A Singaporean Mum

My mum’s side of the family is Peranakan. There were recipes lovingly passed down from generation to generation — but somehow, between my mum’s generation and mine, many of them got lost.

I remember having Peranakan meals only once a year during Chinese New Year, at my late great-grandmother’s and grandmother’s homes. It was our yearly tradition. My grandmother learned most of the recipes from her mother, but — if I’m honest — the taste still didn’t quite match up to the original.

By the time it came to my mum’s generation, only two of my aunties managed to pick up a few of the dishes. When it finally reached mine, there wasn’t much left to be passed down.

Before my grandmother passed away, I managed to learn a handful of her recipes (directly from her) — Bakwan Kepiting, Itek Tim, Kongbah, Nonya Chap Chye, just to name a few.

But Buah Keluak? I don’t remember her ever making it. I do recall her saying it was too much trouble to prepare. So here I am — I don’t know how to work with raw buah keluak, but now that I’ve found an instant paste, I’m giving it a try to see if it tastes any good!

Ingredients (serves 3-4)

500g pork belly (or chicken), sliced into 1cm thick pieces

1 packet buah keluak instant paste (80g)

200ml water

1 tbsp minced garlic

3–4 shallots, thinly sliced

3 kaffir lime leaves, torn

Method

1. Brown the pork belly
• Turn on the Instant Pot to Sauté mode.

• Add a little oil, sear pork belly slices for 3–5 minutes until lightly browned on both sides. Remove and set aside.

2. Sauté aromatics

• Add a little oil, shallots and garlic until fragrant and lightly golden (about 2–3 minutes).

3. Add paste and lime leaves

• Stir in the buah keluak paste and add in the kaffir lime leaves and continue sautéing for 1–2 minutes.

• Add in the pork.

4. Add water
• Pour in 200ml water, scraping up any browned bits at the bottom to prevent the burn warning.

5. Pressure cook
• Cancel sauté mode. Close the lid and set the Instant Pot to Pressure Cook (Manual) for 40 minutes on High Pressure.

• Allow natural release for 10 minutes, then quick release the remaining pressure.

6. Reduce the sauce (optional)

If the sauce is too thin, turn on Sauté mode again and simmer for 5–10 minutes until thickened to your liking.

7. Serve

• Serve hot with steamed rice.

This may not be exactly how my ancestors made it, and it definitely doesn’t have the same depth of flavour as using whole buah keluak — but it’s still a delicious and satisfying meal, especially for first-timers wanting to try Peranakan cooking without the hassle.

Give it a go and let me know what you think!