NASI GORENG KERABU

INGREDIENTS:

Rice
Shallot
Garlic
Dried chillies
Bird-Eye chillies
Ginger torch bud
Lemongrass
Kaffir Lime young leaves
Carrot
Long Bean
Dried fish/DriedPrawn/Dried Squid/ Fresh prawn or squid/Chicken
Salt

METHOD:

Cook rice as usual. Set aside.

Pound or blend garlic, onion, and dried chillies. Saute until fragrant.

Add in shredded dried fish or deviened prawn or other options. Stir until it is cooked well.

Add in rice, followed by thinly sliced lemongrass, sliced long bean, carrot small cubes, thinly sliced ginger touch bud, sliced kaffir lime leaves and chopped Bird-Eye chillies.

Season with salt to taste.
Serve hot with fried chicken or any side dish of your favourite.

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.