Nasi Ulam is an aromatic and healthy Malaysian mixed-herb rice. Its main ingredients include a variety of local vegetables and herbs, and are tossed with cooled rice. Our ulam recipe requires a bit of work as you have to slice all the vegetables thinly, but we guarantee you will enjoy a balanced and flavourful meal. A great meal to have for gatherings or by yourself, have our Nasi Ulam with sambal belacan, a popular spicy condiment in Malaysia.
Meal: Lunch, Dinner Cuisine: Malaysian
Preparation time: Cooking time: Total time: Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients
140g grated coconut
1 tbsp vegetable oil
130g dried shrimps
130g salted fish
1 stalk lemongrass
5cm fresh turmeric
3cm galangal
1 ginger torch flower
1 shallot
1⁄2 turmeric leaf
4 kaffir lime leaves
5 mint leaves
6 Vietnamese coriander/daun kesum
5 wild pepper leaf
6 Thai basil leaf
450g cooked rice, chilled
2 calamansi, squeezed
1 chilli pepper, sliced
Equipment
1 pan
1 spatula
1 blender
A pair of gloves
Directions
In a dry pan, toast grated coconut until browned. Set aside.
Add a tablespoon of oil to the pan and fry the dried shrimps with a spatula until golden brown and set aside. Do the same for the salted fish.
Blend the shredded coconut, dried shrimps and salted fish separately until fine. Set aside.
Finely julienne the lemongrass, turmeric, galangal, ginger torch flower, and shallot. When slicing turmeric, wear gloves to avoid staining your fingers. Set aside.
Remove the stalks from the leaves. Slice turmeric leaf, kaffir lime leaves, mint leaves, Vietnamese coriander, wild leaf pepper, and Thai basil leaf very thinly. Set aside.
Add the shredded coconut, salted fish and dried shrimps to the cooked rice. Mix well.
Add the julienned vegetables and mix well.
Squeeze the calamansi juice onto the rice. Garnish with the sliced red chillies and serve.
Cooking Tips for Delicious Herb Rice
Our ulam recipe is an utterly delicious, aromatic, and healthy dish that is best paired with a side dish of meat or fish or eaten on its own! Here are a few cooking tips to help you perfect this classic Malay dish:
Use Jasmine rice when cooking our dish as it has a good amount of starch that combines the ingredients with the rice. However, if you prefer rice with longer and thinner grains, you can use Basmati rice although it is less moist and sticky.
The herbs used in our recipe are often found in Southeast Asia. If you cannot find them in your local Asian markets, you can substitute them with other herbs like coriander, basil or betel leaves.
Slice the ingredients finely so that they are easier to chew and do not overpower each other.
Missing some ingredients?
If you're looking for a unique meal to make at home, give our recipe a try! Its exotic flavours are sure to leave you wanting more. Order from pandamart and have dried shrimp, lemongrass, and turmeric delivered to you in under 20 minutes!
