Danial
Sabri
Title:
The Wonders of Malay Cuisine.
Food does not only represent a culture or a
race, but it also determines people’s personality. Malaysia is made up of
different types of cultures such as Malay, Chinese, and Indians where each
culture consists of different types of what we call ‘traditional’ food.
Malaysian food is also famous to other races and also tourists. When it comes
to Malaysian food, there are just too many food to choose from, whether
traditional or modern cuisines. Firstly, Malay food mostly consists of rice
just like other Asian countries. Malay food also consists a lot of herbs like
lemongrass, dried chilies, and mostly ginger and garlic. Such food for example is the famous Nasi Ulam; which is a dish consisting of steamed
rice that includes various types of herbs such as pegagan leaves or lemon
basil and also eaten with various types of side dishes. Most Malaysians prefer
to eat Nasi Ulam with a side dish of fish to which makes it much more
delicious.
Nasi Ulam is a signature dish by the Malays
and is still popular till now due to its unique style of cooking. Unlike many
dishes, other cultures also has different versions of the unique dish,
especially the Peranakans who created the dish and became famous till now. Besides that, it is also known as “Queen” of
all Peranakan rice dish. Moreover, Nasi Ulam was originated from Kelantan and Terengganu
where by the dish is mostly prepared with prawn or fish as it side dishes.
Moreover, this dish can also be found in Indonesia, and Thailand. In Indonesia,
there are two types of Nasi Ulam, whereby one is wet which is mixed with soup,
which is available in northern Jakarta, and a dry one which is available in the
southern part of Jakarta. The Indonesian version is mixed with dried chili,
sliced cucumber, and sprinkled with peanuts on top.
Besides that, Nasi Ulam has the most basic
herbs compared to the Western green salad which is usually marinated with
European style dressings. This unique dish is also often eaten with sambal
(chili paste) to give it an extra kick while eating with the various herbs.
When it comes to Nasi Ulam, the Ulam (herbs) plays an important role while
preparing it as its usually only half cooked in the heat of the freshly steamed
rice, to maintain its freshness and crispiness of the vegetables in raw form.
In addition, Nasi Ulam in Malaysia is slidely different compared to the
Indonesian one. Its steamed rice is mixed with various herbs such as daun
pegagan (pegagan leaves), and lemon basil and sometimes cooked with raw fish
which is known in the Northwest Peninsular Malaysia. Nasi Ulam is mostly
enjoyed by all and is more popular amongst the elderly people because it provides an aromatic taste and also
healthy which is a bonus to the elderly people.
The basic ingredients that are needed to cook
Nasi Ulam are :
1) Chopped
red onions
2) Pudina
Leaves
3) Pegagan
Leaves
4) Red
chilies
5) Dried
Shrimp (optional)
It requires patience and takes a lot of time
while preparing the dish. The herbs is then mixed together with the steamed
rice and then served.
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