These are some of the best Nonya dishes - lots of fresh herbs and spices are used to produce the unique flavour of Straits Chinese cooking.

Udang Laksa ( Prawn Laksa) - A spicy noodle soup made with a spice paste of fresh herbs garnished with king prawns, fish slices, Laksa leaves and mouth-watering hot sambal.

Asam Babi (Fine slices of pork in spicy tamarind sauce) - Fine slices of fillet pork cooked with brown bean paste and aromatic kaffir lime leaves with candlenuts, dried chillies and blachan in a sweet-sourish tamarind sauce.

Udang Kuah Pedas Nanas (King prawns and fresh pineapple sweet sour soup) - This delicious dish is made with fresh herbs of galangal, turmeric and chillies and tamarind juice to give the soup a sweet-sour, slightly pungent flavour.

Sayor Lemak (Vegetables in spicy rich coconut milk) - A lovely assortment of vegetables cooked with fresh paste of chillies, ginger, garlic, fresh turmeric, candle nuts, shallots and blachan with coconut milk or cream to give it its rich texture.

Udang Telor Sayor (Prawns and Egg salad) - This refreshing dish is made of cooked prawns and hard-boiled eggs sitting on a bed of lettuce, sliced cucumbers and tomatoes, topped with freshly made dressing of lemon juice, ground peanuts, plum sauce with a dash of ground chillies.

Ayam Masak Lemak (Chicken with fresh herbs in spicy coconut sauce) - Fresh herbs are used to make this lovely chicken dish with fresh kaffir lime leaves and coconut cream.

Daging/Ayam Rendang (Beef or Chicken Rendang) - Cooked with fresh herbs and curry leaves, simmered slowly to draw out the flavours and sprinkled with toasted desiccated coconut.

Ikan Asam Pedas (Fillet fish in hot sourish tamarind sauce) - Fillets of fish cooked with fresh herbs of galangal, turmeric, chillies, blachan, shallots and candlenuts and tamarind juice.

Babi Tauyu (Braised pork in dark soya sauce and honey) - Fillet of pork finely diced cooked slowly with five spice and star anise with special thick dark soy and honey.

Sambal Udang (Prawn sambal) - A fiery dish of green king prawns with lots of dried chillies and fresh herbs and a good dose of tamarind extract.

Ngoh Hiang (Five spice rolls) - Quite an exotic dish made with beancurd skin which has a filling of crab meat, mince pork, five-spice powder and seasoning, steamed first and then deep-fried and served with home-made chilli sauce and sweet black sauce.

Ayam Pong Tay (Breast fillet of chicken with cinnamon stick and brown bean paste) - This simple but memorable dish is cooked with lots of garlic and cinnamon stick and allowed to cook slowly until the meat is nice and tender. It is garnished with finely sliced fresh chillies.

Mee Siam (Vermicelli noodles in a slightly tart sauce) - Fried noodles with bean sprouts garnished with slices of hard boiled eggs, king prawns, dices of tofu and finely sliced Chinese chive, drizzled in a lovely tamarind sauce with a dollop of fiery chilli sambal.

Chap Chye (Dried tofu, black fungus and cabbage) - Dried bean curd, soaked first and cooked with cabbage, glass vermicelli, black fungus, prawns with lots of garlic and brown bean paste, a very tasty light semi-vegetarian dish.

Popia (Nonya egg rolls) - A very special and satisfying Nonya dish. The skin of the roll is made of eggs and flour, similar to a heavy crepe. The roll is then filled with finely shredded vegetables, bits of cooked prawns, tofu and pork and garnished with lettuce leaf, fresh bean sprouts, lup cheong (Chinese sausage), freshly pounded chilli, garlic and sweet thick black sauce.

Achar (Pickled vegetables) - A delicious mix of broad beans, cabbage, pineapple, cucumber and carrots cooked with a fresh paste of galangal, turmeric and chillies, a good dose of good quality rice vinegar and lots of toasted sesame seeds and crushed nuts to give it a slightly pungent and nutty flavour. Achar is marvellous with fried noodles and as a salad for a BBQ party.