Nasi dagang

Nasi dagang is a Malaysian dish consisting of rice steamed in coconut milk, fish curry and extra ingredients such as fried shaved coconut, hard-boiled eggs and vegetable pickles. Nasi Dagang literally means "Trading Rice". It is a well-known breakfast food in the states on the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia, such as Terengganu and Kelantan. The most famous Nasi dagang of Terengganu comes from Kampung Ladang, an area within the Kuala Terengganu district. Nasi Dagang can also be considered as a festive dish in Kelantan because it is prepared at home for the morning of Eid ul-Fitr, a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, to be eaten as a breakfast before or after the Eid prayers in the mosque.

This is a mix of white rice and brown glutinous rice (special glutinous rice) which is cooked with coconut milk (santan), blended onions and garlic and some spices (such as fenugreek) (Malay: halba). Fish or chicken curry comes as an add-on to complete the dishes together with mildly brown sugared sambal (chili paste), so it's recommended to take only a small portion as it is extremely filling. The Nasi Dagang is one of the tastiest dishes in Kelantan and goes well with fish curry, pickle, hard-boiled eggs.

Ingredients
300g nasi dagang rice or substitute with 200g
good grade Siamese rice mixed with 100g glutinous rice
1 grated coconut to extract 3/4 cup thick coconut milk and 3/4 cup thin coconut milk
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds ( halba )
2 cloves garlic, sliced finely
3 shallots, sliced finely
2cm young ginger, sliced finely
1/2 tsp salt

Method


Wash rice well and soak for five to six hours. Drain well, then steam rice for 20 to 25 minutes or until half-cooked.

Stir in thin coconut milk and continue steaming for 15 minutes until rice is nearly cooked.

Combine thick coconut milk, shallots, garlic, ginger, fenugreek and salt. Stir into the cooked rice then steam once more for 10 to 15 minutes or until rice is properly cooked.

Serve rice with kari ikan tongkol.

Note
Nasi dagang is a special type of reddish brown glutinous rice. If it is not available, substitute with Siamese rice and glutinous rice mixture as per recipe.