Nasi Kerabu Ayam Percik

The aromatic and colorful  Kerabu (salad) 

Kerabu Rice (The Rice, Salad and Chicken)

Nasi Kerabu literally means Salad Rice. Basically it is plain rice eaten with a rainbow of aromatic raw herbs and vegetable. Traditionally the rice can be dyed blue for that herbal effect, however I dont have the purple flower for this purpose, so I settled with just plain white rice. This is then served with chicken cooked in coconut milk and spices.


I love this dish for the crunchy and aromatic herbs mixed in with the rice. Although the salad mix can vary with what is available but my must have herb has to be the torch ginger. Without it this dish will fall flat, and torch ginger (bunga kantan) is one of my fave herb!

Torch ginger

So here are the ingredients:

Kerabu (Salad Mix)

1 cucumber - julienned
1 bunch of vietnamese mint (daun kesom), chopped finely
2 stalks lemon grass (serai)- sliced thinly
2 stalks torch ginger (bunga kantan) - sliced thinly
5 snake beans/french beans - sliced thinly
50 gm bean sprouts

Ayam Percik (chicken in spiced coconut sauce)


800 gm chicken pieces


Spice paste:

3 stalks lemon grass (chopped)
2 cm ginger
3 cloves garlic
2 onion (chopped)


Blend the above into a paste


1 1/2 cup tamarind paste in water
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt


2 tbsp chili paste
1 500 ml can coconut milk


Preparation:


Heat oil and saute the blended spice paste and the chilli paste until the aroma fills the room.


Add the tamarind paste and sugar.

Add salt and chicken pieces and stir to mix well.


Add coconut milk and leave to simmer. Cook for another 10 minutes stirring constantly to make sure the coconut milk do not curdle.


Meanwhile pre heat your grill to high and place chicken pieces to brown for 5 minutes on each side. The chicken is already cooked,so only a short cooking time is required. You can baste the coconut gravy while the chicken is browned.


Return to gravy and serve with Rice and salad.