Let’s Chakap Chakap with the President (April 2026)

Dear Nyonyas and Babas,

In this month’s video, I am joined by Baba Clarence Ling, a member of the General Committee and TPAS’ Culinary Advisor, as well as Nyonya Ngiam May Ling, a member of the General Committee, TPAS’ Legal Advisor, and Chairman of the biennial Baba Nyonya Literary Festival. Together, they share exciting highlights of our upcoming events.

Baba Clarence introduces Masak Macham Nyonya, Makan Macham Raja, TPAS’ new 2026 series of appetite-whetting live cooking demonstrations and food tastings. This series will feature guest chefs whose reputations precede them.

As the durian season approaches, we are planning a special seasonal session sometime between June and early July 2026, depending on the height of the durian season.

Chef Anup will teach participants how to make a fragrant and indulgent durian Swiss roll, while also taking a deeper dive into the world of durians – how to appreciate different qualities, what to look out for, and how to select and buy good durians with confidence.

Stay tuned for this unique seasonal experience – a celebration of flavour, heritage, and one of the region’s most beloved fruits.

Nyonya May Ling then shares the key highlights of Day 2 of the fourth edition of the Baba Nyonya Literary Festival, which will take place on 26 July.

The keynote speaker will be Mr Kishore Mahbubani, Distinguished Fellow at the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore.

The programme will open with Matthew Lloyd Tan reciting a nursery rhyme or two from his newly published book, “Peranakan Folk Songs & Rhymes”, accompanied by keyboardist Gabriel Hoe. This will be followed by a medley of songs performed by Suara Sayang from Gunong Sayang.

She also introduces the authors featured across the three panels on Day 2:

Panel 1

“The Baba of Melaka: Culture and Identity of a Chinese Peranakan Community in Malaysia” by Professor Tan Chee-Beng

“Reconstructing Identities: A Social History of the Babas in Singapore” by Dr. Jürgen Rudolph 

“Peranakan Chinese Identities in Globalizing Malay Archipelago” by Dr. Leo Suryadinata

Moderator: Ho Engseng, Professor of Cultural Anthropology and History, Duke University.

Panel 2

“Run, My Daughters, Run” by Lee Su Kim (Book Launch)

“Food for Thought: My Personal Journey” by Wee Wei Ling

“Ayam Buah Keluak and the Art of Writing” by Josephine Chia 

Moderator: Angelia Poon, Associate Professor of Literature, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University.

Panel 3

 “Terry Tan’s Peranakan Classics” by Terry Tan 

“Mum’s Favourite Recipes Presented Through a Journey in Time” by Gerard Chai

“The Smell of Home” by Tan Sri Dr Rebecca Fatima Sta Maria 

Moderator: Peter Yeoh, contributor to the Michelin Guide for Penang and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

 Once again, Nyonya May Ling reminds everyone that ticket sales will launch on 1 May, and we look forward to welcoming you to the Festival. We hope you will enjoy it as much as we have enjoyed putting it together, and we are committed to delivering a world-class event. See you at the Festival!