Herbed Rice Recipe (Nasi Ulam)

4.89 from 9 votes

Herbed Rice Recipe (Nasi Ulam)

Nasi Ulam is a fragrant, herbed rice dish popular in Malaysia. This easy and authentic recipe combines steamed rice with fresh herbs, dried shrimp, and toasted coconut for a delicious and aromatic meal.

Prep Time40

Total Time1 40

Course: Rice

Cuisine: Malaysian Recipes

Keyword: Herbed rice, Nasi Ulam

Servings: people

Author: Bee Yinn Low

Ingredients

1/3 cup dried shrimp
1/2 cup fresh or frozen shredded coconut
2 cups cooked rice chilled
5-6 daun kadok wild betel leaves, finely sliced
1/4 cup Thai basil leaves finely sliced
1/4 cup mint leaves finely sliced
1/4 cup daun kesom polygonum leaves, finely sliced
3 kaffir lime leaves finely sliced
5 shallots peeled and thinly sliced
1 lemongrass white part only, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
3 dashes white pepper powder
3 dashes black pepper powder

Instructions

Soak the dried shrimp in warm water until softened. Coarsely pound them using a mortar and pestle. Heat a wok and dry toast the pounded shrimp until they are dry or fragrant, being careful not to burn them.
Make the shredded coconut into kerisik by stir-frying it continuously in a wok until it turns golden brown. Transfer to the mortar and pestle and pound until fine. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the cooked rice with all the herbs, shallots, toasted coconut, and dried shrimp. Add the salt, sugar, and peppers, and toss to combine well. Serve immediately.

Notes

For nasi ulam, I prefer to use basmati rice as the rice is drier and less sticky, fluffy, and nutty in flavor compared to Thai jasmine rice. I find the texture of basmati rice the best for nasi ulam. If you use regular rice for this recipe, you might want to chill it in the fridge overnight to lose the moisture content in the rice.

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