Kebon Dapor: The Heart of Malay Heritage
Plot C05, City Sprouts @ Punggol
Introduction
Step into the vibrant world of Kebon Dapor, a unique greenhouse project that blends traditional Malay cooking with the joys of gardening. Led by Raja, a passionate full-time lecturer, this space is where heritage meets hands-on farming, inspiring others to connect with their roots through food, culture, and the land. Join us as we explore this inspiring family project at City Sprouts!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: “Nice to meet you! Can you introduce yourself and your greenhouse?”
Hello, my name is Raja. Welcome to my greenhouse. We are called Kebon Dapor, and it literally means kitchen garden in Malay.
---
Q: “So what do you do here with Kebon Dapor?”
So as the name suggests, we grow edibles and herbs that we use in traditional Malay cooking. Some of the edible plants that we grow include Ulam Raja, a very common plant in Malay cooking. We also grow curry leaves, chillies, and beans.
---
Q: “So why and how did you start Kebon Dapor?”
For myself, I'm currently working as a full-time lecturer at a local polytechnic, and Kebon Dapor is a passion project of mine, together with the help of my family and friends. Initially, I was thinking of growing ornamental plants here, but after deep thought and discussions with my family, I wanted to grow something that is much more meaningful and inspiring. Our big idea for this greenhouse is to learn about farming and connect ourselves with our Malay heritage and our relationship with the land, to the way we grow, harvest, cook, and eat our own food.
---
Q: “Wow! That’s really inspiring! Could you bring us around your garden?”
So basically, our greenhouse is split into two halves. The first half here is the garden where we grow the herbs. And the second half is the interpretation of a Malay house. So this area is actually what we call the foyer area, or in Malay, we call it the ‘serambi’. We welcome our guests here. So this is also a quiet area for me to read a book or just listen to music.
The main space is actually the kitchen and dining area. So this is a large table that we use for dual purposes. At times, we need to cook, so we use this as a so-called cooking area, and where we need to conduct workshops. So the type of workshops that we conduct includes indoor planting, creating our own mini kitchen garden, and also making Nasi Ulam, as well as making traditional kueh-kueh.
If you look up, we actually hang our family collection of batik cloths. On top of just protecting against the sun, also to bring down the heat of this greenhouse, it also helps to beautify the space. And the third area that we have here is actually the nursery area where we sow seeds, and grow them into seedlings.
---
Q: “We can see that you’ve put a lot of thought into building this space. How did you do it?”
We built this part of the greenhouse from scratch based on our desire to build everything using our bare hands, just like how our forefathers built their kampung houses in those days. We also furnished the house using second-hand furniture we bought from Carousell, and decorated the space with vintage items to invoke some feeling of nostalgia of growing up in a kampung house.
---
Q: “How have you been loving Kebon Dapor so far?”
It is definitely a space for me to indulge in a meaningful hobby such as gardening, and in the process, to discover more about my heritage, and also to share with everyone out there what I've learned about gardening and our Malay culture through food and crafts. And there you are! This is Cotton. So Cotton is our pet, and also the mascot for Kebon Dapor. So if you come to Kebon Dapor, it's always here to greet you. So don't forget to say hi to Cotton. Say hi, Cotton!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Watch the full video on our Instagram: @city_sprouts
Looking to grow your passion even further?
Start your greenhouse journey with City Sprouts today.
Greenhouses and allotment plots are available at City Sprouts Henderson, Punggol, West Coast, and Pasir Ris. Click here to bring your hobbies to life!
