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1
Make the Blue Rice
30 Mins
Boiling, 100°C (212°F), then low simmer
Steep the butterfly pea flowers in 450 ml of hot water for 10 minutes until the water is a deep indigo, then strain out the flowers. Put the rinsed rice, the blue water, the coconut milk and the bruised lemongrass in a pot, bring to a boil, then cover, turn the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes. Rest for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork and remove the lemongrass.
Do not lift the lid while the rice cooks: the trapped steam is what cooks the grains evenly.
Done when: Fluffy, evenly blue rice, grains separate and lightly fragrant.
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2
Fry the Fish
15 Mins
Hot oil, about 180°C (355°F); fish to 63°C (145°F)
Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Season the mackerel with a pinch of salt and fry for 4 to 5 minutes per side until the skin is crisp and golden and the flesh flakes easily, reaching 63°C (145°F) at the thickest part. Drain on paper towel.
The oil must be properly hot before the fish goes in, or it will soak up oil and turn greasy.
Done when: Crisp golden skin, flesh flaking easily, cooked through to 63°C (145°F).
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3
Blend the Sambal
10 Mins
Medium heat, about 160°C (320°F)
Toast the shrimp paste in a dry pan for 1 minute until fragrant. Blend the chillies, shallots, garlic and toasted shrimp paste into a coarse paste, then cook it in a little oil for 5 minutes until darkened and fragrant. Stir in the lime juice, sugar and a pinch of salt.
Cooking the sambal takes the raw edge off the chillies and deepens its colour; a raw sambal tastes harsh.
Done when: Thick, dark red sambal, fragrant and balanced between hot, sour and sweet.
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4
Toss the Herb Salad
10 Mins
Room temperature
Mix the bean sprouts, long beans, cabbage, cucumber and shredded herbs in a large bowl with the toasted coconut. Toss lightly so everything is evenly mixed but still crisp.
Toss the salad at the last minute: it wilts fast once it sits.
Done when: Bright, crisp salad, evenly mixed, coconut flecked through it.
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5
Fry the Crackers
5 Mins
Hot oil, about 190°C (375°F)
Fry the fish crackers in the hot oil for a few seconds until they puff up and turn crisp, then lift them out and drain on paper towel.
They puff in seconds, so do not walk away from the pan.
Done when: Puffed, crisp crackers, pale gold and dry to the touch.
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6
Plate and Serve
5 Mins
Serve warm, rice above 63°C (145°F)
Spoon a mound of blue rice onto each plate, pile the herb salad beside it, and lay the fried fish, a spoonful of sambal and the crackers around the rice. Serve at once, and tell everyone to mix everything together on the plate before eating.
The mixing is the point: the blue rice, herbs, fish and sambal only become nasi kerabu when they are tossed together.
Done when: Vivid blue rice, crisp green salad, golden fish and red sambal on every plate.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the nasi kerabu at once, the rice still warm and the salad still crisp, and mix everything together on the plate so the blue rice picks up the herbs, coconut and sambal.
Malaysia
1h 10m
