Terengganu’s famous cuisine homemade

Terengganu’s cuisine is distinctively memorable from the generous use of spices and fresh local ingredients. One of the most popular and well known is Nasi Dagang, usually eaten with side dishes of tuna curry, pickled cucumber and carrots. Nasi Dagang is a rice specialty of Terengganu. The dish is made by steaming a mixture of regular and glutinous rice in coconut cream over low heat. Simplicity is its essence. ‘Dagang’ practically means going travelling and in those days most are of trading trips. It is practical to pack along the Nasi Dagang to be eaten along the way. Nowadays it is serves in hotels and resorts as part of a signature dish of Terengganu. It is suitable to be eaten at any time of the day during breakfast, lunch, dinner or even supper.

Recipe

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
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 steams once more for 10 to 15 minutes or until rice is properly cooked.
Serve rice with tuna curry (Kari ikan tongkol).

Note:
Nasi dagang in the neighbouring state of Kelantan uses a special type of reddish brown glutinous rice while uses the Siamese rice and glutinous rice mixture as per recipe