Find Volume 1 here: Peranakan Cuisine
It started out as a simple labour of love for her family, and grew to become a national phenomenon. Mrs Lee Chin Koon (1907–1980), mother of Singapore's founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, and a Peranakan by descent, spent a lifetime compiling her own collection of family recipes. She had intended to pass down the secrets of her homecooked Peranakan and local dishes, perfected over the years in her very own kitchen, to her children and grandchildren. In 1974, her heritage recipes were eventually published as Mrs Lee's Cookbook, and were embraced by an entire nation. Her book has since seen numerous reprints, and has become widely accepted as one of the leading authorities on Peranakan and local cuisine in Singapore.
Since the original version remains out of print, Mrs Lee's granddaughter Shermay Lee has faithfully reworked these well-loved heirloom recipes into two fully illustrated cookbooks, The New Mrs Lee's Cookbook: Volume 1 and Volume 2, launched in 2003 and 2004 respectively. These revised editions have become well-loved classics in their own right, showcasing the richness and diversity of modern Peranakan cooking, while staying true to its traditional roots. The first volume won the prestigious Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in 2003. This second cookbook, The New Mrs Lee's Cookbook Vol. 2: Straits Heritage Cuisine, features a mix of Chinese, Malay and Eurasian dishes, and also includes anecdotes explaining their origins. New sections have also been added, including:
- A list of key ingredients to start a Peranakan kitchen
- Tips and advice on how to entertain the Peranakan way
- Tips on healthier versions of Peranakan dishes and Peranakan secrets revealed
Sample Chapter(s)
Foreword
Introduction
Contents:
- Foreword
- Introduction
- Soups
- Salads
- Snacks
- Seafood
- Chicken and Duck
- Pork
- Beef and Mutton
- One-Dish Meals
- Multiple-Dish Meal — Curry Tiffin
- Glossary
- Basic Cooking Techniques
- Basic Kitchen Equipment
- Weights and Measures
Readership: General, Singaporeans, those interested in cooking local cuisine.
"Shermay's passion for cooking inspired her to revise my mother's cookbook. This new edition will suit a younger generation of Nonya cuisine enthusiasts. Its layout is more up-to-date, although in essence the recipes and methods have been preserved, to all intents and purposes, untouched."
Dr Lee Suan Yew
Son of Mrs Lee Chin Koon
"Mrs Lee Chin Koon's ambition was to pass her Nonya recipes and cooking skills to her grandchildren. In re-writing Mrs Lee's Cookbook and opening Shermay's Cooking School, Shermay fulfils this wish. It all began when she played masak masak (cooking) in her grandmother's kitchen."
Mrs Pamelia Lee
Daughter-in-law of Mrs Lee Chin Koon
"Our grandmother was a remarkable woman who influenced our lives in a significant way. There's a bit of her in all of us... Shermay has inherited her love for cooking."
Amy Lee
Granddaughter of Mrs Lee Chin Koon
"This new edition of Mrs Lee's Cookbook is a timely reminder that you can never have too much of a good thing. Classic Nonya recipes have been given a new lease on life by Shermay Lee, whose passion for cooking — inspired by Mrs Lee — comes shining through. Grandma would have been proud."
Geoffrey Eu
Food and art critic
"My orange-covered copy will now sit next to its pink younger sister! Mrs Lee's recipes have been relied on as kitchen stalwarts by an entire generation, and this sparkling new edition — my mouth waters as I turn its pages — should ensure their place on the plates of the next one. The colours pop, the gravies glisten... the visual appeal of the dishes both rivals and complements that of the antique porcelainware they're presented in. A great tribute to a grande dame of Peranakan cuisine."
Christopher Tan
Writer, photographer and food consultant
Shermay Lee is a food consultant and award-winning cookbook author specialising in Singapore heritage and Peranakan cuisine. Her most recent endeavour and role is as founder and owner of her eponymous label, Shermay's Singapore Fine Food, which features a range of her sauces and crackers.
As part of her food consultancy, Singapore Airlines tapped on Shermay's culinary expertise to commemorate Singapore's 50th birthday with the creation of a three-month long "Singapore Heritage Cuisine" menu, available across all cabin classes and lounges. This appointment makes her the first born and bred Singaporean, first Peranakan and amongst only a handful of female chefs who has collaborated with on an international scale. She has worked with The Clifford Pier at The Fullerton Bay Hotel, an iconic 5-star hotel. For SG50, Singapore's golden jubilee year, she curated a special menu "Singapore's Culinary Grande Dames" featuring dishes by Mrs Lee Chin Koon (her grandmother), Mrs Leong Yee Soo (her grandaunt) and Mrs Ellice Handy (her former school principal); all of whom were pioneer Singaporean cookbook authors. In 2014, she conceptualised a special Peranakan menu based on her grandmother's published and unpublished recipes for The Clifford Pier's launch, the August menu as well as the inaugural Afternoon Tea menu.
A 6th generation Peranakan with a strong culinary tradition, Shermay has early memories of being in the kitchen with her grandmother, Mrs Lee Chin Koon, who was considered the doyen of Peranakan cuisine and was the author of the famous cookbook Mrs Lee's Cookbook, a kitchen stalwart published in 1974. She later attended the renowned classical French culinary institute, Le Cordon Bleu, then worked as an Investment Banker. Prior to that, she graduated from Brown University, USA, with a degree in Political Science and History.
