KELANTAN - Local delicacies

( dedicated to a friend from Machang now living in New York )
Invented by the Kelantanese among them:

• Nasi Dagang

A brown glutinous rice (special glutinous rice) which is cooked with santan (fresh coconut milk) , blended onions and garlic and some spices (such as Malay:halba (fenugreek). Fish or chicken cook similar to curry comes as an add-on to complete the dishes. Add-on include a specially prepared sour salad consists mainly of cucumber.

The Nasi Dagang is one of the tastiest dishes in Kelantan and goes well with fish curry (the spices used are different from curry), sour salad, hard boiled eggs and chicken.. It is recommended to take only a small portion as it is extremely filling.

• Nasi Kerabu

Nasi Kerabu literally means "herbal rice". There are two version.

Kelantan's Original Nasi Kerabu is a "white rice", served with "tumis" gravy and served with local herbs, leaves and vegetables. Tumis is a thickened chilli based gravy fried in a wok.

Thiere is another the version, which is a dyed-blue (using herbs – a type of flower) rice without a "tumis" gravy.

Apart from that it is also served with deep fried small fish coated with spicy ground rice, fried fish crackers (keropok), salted egg, "solok lada" (fish fillet and coconut-stuffed green chillis), and pickled garlic.

blue Nasi Kerabu with Keropok

• Nasi Tumpang

Rice packed in a cone-shaped banana leaf. A pack of Nasi Tumpang may consists of an omelet, beef floss, chicken curry and sweet gravy.

The norm is, it come in three layers of normal rice, glutinous rice and red beans. It is said that it is traditionally meant for travelers. Dubbed by young locals as Apollo.

• Ayam Golek / Ayam Percik

Wood-fire broiled chicken ( marinated in a selection of spices) dressed with sweet coconut gravy. Ayam Golek / Percik is eaten with white rice in major family dishes.

To those who do not prefer the rich coconut gravy can take the broiled chicken can also be dipped into "cholek" - a hot chilli sauce ala Thai.

• Nasi Berlauk

Nasi Berlauk is a breakfast dish. Most Kelantanese have Nasi Berlauk is rice served with fish or chicken and vegetables cooked with tumeric and galangal infused yellow gravy for breakfast. Wrapped in banana leaves brings out the special flavour.

• Keropok

These are Kelantanese fish crackers. Their texture and colour are noticeably rougher and darker than the usual variety found on the.

• Keropok Gote

Kelantanese version of sausages. Made by combining fish flesh and sago, keropok gote is rolled into long firm sticks and then steamed or boiled. To enjoy it, one has to cut it into desired bite sized and deep fried. Different from Terengganu's keropok lekor, the Kelantan variety is thicker and longer in size and has to be fried to be eaten. Keropok Gote is probably the one snack which all Kelantanese children grow up with. It is a must have, at all school canteens.

• Kelantanese Laksa and Laksam

Laksa is white rice noodles served with curry and vegetables, is made differently in every state in Malaysia. The Kelantanese laksa employs the creamy white coconut milk gravy which is richer and has full-bodied flavour. The main ingredients of the gravy is fish flesh, although connoisseurs would certainly prefer the ones made of selected fish such as eels.

Laksam is served with the same gravy. Laksam is from ground rice, turned into paste, steamed after being flattened into thin plates. Allowed to cool then rolled. Served after scissor sniped into strips of 10mm wide. Laksam is unique to Kelantan, it originates here, though one may find anywhere in Malaysia today.

Laksam

Whenever you are in Malaysia, try them.