5 ways to enjoy Singapore’s Peranakan culture

There’s no one else in the world quite like the Peranakans. Tracing their ancestry back to 15th-century Malacca – a little port town that’s a marriage of Malay, Chinese, as well as Dutch, Portuguese and British colonial influences – Peranakans in Singapore have created a wonderfully vibrant identity for themselves through myriad clothing styles, performing arts and culinary customs.

There’s no finer place to explore the multitudinous hues of Straits Chinese culture than in Singapore. Here’s how you can taste, wear and dance to their many intriguing cultural nuances.

The family unit is the most important facet of the Peranakan community, and their homes are their pride and joy. Stucco dragons and other exotic creatures are splayed across façades, flanked by glazed tiles, stained glass, family emblems and ornately carved doors. Intricate mosaics are laid out across the floors.

Joo Chiat, Emerald Hill and Blair Road are enclaves of beautifully preserved Peranakan buildings – multicoloured colonial-era shophouses moulded by Asian and Western architecture styles. To see houses decorated with antiques from the early 20th century, step inside conserved residences The Intan (above; 69 Joo Chiat Terrace. Nearest MRT: Eunos) in Joo Chiat and Baba House (157 Neil Road. Nearest MRT: Outram Park, Maxwell). Entry to both are by appointment only.

After nearly four years of renovations, the Peranakan Museum (39 Armenian Street. Nearest MRT: City Hall, Bras Basah) reopened early in 2023 with a vibrant lineup of workshops, exhibitions and cultural events. The museum houses over 800 artefacts and showcases them in three themed galleries. The Origins gallery on level one highlights the diverse origins as well as the evolution of Peranakan communities through a series of photo walls. On the second floor, the Home gallery introduces visitors to domestic life, Peranakan customs, food and languages. The final gallery on the third floor displays fine examples of Peranakan fashion and art, including batik work along with intricately detailed tiles, clothing and footwear. Daily guided tours of the museum are also available.

Peranakan cuisine involves painstaking preparations – from the pounding of rempah (blended pastes of chillies, garlic, shallots and other ingredients) to the slow simmering of stews and curries, sometimes for many hours. The result? Dishes imbued with Malay, Chinese and Portuguese flavours.

Guan Hoe Soon Restaurant (200 Joo Chiat Road. Nearest MRT: Eunos), open since 1953 is one of the best places to try Peranakan food at its most traditional. On the menu, you’ll find quintessential dishes like ayam buah keluak (chicken and keluak nut in a dry gravy), Nonya chap chye (stewed vegetables) and babi pong tay (pork in fermented soybean sauce). For a more modern take on the cuisine, opt for a meal at Candlenut  (17a Dempsey Road. Nearest MRT: Napier) which also distinguishes itself by being the world’s first Michelin-starred Peranakan restaurant. For a truly memorable meal, spring for the cheekily titled “AH-MA-KASE” lunch and dinner menus that feature contemporary takes on Peranakan flavours. Another restaurant that showcases the evolution of Peranakan cuisine is Godmama (07 North Bridge Road, #04-07 Funan. Nearest MRT: City Hall) which offers classic dishes with a twist, like the lamb shank rendang and a bakwan kepiting (meatball soup) enhanced with the addition of blue swimmer crab.

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Female Peranakan wear is a dazzling fashion parade, woven with intricate embroidery and dripping with elaborate beadwork. Nonyas (Peranakan women) cut arresting silhouettes in sarong kebayas: their signature three-piece outfit comprising a sheer fitted blouse over a camisole and a batik sarong (cloth adorned with patterns using wax and dye). Brooches, jewellery and beaded sandals complete the look.

At Rumah Kim Choo (111 East Coast Road. Nearest MRT: Marine Parade), third-generation scion Raymond Wong specialises in designing and custom-tailoring Peranakan fashion. He leads a team of seamstresses in stitching together intricate details by hand – a laborious undertaking that is a rarity today. To cater to younger customers, Wong updates his designs to include Swarovski crystals and modern cuts so kebaya tops can be matched with everyday clothes. Visitors can also learn the fine art of traditional Peranakan beading (below) at workshops he conducts.

Peranakan wayang (theatre) began as a mainstay of social life where music-filled parties unfolded in parlours and clubs. Mainly using Peranakan patois and embracing cultural stereotypes, certain tropes are now instant hallmarks of the community’s art form – such as female impersonators and melodramatic family dramas.

Gunong Sayang Association’s (69 Ubi Road 1, #10-26 Oxley Bizhub. Nearest MRT: Tai Seng, Macpherson) forte is the dondang sayang, featuring two singers who compose and sing witty four-line verses back and forth, set to a small orchestra of violins, accordions and guitars. The troupe also stages plays (above) and traditional Malay dances throughout the year.

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English, Malay and Hokkien languages have been stirred into a rojak (a salad, or a term to connote a mishmash) of Peranakan patois that have made their way into daily Singaporean speak.

Aksi borak – Show-off
Alamak – Exclamation of surprise
Amboi – Oh my goodness!
Bibik – Polite address for older women
Cakap – Speak
Chiak – Eat
Gabra – Confused
Jalan-jalan – Go out
Kek Sim – Broken-hearted
Leceh – Troublesome
PHOTOS: VEE CHIN, DARREN CHANG, COURTESY OF PERANAKAN MUSEUM, GUNONG SAYANG ASSOCIATION, CANDLENUT

This story was originally written by Desiree Koh and published by Singapore Press Holdings in April 2017 and updated in July 2024 by Dinesh Ajith.