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Chua Jim Neo (Chinese: 蔡認娘; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chhòa Jīn-niû; 1905 – 8 August 1980) was a Singaporean chef and cookbook writer best known for Mrs. Lee's Cookbook, which preserves the recipes of Peranakan cuisine.
Chua Jim Neo. Author of the definitive Mrs Lee’s Cookbook. Chua Jim Neo, better known as Mrs Lee Chin Koon, wrote her definitive Mrs Lee’s Cookbook in 1974 when she was 67 years old.
- Married at 15
- Stood Her Ground Against Her Husband
- Saved Her Jewellery For LKY’s Education
- Inducted Into Singapore Women’s Hall of Fame
- Published A Cookbook
- Her Dad Had 3 Wives
- Complex Fam Web
- Driver’S Licence Cancelled by LKY
- Thank You, Madam Chua
Mdm Chua was married at 15 in an arranged marriageto storekeeper Mr Lee Chin Koon. Source She gave birth to Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s founding father, at the tender age of 16. Did you know: LKY won first prize in a baby show Source SaidMr Lee Kuan Yew about his mother,
The elder Mr Lee enjoyedblackjack and other card games at the Chinese Swimming Club on Amber Road. Occasionally, when he lost at the gambling tables, he would demand some of his wife’s jewellery to raise funds for future games. But those pieces were Mdm Chua’s wedding presents from her parents and she resisted his demands.
Safe to say that without Mdm Chua, LKY might not have gotten his Cambridge education. Using her savings and the jewellery she had kept from her husband, Mdm Chua helped pay for her son’s law studies in Britain. LKY first wentto the London School of Economics, before graduating from Cambridge University. LKY and his wife at the Bridge of Sighs in Ca...
In 2015, Mdm Chua was given the recognition she deserved: she was inducted into the Singapore Women’s Hall of Fame, which celebratesoutstanding women and their contributions to the nation. Source Other prominent women honoured includeMadam Puan Noor Aisah, wife of Singapore’s first President, Yusof Ishak.
Mrs. Lee’s Cookbook: Nonya Recipes and Other Favourite Recipe has helped many a younger Singaporean experiment with Peranakan cuisine in the kitchen. The gem is revered as an important cookbook, since so many Peranakan recipes are closely-guarded family secrets. Source It was published in 1974, when she was 67. Mdm Chua judging a Nyonya Food Compet...
Born in 1907, Mdm Chua Jim Neo was the eldest child of Leong Ah Soon and wealthy Hokkien businessman Chua Kim Teng from Pontianak in Dutch Borneo. That seems perfectly ordinary to our modern eyes, but hold up: Leong Ah Soon was actually Chua Kim Teng’s third wife. LKY’s grandfather Chua Kim Teng (centre row, 4th from left), grandmother Leong Ah Soo...
The quirky family historydoes not end there: Mdm Chua’s oldest brother later married her husband’s sister.
Much to her dismay, she had her driver’s licence cancelledby her son, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, who deemed her too old to drive. Source But really, he did it because he cared for her.
Indeed, we have a lot to thank this strict Peranakan matriarch for: her food, firmness and most importantly, our founding father. Featured image from National Archives of Singapore and National Archives of Singapore.
Mar 24, 2015 · At home, he was ever the devoted son who cared deeply for his mother, Chua Jim Neo, even if he upset her once by cancelling her driving licence when he decided she had become too old to drive.
Jun 29, 2014 · In 1937, a Peranakan housewife, Madam Chua Jim Neo, got him to start taking her four sons and daughter to school by rickshaw. Mr Lee Kuan Yew was her eldest.
Chua Jim Neo ( Chinese: 蔡認娘; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chhòa Jīn-niû; 1905 – 8 August 1980) was a Singaporean chef and cookbook writer best known for Mrs. Lee's Cookbook, which preserves the recipes of Peranakan cuisine.
One exceptional woman who understood the importance of food in Peranakan culture was Mdm Chua Jim Neo, also known as Mrs. Lee Chin Koon. Mrs Lee was a talented, capable, progressive and intelligent woman who lived from 1908 to 1980, she passed at age 72.
