Authentic and uncommon herb-infused Nasi Ulam at Amoy Street Food Centre

It’s not typically that we get uncommon ethnic dishes served in hawker centres or anyplace in Singapore. My final encounter with something remotely near that was Bamboo Nasi Rendang in Chinatown. It’s to my nice shock that I stumbled upon The Little Red Hen at Amoy Street Food Centre, which opened in Aug 2022. It solely serves nasi ulam, which is a herb-infused rice dish.

As somebody who’s unequivocally pleased with his heritage, I’ve by no means had nasi ulam earlier than. I used to be conscious of its existence and roughly what it was, nevertheless it by no means occurred to me to offer it a go. I’m very conversant in its blue cousin, the nasi kerabu, which is commonly cooked throughout Hari Raya in my family.

Depending on who you ask, the origins of nasi ulam vary from the straits of Sumatra all the best way to Malaysia. It is extensively agreed that like many different native dishes, nasi ulam is an accumulation of many culinary cultures. 

The nasi ulam discovered right here is predicated on the Malaysian take, which consists of chilly boiled rice that’s blended with finely chopped herbs equivalent to torch ginger flower, kaffir lime leaf, turmeric leaf and Vietnamese mint leaf. Because of the concoction of herbs, nasi ulam is commonly touted as a wholesome dish that supposedly has pure antioxidant properties.

What I attempted at The Little Red Hen

I had the Nasi Ulam with Ayam Percik set and the Nasi Ulam with Beef Rendang set, each at S$8.50 every. There was additionally the Nasi Ulam with Udang Kunyit set (Turmeric Prawn) and Nasi Ulam with Ikan Pepes (Steamed Fish wrapped in Banana Leaves) set at S$10 every. 

Each order additionally got here with a alternative between urap salad or oven-baked veggies that consisted of broccoli, carrots and capsicum slices. There was additionally half a boiled egg and expertly smeared home made sambal on the facet.

There have been an astonishing 15 totally different recent herbs and elements used to make their nasi ulam. The herbs, after being sliced, have been hand massaged into the rice. 

I attempted the Nasi Ulam with Beef Rendang set first, and went forward to attempt the ulam rice which appeared like ice cream with sprinkles. It solely took me a chunk to know that the arduous course of of creating ulam rice wasn’t in useless. 

There have been refreshing bits of herbiness with each chunk. There have been undoubtedly kaffir lime leaves in there, although I couldn’t pinpoint what the opposite floral tastes have been. I shortly gave up on attempting to establish the herbs and proceeded to completely take pleasure in my meal. Apart from the differing flavours, the herbs additionally added a pleasant fibre-like texture to the smooth pillowy rice.

The Beef Rendang was respectable. It wasn’t spicy and was on the sweeter facet of issues. It undoubtedly added to the natural expertise with its candy and savoury layers. Having mentioned that, I believed the portion was on the low facet however with the growing price of beef, I considerably accepted it for what it was.

What wasn’t so good have been the oven-baked greens. I feel it was baked after which positioned in some soup because the broccoli and carrots have been soggy. It additionally appeared somewhat misplaced because the assortment of greens appeared as if they have been sides to a Western dish.

The boiled egg didn’t do me any favours both because it had a bizarre jelly-like texture. It was actually jiggling once I had a nibble and simply felt off. I actually appreciated the truth that the sambal was smeared in type, nevertheless it additionally wasn’t for me too because it was just a bit too salty. It packed quantity of warmth although.

Next was the Nasi Ulam with Ayam Percik set. This time, I went straight for the rooster. Having totally anticipated the warmth of the lemak chili padi gravy, I used to be shocked by a savoury-tasting gravy. It was actually acquainted to the gravy utilized in laksa perlis, the place fish and some different herbs equivalent to laksa herb are blended collectively, giving it a wealthy coconutty style with hints of turmeric.

While the rooster was dry, it nonetheless had a scrumptious smoky grilled style to it. The wealthy gravy additionally alleviated a number of the dryness. 

I had the urap salad as a substitute of the oven-baked vegetable choice. The urap salad consisted of bean sprouts, winged beans and grated coconut. It would possibly look deceptively easy, nevertheless it packed a powerful punch in each flavour and texture. 

The bean sprouts have been at their crunchy finest and the grated coconut gave the impression to be spiced. It additionally had tanginess to it which both got here from the tamarind juice or salt. Overall, a significantly better choice as in comparison with baked veggies.

Final ideas

To assume I spent almost 24 years of my time alive with out attempting nasi ulam…that’s 23 years wasted! Whilst the nasi ulam is a particular must-try, I discovered the accompanying dishes not fairly to the excessive requirements set by the standard herbed rice. As for the price, particularly contemplating the excessive labour and elements used, the comparatively excessive worth for a hawker centre is appropriate. 

Understandably, if the worth remains to be too steep, I’d suggest getting simply the Nasi Ulam (S$3) and pairing it with cheaper dishes from any financial rice stall or higher but, one thing home made. The rice is the star of the dish in spite of everything, and it definitely shines!

Expected injury: S$8.50 – S$10 per pax

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