"“Time, patience, real ingredients, and no shortcuts,” says Wong Thong Yee, the founder of Nya. These are the secrets to her fantastic Nyonya kueh, bite-size Malay desserts that include such must-tries as the chewy, fragrant tapioca kueh and the kaya (coconut jam), cooked over charcoal for six to eight hours to achieve its smooth texture and high viscosity. Her father, born on the outskirts of Malacca, insisted on traditional cooking methods; Yee learned the lesson well and still skips artificial coloring in favor of dyes extracted from garden-fresh ingredients like pandan leaves and blue pea flowers. Combined with gula melaka (brown sugar) and yam, the results are shades rarely seen outside art museums. [$$$]" - Ian Poh Jin Tze