-3 minutes. Thinly slice the steak and serve it with the fired garlic slices sprinkled on top.

ENJOY!