Hari Raya Open House: Feeding 30 People Without the Panic

Raya open house is one of the warmest things about living in Singapore. The doorbell rings every 20 minutes. Cousins you haven't seen since last Raya appear with new babies. Someone always brings the same kuih lapis they brought last year, and somehow, it's still the best one.

But behind every smiling host is a slightly chaotic Saturday morning where they realise they forgot to buy more drinks. Or that Auntie Mariam is bringing 12 people, not 4. Or that the rendang needs 2kg more beef than the recipe said.

This is a two-week countdown plan. It will not eliminate the chaos — chaos is part of Raya — but it will absolutely save you a panicked $80 trip to Cold Storage on the morning of.

Two weeks before: the dry list

Buy everything that doesn't need a fridge, and lock in the ingredients with the most volatile prices.

• Rice (5–10kg depending on whether you're cooking lemang or nasi)
• Cooking oil, sugar, condensed milk, evaporated milk
• Spice base ingredients: belacan, asam, candlenut, dried chilli, lemongrass, galangal, tamarind, gula melaka
• Snack platter staples: kuih bahulu, kuih bangkit, pineapple tarts, makmur, biscuits
• Soft drinks, bandung syrup, tea, coffee
• Disposable plates, cups, napkins, foil trays

Tip from someone who learned the hard way: kuih and snacks get noticeably more expensive in the final week before Raya. Buy them now and store them. Pineapple tarts especially.

One week before: the freezer list

• Beef (for rendang, ~2kg for 30 pax — Sheng Siong is usually cheapest)
• Chicken (whole or thigh — depends on what you're cooking)
• Prawns and squid if doing a seafood dish
• Coconut milk (UHT lasts long; fresh, freeze it)
• Frozen ketupat or lemang if not making fresh

Rendang is your friend. It freezes well, reheats well, and tastes better on day two. Cook the rendang a week ahead and your Raya morning is suddenly 4 hours less stressful.

Three days before: the fresh list

• Fresh vegetables for sambal goreng, achar, and sayur lodeh
• Cucumber, tomato, onion, garnishes
• Eggs (you'll need more than you think)
• Bread, nasi impit if not making your own
• Limes and lemons for drinks

The day before: the panic-prevention list

Buy: extra ice, extra drinks, two backup snacks, a backup tray of kuih, and one extra packet of plates. You will not regret this. You will only regret not doing this.

Where Tokku fits in

Open house planning is exactly the kind of mess Tokku is built for, because:

• The shopping list is enormous and crosses categories (meat, pantry, snacks, drinks, disposables).
• Different stores genuinely win on different categories — Sheng Siong on meat, FairPrice on pantry, Cold Storage occasionally on imported drinks.
• Prices fluctuate week-to-week in the run-up to Raya.

The fastest way to use it: open the AI assistant and just type, "open house for 30 pax, rendang, sambal goreng, ayam masak merah, and 4 types of kuih." Tokku will build the ingredient list and split it across the cheapest stores in real time. Adjust quantities, save it as a shopping list, and tick items off as you buy them.

You can also share the list with whoever is helping. (Yes, your spouse can finally help in a way that doesn't end in a phone call from the supermarket.)

The single most important tip

Cook one less dish than you think you should. Open house guests do not turn up hungry. They've been to four houses already. Your job is to feed them well, not to prove anything. Three solid mains + rice + 4 kuih is plenty for 30. Save the energy for the third uncle who tells the same joke every year.

Selamat Hari Raya. May your rendang freeze well and your kuih be plentiful.

If you're hosting across the year, keep the CNY reunion dinner budget and Deepavali snacks guide close, then compare beverage prices for guests.

→ Build your Raya shopping list on Tokku AI — works for any open house size.