What's Nyonya? Find out at Makati Shangri-La

MANILA, Philippines – Circles Event Café recently launched its Nyonya food festival, which is ongoing until March 29.

The event was graced by Ambassador of Malaysia to the Philippines Dato Ahmad Rasidi Hazizi, Makati Shangri-La general manager Reto Klauser, executive chef Karl Heinz Krautler, and F&B manager Steve Tai, who is a descendant of the Nyonya line.

The authentic Nyonya delicacies are prepared by master chefs flown in from Golden Sands Resort in Penang, Malaysia, especially for the occasion.

A popular trend in Nyonya cuisine is the intermingling of Chinese ingredients with wok-cooking techniques and spices used by the Malaysian community such as coconut milk, galangal (a mustard-scented rhizome similar to ginger), candlenuts, laksa, pandan, tamarind, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and cincaluk, a powerfully flavored sour and salty shrimp-based condiment mixed with lime juice, chilies and shallots. The cincaluk is often eaten with rice, fried fish, and other side dishes.

For reservations, call 840-0884, 813-8888 loc. 7588 or 7599.