Singapore pineapple tarts

The taste of Lunar New Year in Singapore: a crumbling, buttery pastry shell cradling a jewel of intense, slow-caramelised pineapple jam, rolled and shaped into a golden pineapple: the most anticipated cookie of Chinese New Year across the Malay peninsula, baked in millions each January

Origin: Singapore / Malaysia

From the journey of Pineapple.

The Singapore pineapple tart (nastar in Malay and Indonesian, 黄梨挞 in Chinese) is one of the most culturally significant baked goods in Southeast Asia: the defining edible symbol of Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year) across Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, baked in extraordinary quantities (millions of pieces) in the weeks before the festival and distributed as gifts, displayed at open-house celebrations, and eaten at family reunion dinners. The tart has a complex genealogy: the concept of a pastry case with jam filling derives from the Portuguese pastel de nata and other European pastry traditions brought to the Malay peninsula during the colonial era (Portuguese in Malacca from 1511; Dutch in Batavia; British in Singapore from 1819). This European pastry shell was filled with pineapple jam; itself a logical choice in a region where pineapple is abundant and sugar cane was a colonial crop; and adopted into the Peranakan Chinese (Straits Chinese) baking tradition, where it became associated with Lunar New Year through the symbolic resonance of the pineapple: in Hokkien, 'ong lai' (pineapple) sounds similar to 'good fortune coming'. The pineapple jam itself is the hardest part of the preparation: it requires 1–2 hours of continuous stirring over low heat as the grated pineapple slowly concentrates and caramelises into a thick, glossy, intensely flavoured paste. The pastry is crumbly and rich, almost like shortbread, and the contrast of the barely sweet, buttery case against the sticky, intense jam is the whole experience.

Ingredients

Pineapple jam

  • 2 medium fresh ripe pineapples, peeled, cored, and grated (approximately 1.5kg grated flesh)
  • 300 g white sugar (for the jam)
  • 2 sticks cinnamon
  • 4 cloves
  • 3 strips pandan leaves (screwpine leaves, tied in a knot, optional but traditional)

Pastry

  • 250 g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
  • 350 g plain flour
  • 50 g icing sugar (confectioners' sugar)
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 tbsp cold water (or more as needed)
  • 0.5 tsp salt

Glaze

  • 1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp milk (for the egg wash)

Method

  1. Make the pineapple jam (best done a day ahead): squeeze the grated pineapple in a clean cloth to remove excess juice (the juice can be drunk). Place the squeezed pineapple, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and pandan leaves in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Cook, stirring regularly, for 60–90 minutes until the mixture is very thick, deep golden amber, and no longer wet; it should hold its shape when a spoonful is placed on a cold plate.
  2. Roll the cooled jam into small balls; approximately 1 teaspoon each, rolled smooth between your palms. You should have about 40 jam balls. Refrigerate until firm.
  3. Make the pastry: rub the cold butter into the flour, icing sugar, and salt with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolks and cold water; mix until the dough just comes together. Do not overwork. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  4. Preheat oven to 170°C (fan 150°C / 325°F). Line baking sheets with baking parchment. Shape the tarts: roll a small amount of pastry (about 10g) into a ball, then flatten into a small disc. Place a jam ball in the centre, wrap the pastry up around it, and roll back into a smooth ball (enclosing the jam completely). OR press the pastry into a small fluted tart mould, add a jam ball in the centre, and press lightly to seat it.
  5. To create the classic pineapple shape: roll the jam-filled pastry ball lightly over a fine grater or use a toothpick to press a diamond crosshatch pattern into the surface. A small sprig of clove or a tiny pastry cut-out can serve as the 'crown'.
  6. Brush lightly with egg wash. Bake for 18–22 minutes until the pastry is pale golden and the egg wash gives a gentle sheen. The pastry should not be deeply brown; these are a pale, delicate biscuit, not a robust tart.
  7. Cool completely on a rack before eating or storing. Pineapple tarts are traditionally stored in airtight tins and distributed as Lunar New Year gifts. They improve with 24 hours of resting: the pastry softens slightly and the jam's intensity mellows.

Notes

The nastar (from the Dutch 'ananas taart'; pineapple tart) as made in Indonesia follows the same tradition but the pastry tends to be richer (more egg yolks) and slightly more crumbly. The Philippine version (polvorón-style pineapple pastry) is drier and more powdery. The Peranakan Chinese (Straits-born Chinese of Singapore and Malaysia) are credited with developing the distinctive Singaporean version: a synthesis of Dutch-influenced pastry-making and Chinese New Year gift-giving traditions; though the Javanese and Batavian Dutch influence is equally important in the Indonesian nastar. All three traditions are ultimately descendants of the same Portuguese colonial pastry culture that introduced butter-enriched tart cases to the Malay archipelago.

The Gastrographer

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