Chua Jim Neo

Chua Jim Neo
Born 1903
Died 8 August 1980(1980-08-08) (aged 76–77)
Nationality Singaporean
Occupation Cookbook writer
Children Five, including Lee Kuan Yew
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese 蔡認娘
Simplified Chinese 蔡认娘
Hanyu Pinyin Cài Rènniáng
Hokkien POJ Chhòa Jīn-niû

Chua Jim Neo (蔡認娘; 1903 – 8 August 1980), also known as Mrs. Lee Chin Koon (李進坤夫人), was a Chinese cookbook writer from Singapore best known for Mrs. Lee's Cookbook, which preserves the recipes of Peranakan cuisine. Chua was also the mother of Lee Kuan Yew, the first Prime Minister of Singapore.

Biography

Chua was born in 1903 to a wealthy businessman[1] and a Hakka nyonya (Neo Ah Soon) from Indonesia. Her parents arranged a marriage for her to a storekeeper, named Lee Chin Koon, and they married when she was eighteen.[2] Chua had five children and her oldest son was Lee Kuan Yew, who went on to become the first Prime Minister of Singapore.[2][3] Chua saved her family jewelry and money, managing household finances and helping Kuan Yew attend law school in Britain.[2]

In 1974, she wrote Mrs. Lee's Cookbook: Nonya Recipes and Other Favorite Recipes[4] in order to preserve the heritage of Peranakan cuisine.[2][5] Chua was considered a "highly respected authority on nonya/baba cuisine."[6] Chua would describe herself as a nonya, whose cuisine combines Straits Chinese cooking with Malay-style cooking.[7] The cookbook was updated and republished in 2003 by her granddaughter, Lee Shermay.[8]

Chua died on 8 August 1980, and was cremated at the Mount Vernon Columbarium.[9] She was inducted posthumously in to the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame in 2015.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Branigin, William (22 March 2015). "Lee Kuan Yew, who led Singapore into prosperity over 30-year rule, dies at 91". The Washington Post. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Chua Jim Neo". Singapore Women's Hall of Fame. Singapore Council of Women's Organisations. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  3. ↑ Chan, Robin; Tan, Sumiko (24 March 2015). "Remembering Lee Kuan Yew: Devoted husband and caring father". Straits Times. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  4. ↑ Corfield, Justin (2011). Historical Dictionary of Singapore. Lanham: The Scarecrow Press, Inc. p. 142. ISBN 9780810871847.
  5. ↑ Tarulevicz, Nicole (2013). Eating Her Curries and Kway: A Cultural History of Food in Singapore. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. pp. 106–107. ISBN 9780252038099.
  6. ↑ Backman, Michael (2004). The Asian Insider: Unconventional Wisdom for Asian Business. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 73. ISBN 1403916578.
  7. ↑ Andelman, David A. (20 April 1977). "Living Abroad: Singapore—the Clack of Chopsticks". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  8. ↑ Goh, Kenneth (17 January 2016). "Preserving Singapore Flavours". Straits Times. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  9. ↑ 李光耀总理萱堂蔡认娘女史逝世 [Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew's beloved mother Madame Chua Jim Neo passes away]. Nanyang Siang Pau. 9 August 1980. p. 3. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
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