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1
Soak the Rice
5 mins active, 2-4 hours soaking
Room temperature
Rinse the jasmine and glutinous rice together in several changes of water until it runs clear, then cover with cold water and soak for 2-4 hours. Drain well in a sieve and shake off the water; the grains should look plump and opaque.
Do not skip the soak: unsoaked glutinous rice steams unevenly and stays hard in the middle.
Done when: Grains plump, opaque and well drained.
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2
Make the Spice Paste
15 mins
Room temperature
Pound or blend the 80 g of chopped shallots, 15 g of ginger, galangal, garlic, soaked dried chillies, turmeric, toasted belacan, coriander and cumin with 2-3 tablespoons of water into a smooth, deep-red paste. It should be as smooth as you can get it — scrape down the sides and blend again if it is still chunky.
Toast the belacan first: raw belacan smells harsh, toasted belacan smells deep and savoury.
Done when: Smooth, deep-red paste with no visible chunks.
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3
Cook the Tuna Curry
25 mins
Gentle simmer, about 95°C (200°F)
Heat a little oil in a pot over medium heat, about 160°C (320°F), and fry the spice paste for 3-4 minutes until it darkens and the oil separates at the edges. Pour in the 250 ml of coconut milk and 150 ml of water, add the palm sugar, tamarind water and salt, and bring to a gentle simmer, about 95°C (200°F). Slide in the tuna steaks, cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes until the fish flakes easily and reaches 63°C (145°F) inside. Taste and adjust salt and sugar.
Keep the curry at a gentle simmer, never a hard boil: boiling splits the coconut milk and toughens the tuna.
Done when: Fish flakes easily, 63°C (145°F) inside; gravy rich and red-gold.
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4
Steam the Coconut Rice
30 mins
Steaming, 100°C (212°F)
Put the drained rice in a steamer lined with a clean cloth, scatter over the 60 g of sliced shallots, 15 g of sliced ginger, the fenugreek seeds and 3 g of salt, and steam over boiling water, about 100°C (212°F), for 15 minutes. Lift the lid, drizzle over the 200 ml of coconut milk, fluff gently with a fork, then steam for 15 minutes more until the rice is tender, glossy and fragrant.
Add the coconut milk halfway through, not at the start: it coats the grains instead of washing through, and the rice stays fluffy.
Done when: Rice tender, glossy, fragrant with fenugreek; no hard grains.
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5
Boil the Eggs
10 mins
Boiling water, 100°C (212°F)
While the curry simmers, lower the eggs into a small pot of boiling water, about 100°C (212°F), and boil for 10 minutes. Cool under cold running water, peel and halve lengthwise.
Start the eggs in boiling water and cool them fast: the shells peel cleanly and the yolks stay bright yellow.
Done when: Yolks just set, no grey ring.
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6
Plate and Serve
5 mins
Hot, about 65°C (150°F)
Spoon a mound of hot coconut rice onto each plate or banana leaf, lay a piece of tuna beside it with a generous ladle of curry, add a spoonful of acar pickles and half a boiled egg, and serve at once with hot teh tarik.
Serve on a banana leaf if you have one: the hot rice picks up its floral scent, exactly as it does at a Terengganu market stall.
Done when: Hot rice, hot curry, cold crunchy pickles.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Eat the rice with the curry spooned over it, a bite of crunchy acar between mouthfuls of rich fish — that hot, sour, creamy contrast is the whole point of nasi dagang.
Malaysia
1h 10m
