Miri : Nasi kerabu

Not many Foochows are fond of eating raw food, especially in the olden days when salads were not actually served at home.

One of the newer food now enjoyed by Foochows in Miri is Nasi Kerabu, which is actually originally from Trengganu and Kelantan. The main ingredient is the blue pea flower which is used to colour the rice blue.

Ingredients
# 5  slices of tenggiri (grilled) or beef rendang
# 1kg rice (cooked with the blue water from 5 blue pea flowers)

Ulam to cook with rice:
# 2 turmeric leaves
# 2 torch ginger leaves
# 2 stalks daun kesum(optional)
# 2 cekur leaves (optional)
# 2 stalks curry leaves (optional)
# 2cm fresh turmeric
# 2 stalks lemon grass
# 2 pandanus leaves
# 3 kaffir lime leaves
# 2 tablespoon palm sugar

Garnishing:
# 1 cucumber, pared and julienned
shredded cabbage
# 1 onion, finely sliced
# 10 long beans, finely sliced
# 1 bunga kantan, finely cut
# 3 stalks of lemongrass, finely sliced
(salted eggs, half for each person)

Fried grated coconut:
# 1/2 a coconut, finely grated
# 8 shallots, finely sliced
# 2cm ginger, sliced
# Palm sugar and salt to taste

Sambal Belacan:
# 15 chillies
# 5 shallots
# 3 cloves of garlic
# Budu
# 4 bird’s eye chilli
# Lime juice, to taste
# Fish crackers

Method
Slice all the ulam leaves and either blend or pound finely. Add 2 glasses water to leaves and extract the juice. Sieve and repeat with another glass of water.

Wash rice. Add ulam juice to the rice. Add three pieces of pandan leaves and kaffir lime leaves, and 1/2 a block of palm sugar. Cook in a rice cooker.

Fish : Rub some salt on the fish and grill over a low fire. When cooked, let it cool and then break into flakes.
Beef Rendang (your own recipe)

Dry fry the grated coconut with sliced shallots, ginger, palm sugar and salt over a low fire. When the mixture turns fragrant, lightly flatten the grated coconut with the back of your spatula.

Dry fry belacan with shallots and garlic over a low fire until fragrant. Blend this mixture with chilli to make the sambal belacan.

Mix some budu with limau kerat lintang and bird’s eye chilli.

Serve the rice with the grilled fish, finely sliced garnishings, sambal belacan, budu and fish crackers.