Singaporean-Malaysian🍚 Starches

Nasi Ulam Nyonya

Name: Nasi Ulam Nyonya
Cuisine: Singaporean-Malaysian
Ingredients: ~1 cup shredded coconut; ~¼ cups dried shrimps; ~2-3 oz salted fish; ~2 tbsp galangal; ~4-5 shallots; ~2 stalks lemongrass; ~1-2 buds ginger torch flower; ~1 tbsp turmeric; ~1½ cups long beans; ~3-4 leaves turmeric leaf; ~2 tbsp wild pepper leaves; ~½ cup laksa leaves or Vietnamese coriander; ~4-5 leaves kaffir lime leaves; ~¼ cups mint; ~¼ cups basil; ~3 cups cooled jasmine rice; ~3 tbsp oil; ~3-4 tbsp calamansi juice

Nasi Ulam Nyonya is a traditional Peranakan rice salad made with fresh herbs, vegetables and cooled rice as the main ingredients. This dish blends Malay and Chinese culinary traditions and features distinctive aromatic flavours, typically served with sambal belacan.

Adapted from a video by Nyonya Cooking

Nasi Ulam Nyonya | Peranakan Rice Salad [Nyonya Cooking]

Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

shredded coconutcan use desiccated coconut; toast until golden brown~1 cupest.
dried shrimpsfry until crispy and brown, then grind into powder when cooled~¼ cupsest.
salted fishfry until golden brown, remove skin and shred the flesh finely~2-3 ozest.
galangalcut into fine strips~2 tbspest.
shallotscut into fine pieces~4-5est.
lemongrasscut into very fine pieces as it is tough and chewy~2 stalksest.
ginger torch floweroptional; slice finely; can be omitted if unavailable~1-2 budsest.
turmeric

Steps

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1
Toast the shredded coconut in a heated pan over medium heat, stirring constantly until it turns golden brown. Be careful not to burn it.
2
Grind the toasted coconut with a pestle and mortar until it becomes powder-like, without crushing it until oil is released.
3
In the same pan with oil, fry the dried shrimps until they are crispy and brown, then grind them into powder.
4
Fry the salted fish in the same oil until golden brown, remove the skin, and shred the flesh finely using chopsticks and a small fork, being careful of bones.
5
Cut galangal, shallots, lemongrass, ginger torch flower and turmeric into fine strips or small pieces, ensuring all pieces are fine enough to chew easily.
6
Cut long beans into slices. This step is optional if long beans are unavailable.
7
Prepare fresh herbs (turmeric leaf, wild pepper leaves, laksa leaves, kaffir lime leaves, mint, basil) by removing stalks. Roll the leaves into a cylinder shape and slice finely with a knife or kitchen scissors, then chop into smaller pieces.
8
Place cooled jasmine rice in a large bowl and first add the fried shrimp powder, toasted coconut powder and shredded salted fish. Mix gently so these ingredients coat each rice grain evenly.
9
Add turmeric, galangal, lemongrass, shallots and ginger torch flower in sequence, stirring gently after each addition.
10
Add the long bean slices and mix gently.
11
Finally add all the fresh herb pieces and mix gently until evenly distributed throughout the rice, creating a colourful and aromatic dish.
12
Add calamansi juice or lime juice to add sourness and adjust the flavour to taste.
13
Serve the rice salad at room temperature. It pairs well with sambal belacan or curries.

Nasi Ulam Nyonya

Ingredients

Steps

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