The Best Nasi Ulam Recipe: A Step-by-Step How-to | Eater

"This small stall, run by a kind vendor named Redha, was where the writer first encountered nasi ulam, a Southeast Asian heritage dish with Malay, Peranakan, and Indonesian variations. The dish mixes very finely chopped herbs—commonly lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, and mint, but also betel leaf, laksa leaf, shallot, galangal, torch ginger, Thai basil, and fresh turmeric—into freshly cooked white rice; herbs should be chopped extra-fine and folded into warm (not steaming) rice to avoid wilting, at roughly 1–2 tablespoons of mixed herbs per cup of rice. Traditionally it is served with blanched vegetables (chopped green beans are suggested) and a spoonful of sambal belacan or another chile paste. The Malay word “ulam” means herb or indigenous plant, and the preparation emphasizes using local, available ingredients to turn plain rice into a flavorful, healthful dish." - Jackson Kao