Nasi Dagang

Ajinomoto Malaysia presents nasi dagang as fragrant rice steamed with coconut milk and paired with fish curry. Its selected five-person set includes a mixed cucumber, pineapple and carrot acar, placing the rice, curry and fresh-tasting relish together in the meal.

Fragrant rice and glutinous rice are rinsed and soaked together, then drained into a steamer with fenugreek and pandan. After a first steaming, coconut milk mixed with MSG and salt is poured over the rice before steaming continues until it is cooked.

For the curry, fish is first boiled with water, sliced garlic, galangal and asam keping. The fish is removed and the cooking liquid reserved. A ground mixture of shallot, garlic, ginger, galangal, turmeric and soaked dried chilli fries with the curry spices in a separate pan.

Asam keping, the reserved fish broth, kerisik and coconut milk join the curry and come to a boil. The fish returns to the pan with MSG, gula nisan and salt, then simmers until the gravy thickens.

The acar mixes cucumber, pineapple, carrot, sliced shallot and red chilli with sweetener, salt, vinegar, lime juice and sesame. The publisher associates nasi dagang with Kelantan and Terengganu, and serves this set with the relish alongside the coconut rice and fish curry.