[SPONSORED] It’s a little bit Chinese and a little bit Malay. Peranakan food is just like Singapore: a melting pot. And over at Swissôtel The Stamford’s Kopi Tiam, you can load up on all the classics.
Ayam Panggang
Chicken grilled over a charcoal fire is a staple in many Peranakan, Malaysian and Indonesian homes. Typically served with rice and sambal, the version at Kopi Tiam stays true to its roots: tender chicken thigh is grilled with fresh turmeric and lemongrass and paired with refreshing pickled vegetables.
Fish Head Curry
This is a familiar sight at Singapore’s roadside restaurants. It’s Chinese-Indian origins mean that the fish head is cooked in a sweet-sour gravy made with tamarind and coconut milk, among other things. At Kopi Tiam, the signature curry is a rich concoction of okra, tomatoes and eggplant in a spicy curry broth.
Itek Tim
This duck and salted vegetable soup is a perfect rainy weather dish, served with a steaming bowl of rice. The simple but comforting soup consists of salted vegetables, tomatoes, tamarind juice and asam gelugor, as well as a whole duck—essential to add flavor to the broth. Some versions also use salted plums to add a little more bite.
Ayam Buah Keluak
Arguably one of the most popular Peranakan dishes, the black color in this chicken dish comes from thebuah keluak nut (don’t worry, it’s thoroughly cleaned before cooking). The complex flavors incorporate ingredients like shrimp meat, tamarind, turmeric, candlenuts and galangal.
Babi Pong Tay
Braised pork belly with soybean paste, this unmistakable Nyonya dish is a favorite with those who love the succulence of pork belly. The meat’s velvety, melt-in-your-mouth texture comes from the long hours of braising and gets its complex and layered flavors from ingredients like bamboo shoot, cinnamon, soybean paste and mushrooms—a perfect pairing with a bowl of rice.
Kopi Tiam at Swissôtel The Stamford celebrates Peranakan heritage this SG50. From Aug 17-Sep 13, the restaurant is cooking up signature Nyonya dishes for lunch and dinner. Meats aside, there’s a wide array of seafood dishes like fried petai prawn sambal, ikan assam kari and sambal sotong.
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