My maternal grandmother is Penang nyonya and mother followed her traditional nyonya cooking style and recipe. So do I. The nyonya cuisine is rich in tradition and culture which has become part of my family heritage.
In our culture, on the first day of wedding, mother will prepare lunch for the daughter in tiffin carrier. It is part of the symbolic rituals to enable the daughter to take some familiar food which she used to take at home, and not get starved while attending to the ceremonial wedding processes and adapting to the new environment. I remember vividly that my sister delivered over my favorite lunch dishes in my favorite tiffin to my parents-in-law's house after the traditional Chinese tea ceremony.
It was a touching moments when I saw the familiar green enamel tiffin carrying my favorite dishes. I could not eat much due to the overwhelming feeling and anxiety (wedding day) while keep thinking of my lovely mum...
The two dishes are the "Spicy Curry Leaves & Onion Chicken Curry" and "Dried Shrimp Sambal with Okra" together with steamed rice. Though I can prepare the dishes now, but my mother's cooking is still the best.
Fortunately, I inherited two sets of enamel tiffin carrier, including the greeen tiffin. These tiffin carriers have been added to our collection of old and new kitchen utensils.
Note: I was told the green enamel tiffin cost RM 2 and the blue and white flower motif design tiffin (shown in the photo) cost RM 1.60 when my grandmother bought it in the mid 60's.
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