海峡殖民地 · 1867–1900s
Crown Colony & coolie kitchens
Coolie labour builds the port and eats to survive it — pork-rib soup at the docks, and Hainanese cooks in colonial households quietly inventing a cuisine of their own.
04The Peranakan Table·70 min·Beginner
Nonya Chap Chyechap chye
The everyday Peranakan braise — Chinese cabbage cooked soft in taucheo with lily buds, wood ear, and glass noodles, the quiet side that steals a feast.
09Kopitiam & Drinks·20 min·Beginner
Kaya Toast & Soft Eggs咖椰吐司
The kopitiam breakfast built at home — charcoal-thin toast, a cold slab of butter, pandan kaya, and eggs steeped barely set under dark soy and white pepper.
01Foundations·80 min·Intermediate
Pandan Kayakaya · 咖椰
Coconut-and-egg jam cooked low over a double boiler, perfumed with real pandan — the green Nyonya school and the brown Hainanese one, told straight.
06Zi Char & the Wok·105 min·Beginner
Bak Kut Teh肉骨茶
Pork ribs simmered with whole garlic and a fistful of cracked white pepper — the clear Teochew morning soup of the docks, refills on the house.
04The Peranakan Table·135 min·Intermediate
Babi Pongtehbabi pongteh
Pork shoulder and shiitake braised slow with taucheo and gula melaka — the brown, bubbling everyday stew at the heart of the Straits-Chinese kitchen.