Nasi Ulam IMBB

Nasi Ulam is my contribution to IMBB, Fouth Edition.

Nasi Ulam is the Malay name for Herbed Rice. It is a rice dish that contrasts the freshness of herbs with the pungency and strong flavours of ingredients like belacan (dried fermented shrimp paste), dried salted fish and dried shrimps. It goes well with kerabus (salads) and simply cooked seafood. It is also lighter than most other more well known Malay dishes such as nasi lemak, rendang or satay. As for its true origins, I've always thought Nasi Ulam is a Malay dish but like many dishes in South East Asia, other cultures also have their versions, especially the Peranakans. In fact, the recipe I used came from a Peranakan source, the "Nonya Flavours A Complete Guide to Penang Straits Chinese Cuisine", though in the usual fashion, I've tweaked it a little by adjusting the quantities of ingredients and adding some toasted almonds for a nutty bite.

This is an easy dish to assemble, but the ingredient list is rather long, which would explain why this dish is hardly seen in restaurants or hawker centres. I had to go to the Tekka Centre Wet Market to shop for most of the ingredients, especially the herbs. Another source may be the wet market in Geylang Serai, but most of the herbs would not be easily available in Singapore. I had to give up on finding one of the ingredients (daun cekur) as there wasn't any to be bought in the market. Shopping for the ingredients was a real education for me, it was really the first time I learn about kerisiks, for example. Kerisik is what Wati identified as the residue that is left after coconut has its oil extracted, this residue is then toasted and used as a condiment.

Ingredients (some quantities are vague, because it can be guess-timated according to personal taste):

4 cups of rice, cooked
Salted fish, about 10 g, fried, then cooled and shredded finely
Dried shrimps, about 1 big handful, fried and cooled
1 tbsp belacan, toasted
2 tbsp kerisik (toasted grated coconut), dry-toasted in a wok- this step is optional

Herbs ( Finely sliced)

Handful shallots
1 serai (lemongrass), only the tender inner parts of the white end
1 bunga kantan (ginger flower)
3 stalks daun kesom (laksa leaves)
3 stalks basil leaves
3 stalks mint leaves
3-4 cekur leaves
6 kaduk leaves
1 turmeric leaf
1 kaffir lime leaf
1 cm fresh turmeric, finely chopped

pepper to taste
toasted almonds for garnish

In bowls, from top: Toasted almonds, fried dried shrimps, dried fish, kerisik.
In Metal dish: Herbs like turmeric leaf (long leaf lining one edge) and other ingredients like shallots, ginger flower, turmeric, lemongrass. Belacan in little dish. More herb detail in picture below.

Clockwise from top right hand corner: Daun Kaduk, Daun Kesom, mint, basil, Kaffir Lime leaves

Method

1. Cook the rice first. Let it cool
2. Prepare the dry ingredients like dried prawns, belacan, kerisik and dried fish.
3. Slice the herbs finely and toss with the dry ingredients. Season with some pepper and if necessary, some salt and sugar. Sprinkle some toasted almonds on top.

I served it to my family with some tamarind prawns and icy cold tairu lassi, but it is delicious eaten as it is.

Comments

[Wena]

now i'm hungry again! :(

[Reid]

Umami,

The rice looks wonderful. I would like to try to cook it, but I am certain that I will not be able to find any of the ingredients here. I tried to look for laksa leaf so that I could make laksa, but I couldn't. Oh well.... =(

[Nyetzy]

Umami, the rice looks really appetising. I think the condiments of herbs and dried prawns and stuff goes so well with the rice - just like the chinese fried rice. One word on the daun cekur. I agree that it is one of the most difficult herb plant to find here in Spore. Don't see much of it. My family strangely uses it quite a lot as a condiment for steamed chicken instead of the normal chillies. As such, my mum always has the plant somewhere in her garden (back in Msia). It is a relatively easy plant to keep as it is a rhizome and it grows really bushy given the right conditions. In fact I have one pot sitting on the windowsill in my kitchen - it is not as bushy as mum's but it comes in handy when I want to use it - maybe one day to make the nasi ulam.

[umami]

Hi Nyetzy, lucky you. Do make Nasi Ulam with your daun cekur, the rice was really delicious and my MIL was really impressed. I think it is her first time eating Nasi Ulam.

[umami]

Hi Reid, if you are ever in Singapore, do contact me, I'll be happy to feed you Nasi Ulam. Cheers

[Renee]

looks wonderful!
would you believe I've never had nasi ulam... but now my interest has been piqued...

[jcheng]

nasi ulam - oh yes! Tastes so good but seldom got to it it even whilst in Singapore due to the amount of preparation that goes with it.

[pim]

I've never tried this, but it looks absolutely fascinating. Thanks for the recipe.

cheers,
Pim

[jcheng]

nasi ulam - oh yes! Tastes so good but seldom got to it it even whilst in Singapore due to the amount of preparation that goes with it.

[Min]

Nice one umami:)You've me craving for malay food now!

[Alberto]

This sounds like a fantastic rice dish. The flavour combination is really intriguing and I love anything that has abundant amounts of herbs into it. Another dish that makes me want to fly to SE Asia for a gastronomic tour :-).

[Reid]

Umami,

I'll be going to S'pore in late August/early September. I may just want to take you up on your offer to cook this! =) If you need anything from the states let me know.

[umami]

OK Reid, see you in Singapore.

[chihuahua]

Could you use dried daun cekur instead? I've seen packets of dried daun cekur sold in penang! penang! (east coast rd)

[umami]

Thanks chihuahua, good idea. though I've never seen dried daun cekur before.

[Narizah]

One of the benefit of eating cekur leaves is it can combat wind from your body, and the smell also is very refreshing. I'm trying to grow them and see in what condition it best growing. Some red cekur also have purple flowers which is quite interesting.

[umami]

Hi Narizah, welcome to my blog. Your comments was posted twice so I deleted one of them.

Wouldn't youknow it, cekur has been on everyone's lips recently. It is lovely with chicken like nyetzy says, and my friend came across Shunde-style chicken rice and raved about it in the makansutra forum: http://www.makansutra.com/forums/singapore/viewtopic.php?t=5393

Last weekend, my friend rojak gave me some cekur which I potted, here's hoping that it will grow and I can finally make a proper Nasi Ulam.

[rul]

why dont u explain more detail about nasi ulam. expesioly about the history of nasi ulam. (sorry, i'm broken inglish)

[daveyll]

Kerisik seems almost like a Thai ingredient to me. The definitive book on Thai cooking by David Thompson (I've put the Amazon URL in place of mine as I couldn't do html in this space) has a comprehensive entry on coconut and all its products. Apparently kerisik is used as a topping for desserts too.

I miss my Malaysian food and love reading your writings on it; it's good to see the 'foodie' phenomenon in an asian context.

[Jeffery]

The years passed has changed the recipe so much from the original. At least this website still contain the close recipe from the original. Daun Cekur is not a easy plant to grow. The plant is too low and easy for any insect attack. The plant itself is also sensitive to insect chemical. Farmers don't like growing them due to too much trouble taking care of them. Well i was introducing my girlfriend about this dish my mother makes. Thanks to this website which still keep the original recipe. :)

[Jeffery]

The years passed has changed the recipe so much from the original. At least this website still contain the close recipe from the original. Daun Cekur is not a easy plant to grow. The plant is too low and easy for any insect attack. The plant itself is also sensitive to insect chemical. Farmers don't like growing them due to too much trouble taking care of them. Well i was introducing my girlfriend about this dish my mother makes. Thanks to this website which still keep the original recipe. :)

[Sugar]

Please give History of Nasi Ulam!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!