The Meaning of Tok Panjang Feast

Tok Panjang is a traditional peranakan feast that takes the meaning of feast to an extravagant extreme. Tok Panjang translation quite literally means long table. “Tok” is the short term derived from the Hokkien term for “table” while “Panjang” is “long” in Malay. This shows how racially diverse Peranakan culture is with influences of Chinese and Malay. Tok Panjang can be used to celebrate numerous occasions that can range from happy to sad, such as birthdays or death anniversaries. Due to peranakan hospitality, the table where the feast is held will be filled with different dishes giving a massive bomb of flavours to try. The Peranakan has specially curated a Tok Panjang feast where customers can now enjoy variety of authentic Peranakan dishes in small bites. You may have the option to dine in at our restaurant or have a feast at home.

The Starters: Kueh Pie ti, Nyonya Ngoh Hiang, Nasi Keluak

Kueh Pie Ti also known as Nyonya Top Hats are commonly served as a snack or finger food. It has a crispy outer shell which is stuffed with a sweet savoury and juicy filling of Yam Bean (Turnip) and shrimp topping. Ngoh Hiang is a juicy deep-fried meat roll made from a well spiced and seasoned minced pork, prawns and chopped water chestnuts rolled in soya bean curd skin giving a well balance of juicy pork and fresh water chestnuts. Nasi Keluak is an umami dish consisting of blacknut with Omnipork topped with fresh herb, giving an all rounded earthy herbal flavour.

Soup

Following up is Bakwan Kepiting soup, a traditional peranakan style soup. It is a delicately flavoured soup, relying on the natural flavour of the broth and crab meat ball.

The Mains: Chicken Buah Keluak, Ayam Goreng Ketumbar, Sambal Prawns, Satay Babi Stew, Babi Pongteh, Beef Rendang, Deep fried fish stuffed with Sambal, Chap Chye, Ladies Fingers with Chinchalok

Chicken Buah Keluak (Ayam Buah Keluak) is a mainstay of peranakan cuisine, a recipe derived from great grandma. Juicy cuts of chicken are braised in a thick, spicy tamarind gravy with buah keluak nuts, giving a full-bodied complex flavour to the dish.  Ayam Goreng ketumbar is fried chicken with grinded species, giving a fresh coriander flavour. Babi Pongteh is Nyonya Braised Pork in fermented soybean sauce with a bold umami flavour. Beef Rendang is a classic traditional Peranakan Dish that was interpreted from Malay/Indonesian food. It is a rich and tender coconut beef stew that brings out the tenderness of beef. Deep fried fish has always been a traditional way to enjoy fish by introducing more texture to the dish while ensuring the fish remains juicy, the sambal stuffed into the fish will give a rich fragrant aroma from the inside out. Chap Chye is a Nyonya style mixed vegetable stew with a herbal flavour. Ladies Fingers with Chinchalok is a great way to introduce healthy vitamins into the dish while still maintaining the robust Chinchalok flavour with a kick of spiciness, pairing wonderfully with rice.

The Desserts: Assorted Kuehs of the Day and D24 Durian Pengat

Nyonya is the term for female Peranakans and ‘kuehs’ implies cakes, hence Nyonya Kuehs are the cakes made by female Peranakans. Nyonya Kuehs are rich in flavour and has a huge variety, made from ingredients such as glutinous rice, coconut drain and palm sugar. A few illustrations of Nyonya Kuehs are, Ang Ku Kuehs, 9-layered Kuehs, Custard Cakes and Rice Cakes. These Kuehs are bite-sized snacks or dessert foods commonly found in South East Asia. There are similar versions of Kueh found in Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar, thus, showing how racially diverse peranakan cuisine is. The delicious aroma and robust flavour of D24 durian is intensified with coconut cream and our award winning gula melaka served chilled and its vegan friendly. And of course, such feasting is best paired with Rice, Sambal Belachan and other Condiments. The Peranakan WKW and Baba Tok Panjang set are now having 50% OFF on every Monday until 28 September 2020. Make your reservation at http://www.theperanakan.com/restaurant-reservations/