SESAME oil is one of the quintessential ingredients in Chinese confinement cooking. Robust, fragrant and precious, it is usually drizzled sparingly rather than used with abandon.
So when I came across a confinement recipe that called for deep-frying chicken in pure sesame oil, I was intrigued. It felt almost decadent.
That recipe was ooi keow kay – turmeric chicken fried in sesame oil – found in Nonya Flavours, a cookery book on Penang Peranakan cuisine published by The Star in 2003.
Two decades on, this book remains one of my most trusted references for Nyonya cooking.
Its recipes are unfailingly reliable and evocative of a heritage that blends Chinese and Malay culinary traditions.
Fry batches of the marinated chicken in sesame oil until golden and crispy.
The dish itself is simple yet striking. Chicken is marinated with turmeric, cornstarch, salt and pepper, then fried in a wokful of sesame oil until golden yellow.
The result is resplendent in flavour, with the all-important warming quality that confinement mothers are encouraged to consume to heal the body after giving birth.
What also makes this possible is sesame oil’s relatively high smoking point, which means the oil can withstand the deep-frying process and, with careful straining, even be used a few more times without losing its character.
Confinement food is more than just nourishment – it is ritual, medicine and culture entwined.
A simple marinade of turmeric powder, cornstarch, salt and pepper (above) is all that is needed, before deep-frying in sesame oil (below).
After childbirth, a mother’s body is considered vulnerable and in need of balance.
In Chinese and Peranakan tradition, “cooling” foods are avoided, while warming ingredients such as ginger, turmeric and sesame oil are prized for their restorative properties.
For the Peranakan community, confinement cooking is a deeply respected practice, handed down through generations of mothers, grandmothers and confinement nannies.
Recipes were rarely written down but guarded and remembered, evolving subtly from household to household.
The philosophy is simple yet profound: food as healing, food as love.
In this light, ooi keow kay is more than just fried chicken. It is a symbol of care – a dish meant to comfort and strengthen.
Since sesame oil has a high smoking point, the same cup of oil can be used for frying a few times.
The indulgent use of sesame oil signals its special role.
It is not an everyday recipe, but one prepared at a time of renewal, when every bite is meant to restore vitality.
To complete the presentation, I added a few garnishes that not only brighten the plate but also reinforce the dish’s essence: julienned turmeric root and leaves to echo the marinade, and toasted sesame seeds to highlight the sesame oil.
Ooi Keow Kay
Ingredients
1kg chicken, cut into pieces
1 tbsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp salt to taste
¼ tsp white pepper to taste
1 cup sesame oil for frying
Garnish
1 knob turmeric root, finely julienned
1 frond turmeric leaf, finely julienned
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Directions
Marinate chicken with turmeric, cornstarch, salt and pepper for one hour.
Heat sesame oil in a wok and deep-fry the julienned turmeric root until crispy.
Remove and set aside, then deep-fry the marinated chicken pieces in batches until golden yellow.
Garnish with crispy turmeric root, julienned turmeric leaf, and toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
