Nasi Ulam

Ingredients:

• 4 cups rice
• 1.5 coconuts, desiccated
• 1 large basket daum kaduk (wild pepper or betel leaf)
• 2 large bunches peppermint, leaves separated
• 2 large bunches, laksa leaves, leaves separated
• 3 cups cekur manis (sweet leaf or star gooseberry)
• 3 whole fish (mackerel or any sweet white fish)
• ½ cup dried shrimp
• ½ cup dried salted fish
• 1 cup string beans, sliced thinly
• 1 cucumber, cut into small cubes
• 1 Laksa flower, top portion thinly sliced
• ¼ cup limau purut (kaffir or leper lime leaf), sliced thinly
• 2 cups shallots, sliced thinly
• ¼ cup lemongrass, thinly slice the ends
• ¼ cup lengkuas (galangal), sliced thinly into strips
• ¼ cup fresh turmeric (yellow ginger), thinly sliced into strips
• Freshly ground white pepper
• Salt to taste

Optional: sambal for individual serving

Daum Kaduk (wild pepper leaf)

Cekur Manis Leaf

Kaffir Lime Leaf

Lemongrass, Galangal and Turmeric

Method:

Cook the rice and once it is ready, spread it on large plates or serving trays to let it cool down.

Wash all the leaves and dry them in the sun.

Fry the desiccated coconut in a dry wok over medium heat until golden brown. Can be fried the previous day and stored in an airtight container.  

Deep fry the whole fish and when it has cooled, pick apart the meat from the bones. Set aside.

Toast the dried shrimp and the dried salted fish in the toaster oven until golden brown. Using a pestle and mortar, pound the dried shrimp into smaller pieces. Using a sharp knife or scissors, cut the dried salted fish into small shreds.

Once the leaves are ready, start by placing a few daum kaduk leaves on a cutting board, then add a few cekur manis leaves, peppermint leaves and laksa leaves on top of the daum kaduk leaves.

Roll everything together tightly into the shape of a cigar and use a sharp knife to thinly slice strips of it. Repeat for the rest of the leaves. Set the strips aside in a large bowl.

Place equal amounts of room temperature rice in two large shallow serving bowls or trays. Add about 5 tablespoons of desiccated coconut on top of the rice and toss everything together until properly mixed. You may want to add more depending on taste. Add the rest of the ingredients by eyeballing the amount. Keep tossing until everything is mixed well together and taste to make sure the flavour is to your liking.

Can be eaten as it is, or mixed with sambal for a spicier nasi ulam.