Eurasian and Kristang Christmas Recipes

Eurasian cooking has a special place in the Christmas food of Singapore and Malaysia, bringing together European and Asian ingredients, techniques and family traditions.

Many recipes in this collection come from the Kristang community, the Portuguese-Eurasian community with roots in Melaka, also known as Malacca. Kristang cooking forms part of the wider Eurasian food heritage of the region, with recipes that vary from one family kitchen to another.

If you’re exploring Eurasian Christmas food, these are a good place to start:

• Curry Devil, or kari debal – a tangy, spicy curry associated with Christmas and with using up the festive roast. My recipe can be made with fresh chicken or leftover cooked meat, making it useful for Christmas Day or Boxing Day.

• Curry feng – a richly spiced curry of finely chopped meat and offal. My version uses lamb and a homemade spice blend, and it’s a dish I particularly like preparing ahead.

• Eurasian Christmas pie – chicken, vegetables and a creamy sauce beneath buttery shortcrust pastry. It’s a Christmas Eve or Christmas Day favourite in many Kristang households.

You’ll also find Eurasian beef smore, a hearty beef and vegetable stew flavoured with ginger, warm spices and soy sauce. Serve it with bread for the gravy or rice to make a generous family meal.

Christmas Roasts with Local Flavours

Alongside the heritage recipes, there’s room for a little culinary licence.

My rendang roast turkey takes the spices and aromatics of rendang and uses them in a coconut milk marinade for the bird. It’s my own adaptation, bringing familiar Malay flavours to a Christmas centrepiece.

For a beef alternative, try Eurasian pot roast beef. Ginger, cinnamon, star anise and soy sauce flavour the slow-cooked beef and vegetables. You can serve it with the usual roast dinner accompaniments or make it part of a meal with rice and Asian side dishes.

It also cooks on the hob, a useful arrangement when the oven already has a queue.

Christmas Side Dishes and Party Food

A little freshness and a change of texture help balance a table full of rich mains.

Kerabu timun, my Malaysian cucumber salad, brings crunch, chilli and the savoury depth of dried shrimp and sambal belacan. It’s a lovely accompaniment to curries and spiced roasts.

For a seasonal vegetable dish, sambal Brussels sprouts give the Christmas favourite a chilli-laced treatment. Adjust the heat to suit whoever’s coming to dinner.

And for a buffet, afternoon gathering or something to offer arriving guests, try pang susi. These soft Eurasian sweet potato buns have a spiced meat filling, with that lovely balance of slightly sweet bread and savoury filling.

Christmas Cakes, Kuih and Biscuits

There’s plenty to bake for the festive table, whether you’re serving visitors or putting together homemade Christmas gifts.

Eurasian sugee cake is a celebration favourite made with semolina, almonds and butter. It’s a particularly fitting choice for a Eurasian Christmas spread, served in slices with tea or coffee.

If fruit cake is your Christmas essential, there’s kek kukus, our steamed fruit cake with caramel and dried fruit. Kek means cake in Malay, while kukus means steamed.

For the biscuit tins, make a batch of pineapple tarts, or kuih tart, or biskut kacang, our crumbly peanut cookies. These favourites belong to more than one festive occasion, and they’re just as welcome at Christmas. The pineapple tart recipe also includes eggless and vegan versions.

Festive Desserts and Drinks

For a chilled dessert, try rose syrup panna cotta, also called bandung panna cotta. This family recipe combines an Italian-style creamy pudding with the rose and milk flavours of sirap bandung. It’s especially handy when you want dessert prepared before your guests arrive.

My homemade rose syrup also makes an easy alcohol-free drink. Mix it with cold water and ice, or add milk for sirap bandung. It gives you something colourful to serve alongside the festive food.

Planning Your Christmas Menu

Start with one main dish, then choose accompaniments that suit it. Here are two ways to bring the recipes together:

• A Eurasian Christmas meal: Christmas pie or curry devil, with bread or rice, cucumber salad and sugee cake to follow.

• A roast dinner with local flavours: rendang roast turkey, roast potatoes, sambal Brussels sprouts and bandung panna cotta for dessert.

Pang susi and a plate of festive cookies can take care of the visitors who arrive between meals. You don’t have to cook the entire collection for it to feel like Christmas.

For more festive ideas from around the world, visit my Christmas recipes on LinsFood.

Is there a Singaporean or Malaysian Christmas dish you’d like to see here? Or a family recipe you’d like to share?

Drop me a comment below. I’m always happy to hear what’s on your family’s festive table.