NASI KERABU KELANTAN

One doesn't really know Kelantanese or Kelantan before tasting this uniquely healthy and refreshingly traditional rice. Appears basically in three versions; white rice, yellow rice or blue rice, Nasi Kerabu never fails to satisfy many people's taste buds. Preparing it may looked tricky and tedious, but let me assure everyone that it worths the effort. For me, this recipe is indeed just another expression of love by my beloved mother, Ruhani Syed Mohd Yusof who always painstakingly laboured herself just to cheer us up with this wonderful family favourite rice.

To mom, this post is a tribute to you. I love you always.

To my readers out there, happy trying!

INGREDIENTS:

Part A: Gravy

Coconut milk
Chili (fresh or dry)
onion
garlic
lemongrass
Traditional palm sugar
Anchovies sauce (Budu)
Sugar
Salt

Method:

Blend garlic, chillies and onion with little water and coconut milk. Heat a pot, pour the mixture into the pot and add bruised lemongrass. Bring the mixture to boiling. Once it boils, reduce the fire and keep simmering until oil from coconut milk surfaces. Keep on stirring from time to time. Season with salt and sugar and little achovies sauce. Add some palm sugar to taste.

Part B: Coconut sprinkle

Fry grated coconut
Onion
Chilies
Grill fish
salt
traditional palm sugar

Method:

Heat pan on slow fire and brown grated coconut in it. Once ready, set aside. Deboned grill fish, preferably mackerel and pound the flesh, add in salt, and palm sugar. Mix with the coconut, add in chopped chillies, and sliced onion. Heat the pan again and just keep flipping the ingredients together for two minutes. Keep aside.


Part C: Herbs and raw vege

Vietnamese mint or Daun Kesum (finely chopped/sliced)
Bean sproat (cleaned)
Carrot (julieaned)
Ginger Torch bud or Bunga Kantan (finely sliced)
Long bean (finely sliced)
Cucumber (julieaned)
Onion (thinly sliced)

Part D: Blue rice

Rice
Blue colouring (traditionally, a type of pea flower used by grinding and extracting the colour)
Kaffir lime leaves
Lemongrass (bruised)
* For yellow rice, simply replace the blue colouring with turmeric powder/fresh turmeric juice or yellow food colouring.

Method:

Cook rice as usually. Add the colouring, kaffir lime leaves and bruised lemongrass.


When serving, the Blue Rice or Nasi Kerabu is accompanied by the coconut sprinkle, sauce, and all the raw vege or herbs. The best way to eat this rich rice is to mix everything with our hand.

Traditionally, many side dishes will also grace the rice. These include; Ayam Percik (Grilled Chicken with Sweet Coconut Gravy), Ikan Percik (Grilled Fish with Sweet Coconut Gravy), Grilled or fried chicken, beef or fish, Fried fish coated with rice flour batter (i.e tempura like), Solok Lada (Stuffed Green Chillies), Garlic pickle, Salted egg and Keropok Ikan (Fish craker).

PUDING PISANG DIRAJA/BANANA ROYAL PUDDING

Banana is a beautiful health boaster food and being served in so many ways from ice-cream to cake and pudding, perhaps one of the most flexible food ever especially in Asia. Grow in abundant especially within this region and America Latin, banana supplies quick energy and contains almost all the nutrients needed for a healthy growing. Perhaps, that also best explain why banana is called the food for the athletes.

Traditionally, banana presents in many types of foods, perhaps attributing itself as one of ancient Malays staple foods. This recipe is a brilliant new version of traditional Pengat Pisang (Banana in Sweet Coconut Cream), courtesy of my loving aunt, To' Puan Sabariah Syed Mohd Yusof.

INGREDIENTS:

Part A:

Banana
Egg white
Ghee
Cooking oil

METHOD:

Mix cooking oil with some ghee. Whip white egg. Deep bananas into white egg and fry them. Set aside.


INGREDIENTS:

Part B:

Fresh milk or Isian Milk
Little condensed milk
Pandan leaves
egg yolk
Sugar to taste


METHOD:

Combine all ingredients, and tie pandan leaf in knot. Cook them over slow fire. Keep stirring until it boils and thicken a bit.

Arrange banana in bowl and pour the cream over it. Serve hot or chill.

NASI DAGANG TRENGGANU

This recipe is the courtesy of my aunt, To' Puan Sabariah Syed Mohd Yusof. There are two versions of this traditional Malay rice; Nasi Dagang Kelantan and Nasi Dagang Trengganu. They vary in both the rice itself as well as the gulai dish that accompanies the rice.

Contrary to what many people may think, Nasi Dagang is typically served as breakfast meal, perhaps best reflects its name, Nasi Dagang or Rice for the ancient mariner. Trengganu of course has been known for its fishing industry, showcases almost all meals or kuih (traditional cakes) with fish as a m-u-s-t ingredient!

INGREDIENTS:

PART A: Rice

Rice

Glutinous Rice

(*rice and glutinous rice ratio is 4:1)

Salt

Coconut milk

Water

Shallot

Ginger
Fenugreek seeds

METHOD:

Combine both type of rice.

Wash and soak the cleanely rinsed rice and glutinous rice overnight.

Steam them until cooked.

Remove from steamer, fold in little water, coconut milk and thinly sliced onion, ginger and fenugreek seeds. Season with salt.

Steam for another few more minutes.

Remove from heat and put aside for serving.

PART B: Fish Dish/Gulai Ikan

Boiled Tuna or Ikan Tongkol

(preferebly, a big tuna is first sliced thick, boiled with little salt, palm sugar, galangal and asam keping a day earlier)

*Asam keping or asam gelugor is tangerine likefruit that has been sliced thinly and dried under the sun until the colour becomes darker. It is available in many grocery stores. Asam keping provides acidity to cooked food, if not available, replace it with any equivalent ingredient that serves the same purpose)

Fennel powder

Cumin powder

Coriender powder

Garlic

Shallot

Chillies

Turmeric

Ginger

Galangal

Lemongrass

Shrimp paste cake or Belacan

Coconut milk

Water

Salt

Fresh green and red chilllies for garnishing

METHOD:

Grind or pound onion, garlic, chillies, ginger, galangal, turmeric, lemongrass into fine paste.

Add in fennel powder, cumin powder and coriender powder to the paste.

Heat little oil in pot and saute the paste until fragrant.

Add in belacan.

Add in coconut milk, water and fish. Allow it to simmer.

Season with salt and add fresh green and red chillies. Allow the chillies to cook for few minutes.

Serve with rice.

PART C: Pickle

Cucumber (Julienned)

Carrot (Julienned)

Red chillies (Julienned)

Onion (Thinly sliced)

Sugar

Salt

Vinegar

Lime stone water or air kapur (optional).

(*Air Kapur is used to maintain the crispiness or crunchiness of vege, preserved fruit or batter. If used excessively, it makes food becomes bitter)

METHOD:

Soak the vegetable (except onion) in alkaline water for few hours.

Remove the vegetable from the water and rinse thoroughly.

Dilute sugar and salt in vinegar in a bowl.

Add in the vegetable into vinegar mixture and allow it to set for few hours before serving.

Serve with the rice and fish dish.

Tuna Dish/Gulai Ikan Tongkol

A complete Nasi Dagang Trengganu set to satisfy any tastebud and rumbling tummy.