Nasi Dagang or east coast trader’s rice is a dish that originated from the Malaysian peninsula. It is often served in banana leaves along with fish and other seafood.
Here we used red glutinous rice, but if it is unavailable you may use a mixture of one cup long grain rice and one cup of glutinous white rice which does not need to be soaked. If you cannot find fenugreek seeds, a bitter and slightly squarish type of seeds, substitute it with yellow mustard seeds.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 cups red glutinous rice
6-8 pandan leaves or 2 drops pandan essence
1 cup thick coconut milk
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 inch piece ginger, peeled and sliced
3 shallots, sliced thinly
Soak the red glutinous rice for a minimum of 4 hours or up to overnight. Drain and rinse the rice until the water runs clear.
Next, line a heatproof bowl or pan with the pandan leaves. Cut them if needed. Place the rice in the bowl and add 3 cups of water. Make sure that the rice is covered in water, around three and a half inches above the rice. Steam it uncovered over boiling water for 30 minutes or until the rice is almost cooked.
In a large bowl, combine the coconut milk and salt. If you are using pandan essence, add it to the coconut milk mixture. Mix well. Put the steamed rice in the bowl and stir it until it absorbs the coconut milk. Add the fenugreek seeds, shallots and ginger. Continue to stir it until well combined.
Steam the rice once again with pandan leaves just like you did in the previous step. Serve immediately.
Photo Courtesy Of: FotoosVanRobin