Singaporeans have lots to look forward to on August 9, as the country commemorates 56 years of independence. Penang Culture is honoring the nation’s 56th birthday with a variety of local favourites, all of which are only priced $5.60++ a plate. The promotion is available island wide (from 1st August to August 31, 2021) and you are also allowed to buy as many plates as you like.
Dishes Available @ $5.60++
To start off their $5.60++ specials, the Kuih Pie Tee (6 pieces), a crunchy tiny cracker cup as tasty as they are adorable ispacked with stir-fried turnip, garlic, carrot, and shrimp then drizzled with chilli sauce, a dab of black sweet sauce, and a topping of shredded omelette.
For those looking for some seafood and vegetables, their Cuttlefish Kang Kong is a simple dish of blanched water spinach and cuttlefish drenched in sweet sauce and dusted with crushed peanuts that delivers strong flavours while being a unique take on regular salads. The water spinach adds a freshness to the dish, while the cuttlefish adds umami sweetness, all of which are brought together by the earthy sweet sauce.
It might be spicy but the Belacan Chicken Wings, are covered in a snappy belacan (fermented prawns) batter and deep-fried to create wings that are crispy on the surface and juicy on the inside, with the coveted belacan aroma.
You can make chicken in a plethora of ways but their Stir Fry Satay Chicken with Ketupat has chunks of well marinated chicken pieces stir-fried to aromatic perfection satay-style rather than grilled on a skewer to make it easy to devour. It’s served alongside satay essentials like peanut sauce, ketupat rice, cucumber cubes, and onion slices, to keep with tradition.
The Butterfly Prawns are made with whole prawns, shelled until only the tail remains, then coated in a thick frying batter and breadcrumbed before deep-frying creating delectable prawn nuggets that are easy to eat
If you want to have your Butterfly prawns along with rice, go for the Butterfly Prawn Nasi Lemak. This is a traditional Malaysian meal consisting of coconut rice, sambal, achar, peanuts, anchovies, and an omelette. With the inclusion of deep-fried butterfly prawns, you get a whole new experience like no other.
Although this is a National Day promotion, Assam Laksa, a signature Penang dish, is included as well as it is extremely popular here in Singapore. The broth is created from ikan kembung and strongly laced with bunga kantan (torch ginger), which soaks well with the springy thick rice noodles and topped with shrimp paste, red chilli, and plenty of lime, as per Penang’s original recipe.
To round of your dinner, there is the King of Bubur Hitam, a thick sweet dessert porridge made from black glutinous rice cooked slowly in coconut milk. Its creamy smoothness is enhanced with a scoop of iced durian puree for a sweet-nutty, hot-and-cold combination that will satisfy all sweet-tooths.
Makan Peranakan At 50% off
If you enjoy Peranakan cuisine, the tables at Penang Culture are prepared for all things Peranakan for the month of July and August. As a restaurant chain dedicated to the cuisine of one of the Peranakan people’s original settlements, Penang, they are presenting to you the Peranakan Party Set, which is priced at just S$87++ (UP S$174, which is 50% off from now until August 31, 2021) and is ideal for sharing among a family of four. The set is available for dine-in, takeout and delivery at each of the island’s five locations.
Apart from the Kuih Pie Tee, six dishes will be served with the aromatic blue pea pandan rice. First, we have the classic Nyonya Curry Chicken sets the tone, with a full boneless chicken leg and tender potatoes cooked in a curry base made velvety with coconut.
Then we have the French Beans in a Stir-Fry Hae Bee Hiam with is a spicy vegetable dish made with slow-cooked dried shrimp, garlic, shallots, yellow ginger, blue ginger, and belacan.
To help fight of the spice of the first two dishes we have the Nyonya Style Ayam Masak Merah, a savory-sweet quarter chicken leg cooked in a delightful blend of tomato sauce, chilli sauce, chilli paste, cinnamon sticks, star anise, garlic, and lemongrass to round out flavours while presenting an umami palate of its own.
If you are willing to part with a little more, for a top up of $5 you can have the Nyonya Beef Rendang instead of the Nonya Style Masak Merah. They are Tender beef cubes which are marinated and slow-cooked in a powerful rendang sauce made with lemongrass, blue ginger, crushed fried coconut, coriander, turmeric leaf, shallots, chilli padi, pandan leaf, and dried chile for a side that can stand alone or be served with rice.
Moving on we have Pan Fried Prawns paired with Nyonya Sweet Sour Sauce which is a Peranakan take on the popular seafood. With the use of big prawns, pan-fried with a sweet and sour tomato and lemon sauce sweetened with pineapple, cucumber, and onions you are sure to leave you craving for more.
To wash it all done you can sip on the Lotus Root Soup with Black Beans, a classic Peranakan soup made with lotus root, chicken feet, and black beans.
Finally, finish the meal with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and Bubur Hitam, a creamy treat of black glutinous rice cooked into a porridge with brown sugar and pandan leaf.
This National Day might be less exciting than other due to the pandemic, but with these promotions and all the food, it might not be that bad.
Locations: Nex | Compass One | White Sands | Jem | Vivocity
Opening Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m (timing may vary depending on outlet)
Delivery: Oddle
