November in Singapore is a month of creative energy, storytelling, and artistic expression. Key highlights include:

• Singapore Writers Festival — a celebration of words, ideas, and narratives from local and international voices.
• Singapore Biennale — contemporary art installations exploring themes of intention, identity, and connection.
• Neon Lights Festival — vibrant outdoor music and light experiences lighting up the night.

As a chef, I view food as its own form of storytelling — each ingredient a word, each layer a sentence, and the final plate a complete narrative. To honour November’s focus on creativity and expression, I’ve designed a dish that tells the story of Singapore’s multicultural heritage through bold flavours and thoughtful composition: the Narrative Spice Canvas — a Peranakan–inspired plate that blends Nyonya traditions with modern plating artistry.

Why Peranakan–Inspired Narrative? Peranakan cuisine is one of Singapore’s most beautiful cultural fusions — Chinese ingredients and techniques meeting Malay spices and aromatics. Dishes like ayam buah keluak or itek tim tell stories of migration, adaptation, and harmony. In November, when words and art take centre stage, this plate becomes an edible narrative: rich, layered, colourful, and balanced, much like the stories we share through literature and design.

The “canvas” presentation uses contrasting colours, textures, and elements arranged intentionally — evoking an artist’s composition or a writer’s structured tale.

Recipe: Narrative Spice Canvas Serves: 4 Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

Main Element – Ayam Pongteh (Peranakan Chicken Stew):

• 600 g chicken thighs or drumsticks
• 3 tbsp oil
• 4 shallots, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cm ginger, minced
• 2 tbsp fermented soybean paste (taucu)
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp palm sugar (gula melaka)
• 4 potatoes, quartered
• 200 ml water or chicken stock
• Salt and white pepper to taste

Accompaniments & Layers:

• 2 cups steamed jasmine rice (shaped into elegant quenelles or rounds)
• Buah keluak (optional: 8–10 nuts, cracked and flesh scooped — for authentic depth; pre-soak and boil if using)
• Kangkung belacan (stir-fried water spinach with shrimp paste)
• Sambal belacan (fresh chilli paste)
• Acar timun (pickled cucumber and carrot) for tang and crunch
• Fried shallots and spring onions for garnish
• Micro herbs or edible flowers for artistic pops of colour

Instructions

1. Prepare the Ayam Pongteh
   • Heat oil, sauté shallots, garlic, and ginger until fragrant and golden.
   • Add taucu and stir-fry briefly to release aromas.
   • Add chicken pieces, coat well, then pour in soy sauces, palm sugar, and water/stock.
   • Simmer covered for 30–40 minutes until chicken is tender. Add potatoes halfway through. (If using buah keluak, add the nut flesh in the last 15 minutes for earthy richness.)
   • Adjust seasoning; the sauce should be thick and glossy.
2. Prepare Sides
   • Stir-fry kangkung with belacan, garlic, and chilli for a vibrant green element.
   • Make or use ready sambal belacan.
   • Prepare quick acar: pickle julienned cucumber and carrot with vinegar, sugar, and turmeric.
3. Shape & Assemble the Canvas
   • Use a wide, flat plate as your “canvas.”
   • Place shaped rice portions (use rings or hands for neat rounds) in a balanced arrangement.
   • Spoon ayam pongteh generously beside or over the rice, letting the dark sauce create dramatic contrast.
   • Add dollops of kangkung, sambal, and acar in sections for colour and texture play.
   • Scatter fried shallots, spring onions, micro herbs, and edible flowers to finish — like final brushstrokes or punctuation in a story.

Food as Narrative This Narrative Spice Canvas is more than a meal — it’s a story on a plate. The deep, umami-rich pongteh sauce tells of heritage and depth; the bright greens and pickles add contrast and lightness; the careful arrangement invites the eye to “read” the dish from one element to the next. Just as November’s festivals celebrate stories through words and art, this plate celebrates Singapore’s shared culinary narrative.

Final Thoughts In a month dedicated to creativity and expression, food reminds us that stories can be tasted, shared, and remembered. By reimagining Peranakan classics with a designer’s eye, we honour tradition while creating something new — much like writers and artists do every November in Singapore.

Gather your loved ones, plate with intention, and let the flavours tell their tale.

— Chef Gareth John

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