Sedap buah keluak chicken chop by chef-turned-hawker at Peranakan-Western food stall in Ang Mo Kio
Pangi Nut, another name for buah keluak, is located at the new-ish Thye Guan Eating House at Ang Mo Kio Ave 1. Sixty percent of Jarrod’s menu features regular Western dishes like Rib-Eye Steak. But it is his unusual Peranakan-inspired offerings that are drawing foodies’ attention despite their higher prices. There’re Buah Keluak Chicken Chop, Rendang or Buah Keluak Burgers and Assam Pineapple Grilled Salmon, among other dishes.
Noticing a lack of Peranakan-Western hawker stalls in Singapore, he opened Pangi Nut in April. He inherited his “agak agak” recipes from mum and scaled up with proper measurements, to keep the flavours consistent. Ayam buah keluak is a staple at Jarrod’s family’s annual CNY feast. At his stall, Jarrod buys deshelled whole buah keluak from a supplier. He uses 6kg each time he cooks, adding turmeric, lemongrass, onions and other aromatics to make a piquant sauce.
Panginut
Panginut was conceived by Chef and Owner Jarrod Poh. Possibly the first Peranakan Inspired Western Food in Singapore at affordable hawker price.
Growing up in Katong (Joo Chiat), he has always had a passion for cooking and has been learning from his grandmother and mother the old traditional peranakan (Nyonya) cooking recipe.
After graduating from SHATEC in 1989 and having worked in many restaurants, hotels and local catering company including several fine dining restaurants, Former executive chef Jarrod decides to launch a new and exciting menu that comprises both the traditional peranakan recipe with young local favorite western grills.
PangiNut 4D
Rice As Black As Night, Irresistible As Sin
Inky Buah Keluak Fried Rice
As Peranakans who aren’t super fond of buah keluak (criminal, we know), we are presently shovelling away spoonsful of rice coated in the black nut’s inky paste at an alarming speed. We pause only to stab at meltingly soft wagyu short ribs slathered with more of that unctuous mush. That’s saying something about chef Malcolm Lee’s cooking chops, deeply rooted in his Peranakan heritage, yet given a few modern flourishes where applicable.
It’s our second visit at the soft-spoken, intense, slightly adork-able 32-year-old’s one Michelin star restaurant Candlenut, which relocated from its humbler Dorsett Residences home to its larger designer-casual Dempsey digs a month ago. It’s now housed at COMO Dempsey, owned by the stylish Christina Ong behind Club 21 and the COMO hotel chain.
Buah Keluak Fried Rice ($28) is modestly sized for the price, a small heap of blackened rice almost engulfed by a lacy-edged sunny side up with a yolk that seeps luxuriously when broken. Each grain has a whiff of smoky wok’s breath and is densely coated with creamy buah keluak paste. The nut’s polarising characteristics — part bitter olives, part earthy mushrooms — are slightly offset by sambal so more umami notes sing harmoniously alongside its inherently robust flavours. So irresistible, we tapowed a packet for dinner later
The Buah Keluak Maggi Goreng, A Genius Creation You Need To Eat Now
We’ve long been fans of Candlenut’s buah keluak fried rice. But we never thought that the ‘junk food’ version of it would threaten to dethrone the dish as our fave carb offering from the one-Michelin starred mod Peranakan restaurant.
Enter the Buah Keluak Maggi Goreng, an old creation by the gentle-mannered, talented chef Malcolm Lee, which he recently revived during the no dine-in period. It’s a classic example of humble and haute working together to create magic in your mouth. Candlenut’s same intensely earthy, umami and spicy black nut sambal is stir-fried here with curly instant noodles.
While the original rice version is nutty and slightly chewy, this rendition is comfortingly soft and slurpable, each strand smoky and completely saturated in all the flavours you’d want in a buah keluak dish. There’s also a hint of what seems like that familiar umami, salty instant noodle seasoning that somehow makes this dish even more addictive. Piercing the yolk of the organic fried egg crowning it so it oozes its golden cream all over the noodles is, at the risk of sounding a bit sad, one of life’s greatest pleasures — at least right now. Available for takeaway and delivery only.
The Peranakan Cuisine
Ayam buah keluak is arguably the most famous Peranakan dish
Food was often served at room temperature, because they ate with their hands, a Malay practice. "It's one of the first fusion cuisines," says Lloyd Matthew Tan, author of "Daily Nonya Dishes: Heritage Recipes for Everyday Meals." Being "Peranakan" means to be "locally born," a term used by the community to set themselves apart from the newer Chinese immigrants who arrived in Singapore and Malaysia in the 19th and early-20th centuries. Men were called "Babas" and women "Nonyas." There were also Peranakans not of Chinese ancestry, such as the Jawi Peranakans and Arab Peranakans, but the Chinese Peranakans were the largest group. By then, the Chinese Peranakan community had already established their own identity. Instead of speaking Mandarin, they spoke a mix of English, Malay and Hokkien. They were Anglicized and built good rapport with the colonial settlers. Many became bureaucrats or traders. Some became ultra-rich -- a stereotype that continues today, as seen in the movie "Crazy Rich Asians."
The Peranakans have been known to hold on to their family recipes tightly, especially in the past. They spent days preparing and perfecting their meals. And since Peranakan women who didn't work were in charge of the home, how a dish looked and was presented became a way to show their skills off. In Singapore, interest in Peranakan cuisine has been revived over the past two decades. You can find Peranakan food everywhere, from hawker centers to high-end restaurants. In 2016, it received international recognition when Candlenut became the first Peranakan restaurant to win a Michelin star.
Nasi Rawon since 1946
While we're asleep, Nyai Lasmi works hard to keep this recipe alive!
Pondok Wak Nah @ 16 Bedok S Rd, #01-11, Singapore 460016
