Every major celebration has its attendant rituals and associated foods.

Growing up, there were certain dishes that I only got to taste during Chinese New Year: My grandmother’s babi pongteh and itek sioh, my grandaunt’s ayam buah keluak, my mother’s har guan (a prawn and batter ball that I have not been able to find anywhere else) and cabbage soup with crab shells stuffed plump and juicy with minced pork and shredded crab meat.

This Chinese New Year, as you fill your dining table with your version of delectable delights, why not buy food earmarked for good?

Here are six places that are using proceeds from the sale of their New Year goodies to support worthy causes.

1. The Peranakan: Feeding the elderly and supporting single mums

Raymond Khoo is the jaunty Baba restauranteur who owns The Peranakan and the philanthropist who started registered charity The Saturday Movement.

Since 2011, he has been feeding over 500 elderly living in eight blocks at Lengkok Bahru.

Pineapple tarts from Raymond’s mother Betty Boon’s recipe. Photo courtesy of The Peranakan.

It began with free lunches every Saturday. Then came special meals on festive occasions. Home visits with care packages were then added, benefitting some 300 households.

Now daily afternoon snacks and a drink are offered as well to all the elderly who visit S17 Community Kitchen between 3.30pm and 5.30pm.

Every month, Raymond also gives out 4,000 meal vouchers which can be used to redeem meals at S17 Community Kitchen. This works out to two meals per person per week.

On top of all this, S17 Community Kitchen also employs the underserved, as does The Peranakan.

Raymond estimates that it costs over S$300,000 a year to run The Saturday Movement. Until it became a charity two years ago, he was funding 80% of the expenditure out of his own pocket.

This year, for the first time, The Peranakan is selling pineapple tarts for Chinese New Year (S$38 for 28 pieces). Each comes filled with pineapple jam that is the perfect blend of sweet and tart.

“The tarts are baked under my mother’s supervision from a recipe passed down to her by her aunt. My mother has been making these pineapple tarts since she was a teen. Now, she is 89,” said Raymond.

You can take home Nonya dishes as well: babi pongteh, ayam buah keluak, chap chye and curry chicken – generous enough to feed up to eight. All are priced at S$138, except chap chye which costs S$118.

The food comes in kamcheng (covered jars) so there is no need to re-plate them – and you get to keep the beautiful dinnerware for future parties.

Ayam buah keluak and babi pongteh are traditional Nonya dishes that are The Peranakan’s specialties. Photo courtesy of The Peranakan.

In addition, The Peranakan is offering yusheng done Nonya style. The sauce is made from 12 different herbs, while the dish is topped with crispy fish skin and fragrant nasi ulam.

How to buy: WhatsApp Vick at 8023 4345

2. En: Helping families with children with special needs

When news broke that Mediacorp actress Rui En was selling bak kwa for charity, the thought on most people’s minds was: Rui En knows how to make bak kwa?

“No, I don’t know how to make bak kwa,” said Rui En with a laugh.

For the first time, Rui En is selling bak kwa. Proceeds from the sales will go to Brave Club, a ministry by 3:16 Church that ministers to children with special needs. Photo courtesy of En.

It was her business partner at her brand, En, who had approached her with the idea of selling bak kwa as he had contacts for that.

“I don’t know why he decided on bak kwa. Maybe it’s because he knows it is my favourite Chinese New Year snack,” she told Salt&Light.

“Bak kwa was something I only got to eat during Chinese New Year, once a year. As a kid, I would always be waiting for it. And I would not be able to stop eating it.”

Rui En agreed to go into the venture after realising that she had access to resources that others do not. “I just wanted to steward my resources for Kingdom purposes,” she said.

It took the team of two several months to taste-test different flavours before deciding on laksa and applewood.

According to a media release, the laksa bak kwa is said to blend the smoky richness of traditional bak kwa with the aromatic spices of Singapore’s iconic laksa, while the applewood version is marinated in a secret traditional recipe and smoked for over two hours with US-imported applewood.

“We wanted some novelty flavours. So that’s why laksa. And I’m a purist when it comes to bak kwa. Applewood is a traditional flavour with a bit more depth,” she revealed.

“At first I didn’t think the laksa flavour would be such a hit, but we sold out in 24 hours.”

The laksa-flavoured bak kwa sold out in 24 hours when it was first launched. Photo courtesy of En.

The laksa bak kwa is going for S$88 for 500g, while the applewood version costs S$98. Proceeds from all sales will go to Brave Club, a sports-based ministry by 3:16 Church for children with special needs.

As a member of 3:16 Church, Rui En has seen the struggles of caregivers of children with special needs.

“I have volunteered at Brave Club before. For one of the sessions, I was one of three volunteers who took a young adult with autism out to Orchard Road.

“That experience left a deep imprint on me. I was so exhausted and there were three of us. It was an eye-opener. I got a firsthand look at what it must be like to be her caregiver every day.”

How to buy: Order online here

3. Yoon’s Social Kitchen: Providing work and shelter to mature female ex-offenders

The local cuisine café that specialises in Teochew kueh (steamed glutinous rice dumplings) is a social enterprise started by two unlikely friends, Talia Lee and Qara Yoon.

Talia was a party girl who indulged in drinks and drugs, and caught the eye of many men. Qara was a civil servant who was a regular at a KTV lounge Talia ran with her then-husband.

But after God met both women and transformed them, he used their friendship, in particular Talia’s experience working with women ex-offenders and Qara’s skills in making traditional Teochew kueh, to create Yoon’s Social Kitchen.

The café employs mature women ex-offenders above the age of 55 who, statistically, have the greatest challenge turning their lives around. The pair live with these female ex-offenders in a flat above their café.

This Chinese New Year, try their soon kueh, which is packed with bamboo shoots (as the ‘soon’ in its name promises) instead of turnips, which is what most stores offer. That is why they dub it jiah soon kueh, or ‘real’ soon kueh.

Jiah soon kueh filled with bamboo shoots. Photo from Yoon’s Social Kitchen’s Instagram page.

Alternatively, have a taste of their version of ang ku kueh, which comes with a thin and chewy skin infused with fresh pandan juice. This is a must-have during Chinese New Year and other celebrations because of its festive red colour.

“Ang ku kueh is what the Hokkiens call it. We Teochews call it tiam tor kueh (‘fill your tummy’ kueh),” explained Qara.

You can also sample cikak kueh (a dusky version of tiam tor kueh), png kueh (filled with glutinous rice), yam kueh and muah chee (steamed glutinous rice flour coated in sugar and powdered peanuts).

Png kueh stuffed with fragrant glutinous rice. Photo from Yoon’s Social Kitchen’s Instagram page.

Tiam tor kueh (red) and cikak kueh (brown). Photo from Yoon’s Social Kitchen’s Instagram page.

Pop by on January 24 or 25 to pick up some of these Teochew kueh in time for Chinese New Year.

How to buy: Visit the store
Block 4 Upper Aljunied Lane
#01-18 Joo Seng Green
Singapore 360004

4. The Helping Hand: Rehabilitating drug addicts

The Helping Hand (THH) is a Christian halfway house that rehabilitates drug addicts.

The volunteer welfare organisation (VWO) offers several services – removal and disposal, painting and cleaning, furniture and digital product sales and redistribution of used items – to fund their mission as well as to provide gainful employment for their residents.

Four years ago, they added pineapple tarts to their offerings, after a baker who had honed his skills in Europe joined them.

These perfect globes of pineapple pastries took months to get just right. Photo courtesy of The Helping Hand.

It took Lim Choon Hock, or Ah Hock as he is better known, several months to perfect his pineapple tart recipe with his team.

The final version is a golden globe of tastiness. The rich outer pastry pairs beautifully with the tangy, fruity centre. Each bottle of 21 pineapple tarts costs S$22.90.

While you are it, grab their chiffon cakes as well, which come in two flavours: pandan and orange (S$12 for a whole cake).

How to buy: Order online here

5. The Hiding Place: Transforming lives of addicts

The Hiding Place is another Christian halfway house that has transformed many lives. Its executive director Ps Tan Hock Seng was himself a former resident. He went on to raise two daughters while living there as a staff member.

The pineapple tarts that the drug rehabilitation centre rolls out every Chinese New Year are legendary.

If you prefer the harder-to-bake open-face tarts, theirs is for you. Smooth and buttery, the crust does not fall apart when handled, while the pineapple filling is a generous mound of ooey-gooey goodness. Each tub is priced at S$28.

The legendary pineapple tarts from The Hiding Place. Photo by Yeo Kai Wen.

Don’t miss out on the sugee cookies – pistachio (S$26), almond (S$25) and plain (S$20) – as well as love letters (S$20) and prawn rolls (S$18) too.

How to buy: Order online here

6. Bakery Brera: Working with the elderly

Bakery Brera started out as a neighbourhood bakery offering artisan breads and French bakes.

Crowds would squeeze into the tiny interior of the bakery beside Empress Market to snap up their signature cruffins and kouign-amann almost as quickly as they could be pulled out of the ovens.

Bakery Brera’s pineapple tarts come in different bottle sizes for different appetite sizes. Photo from Bakery Brera’s website.

But Bakery Brera is more than a bakery. Owner Thrina Low considers it a platform through which the true Bread of Life can be shared.

The bakery’s Instagram account often recounts Thrina’s efforts to bring good to others. She also regularly hires interns who have nowhere else to go, such as those struggling with mental illness, troubled teens and people who have lost their jobs.

In 2023, Thrina opened Café Brera at Reunion in collaboration with Fine Foods and the National Museum Singapore. Its mission? To be a gathering place for the aged. 

This Chinese New Year, Bakery Brera’s pineapple tarts come in three bottle sizes: small (S$18), medium (S$29) and large (S$36).

Another great find is their osmanthus cranberry cookies, which are sold in three sizes as well: small (S$17), medium (S$28) and large (S$35).

How to buy: Visit the store
8 Empress Rd
#01-05
Singapore 260008

Or order online

RELATED STORIES:

Dishing up meals and befriending the lonely regardless of language, race or religion: The Saturday Movement

They went from KTV to kueh kueh when God moved their hearts to help mature women drug addicts

“For 30 years I asked for help. Now I can help someone else”: The story behind The Helping Hand’s pineapple tarts

The purpose-driven pineapple tart

“We may serve bread, but we want to share the true Bread of Life”: Thrina Low of Bakery Brera