MELAKA, Nov 23 — The fiery red chicken curry, glistening with the aromatic oils of chillies and spices, might whet anyone’s appetite. But the half-submerged orbs of charcoal black would guarantee it.

This dish is Ayam Buah Keluak, a classic Peranakan dish, and those tantalising orbs are buah keluak (or black nuts), an utmost delicacy.

I am back in my hometown Melaka and have brought my family out for lunch at Lin Neo Delight, a home style Nyonya restaurant.

It is located in the quieter neighbourhood of Kota Laksamana away from the Jonker Street crowds.

Entering the shop, we are shown quickly to our table. I had made sure to call ahead to make a reservation; during lunch time, every table was full.

The sight of other diners enjoying the unpretentious Peranakan fare demonstrated exactly why this was the case.

The aforementioned Ayam Buah Keluak wins over everyone at our table but approval from my mother means the most. She observes that buah keluak aren’t cheap and these look very good.

Each black nut is a healthy size, feeling heavy as we each take one to spoon out its midnight-hued flesh. There is really no way to describe the taste and scent of well-prepared buah keluak — somewhere between the fragrance of truffles and the richness of dark chocolate.

Making the dish is labour intensive: fresh buah keluak seeds are naturally toxic and made edible through fermentation. Traditionally, Nyonya home cooks would soak the black nuts in water for a few days before cooking.

The result is an experience rarer and more exciting than shucking and slurping oysters or digging morsels of meat from tiny hairy crabs.

After removing the precious "nut meat”, we mix the black keluak flesh with the chicken and spicy curry, stirring this luscious manna into our rice.

What flavours! Turmeric and lemongrass, belacan and galangal... and the inimitable buah keluak, headier than truffles and more intense than dark chocolate.

There is no better starter than the classic Peranakan "appetiser” or Pai Tee. Lin Neo Delight also lists this in their menu as "Nyonya Style Spring Rolls” for customers who are new to Peranakan cuisine perhaps but those in the know wouldn’t miss out on this treat.

Expect a plate of crispy "top hats” stuffed with strips of omelette, julienned vegetables and fried shallots that are garnished with some cili cuka (vinegar chilli dip). Don’t dally for these lose their crispiness quickly, wafer-thin as they are.

Another highlight is the restaurant’s popular Babi Pongteh. Here the chunks of pork and cubes of potato are stewed with taucheo (fermented bean paste), dark sweet soy sauce and real gula Melaka (Melakan palm sugar).

The latter means the sugar level is not over the top though a little bit of natural sweetness from softened shallots or onions wouldn’t go amiss.

Still, the gravy is moreish enough that you would ask for a second bowl of rice to finish every last drop.

To bulk up our meal, we also ordered Telur Dadar Cincaluk and Terung Goreng Cili.

The former is a hefty omelette mixed with the famous Malaccan fermented shrimp or cincaluk (it’s lovely on its own as a dip too). There is no better version of an omelette, in my opinion, not even the French and their copious amounts of butter.

The Terung Goreng Cili is a simple dish of stir-fried eggplant with chilli, but it is in its simplicity that the two ingredients shine, each showcasing the strengths of the other.

If we had more people at our table, I would add a platter of Bendeh Sambal Belacan (blanched okra that is chilled and doused in aromatic sambal belacan). Vegetables are treated quite modestly in Peranakan cuisine and our taste buds fare all the better for this restraint.

My father tells me we must end our meal with Cendol and I agree. It’s what nearly every table orders to complete their lunch too.

Bowls of shaved ice, red beans and fat noodles of green jelly, drizzled with gula Melaka and santan (coconut cream). Chilled and sweet, with all the textures you desire – the softness of the cendol, the chewy bite of the red beans, the silky creaminess of the santan.

Being true Melakans, we prefer a bowl of cendol anytime over the over-the-top abundance of colourful ABC.

It is in its rather straightforward nature that Peranakan cendol proves its mettle; we don’t need all the levelled-up toppings when the basic ingredients are fresh and the best available.

We left the restaurant with full bellies and smiles on our faces. This was a meal to remember... and to return for another round the next time I am back in my hometown.

Lin Neo Delight

40, Jln KLJ 4, Kota Laksamana Jaya, Melaka

Open Wed-Sun 11am-3pm & 5:30-8:30pm; Mon-Tue closed

Phone: 013-280 1058

* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.

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