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
Singapore Foragers Find Ingredients for Restaurants and Home Cooking | Eater
"A hawker stand known for a labor‑intensive rendition of nasi ulam, a herbaceous rice that can include up to 19 chopped herbs such as laksa leaf, galangal, Thai basil, torch ginger, mint, ulam raja, lemongrass, turmeric and wild betel leaf. The owner rises before dawn to source produce from market vendors—many ingredients arrive from Malaysia—rather than foraging on-site, preserving traditional flavors through meticulous preparation." - Jackson Kao
lucca
Google
tried the ayam bakar nasi ulam and it's absolutely sublime - i instantly became a regular at this stall! the rice is infused with herbs, vegetables and spices, and all the flavours just explode in your mouth when you take a bite like it's the most fragrant rice i've ever had in my entire life no cap. the chicken is well marinated, tender and moist, which goes so so sooooo well with the rice! the meat is smashed before being served and hearing the meat pounder go down on the chicken is always music to my ears so so beautiful.
the owner is the friendliest and sweetest lady i have so much love in my heart for her and her family who run the stall 💛 i've already been back a few times and will be back again soon for more!!!
Yess
Google
Tried ayam percik nasi ulam after reading many good reviews. Indeed it's full of flavour. Chicken was tender with some gravy. Rice was tasteful but too bad it's cold, would've been better if still steaming. Came at 11.30am on weekdays, only got 3pax in Q.. if you're late by 15mins, long Q already forming. So please come earlier.
Siti Hajar N.
Google
Their Nasi Ulam Ayam Bakar is a MUST TRY! We travelled all way, just to have Nasi Ulam fixed for our lunch! Come down to The Little Red Hen to try their spicy and well-marinated Ayam Percik and Ayam Bakar with their flavourful Ulam rice ! (if you haven’t!) A set comes with fresh vegetables & salad too! They also serve kids friendly meal - Nasi Ayam Penyet too! (which our child truly love!) Friendly Ladyboss with 5 star service! It gets a bit crowded during lunch time so be sure to get there earlier! :) 💯 Recommended!
zrina
Google
First time we tried, our minds were blown. Was not expecting an array of herbs, spices and the winged bean veg in the rice. This is just the rice!! And the broccoli! Omg it was deliciously buttery. The Ayam was delicious too. My colleagues and I are always willing to make the trek up Ann Siang just to takeaway back to our office for lunch!
pizza P.
Google
Super friendly young lady, came after peak hours and she is incredibly welcoming. Recommended me the ayam percik with nasi ulam as I'm a new patron. The food was love at first bite! Those who complain that the nasi ulam is cold have not made nasi ulam before. The cooked rice is meant to be cooled down to prevent it from turning mushy and clumpy when mixing in the various painstakingly chopped herbs. Just like how the Chinese insist on using leftover rice to make fried rice. Ordered mine with sambal goreng - your set comes with an option of either that, sauteed veggies, or bergedil. And of course i had to say yes to sambal hijau. Chicken was a huge whole leg (thigh + drumstick), tender, juicy, no 'frozen' taste. Gravy surprising pairs well with the nasi ulam and sambal considering how each component already stands out in its distinct flavour profile. Kerabu (the raw salad w lettuce, winged beans) was fresh and a good way to cleanse the palate after an enriched, tasteful meal.
Price is higher than your average humble salary man meal if you get ayam percik + nasi ulam ($8.50) but knowing the effort taken to prepare all the components well, it's more than just bang for your buck. It's so good it's worth a visit to Amoy just for it. Happy to support a friendly young hawker!
David O.
Google
Latest Review
Learning the lesson from my previous visit, I headed down at 11.30am. And yes! Finally got my fix of nasi ulam.
Ordered both the ayam percik and ayam bakar. And oh yes... This made my day. The nasi ulam portion is just nice... And it is so well spiced, and the base of rice was fluffy and moist enough.
The chicken (thighs) is tender, off-the-bone kind. Both are well flavoured with spices and are just so yums! Paired with the kicap manis and sweet spicy sambal, oooh... That gave me the Ratatouille moment, when all the different the flavours come together in harmony!
Will I be back? Certainly! 💯 😋
PREVIOUSLY...
Finally took the time to travel and try this after watching the coverage in CNA some months ago.
Unfortunately, the nasi ulam was sold out by the time I got there at 1+pm. Tried the ayam percik with rice instead.
The interpretation here is different from those I had in Msia. The gravy for instance is more watery and mild, versus the thick galangal pack gravy and marinated chicken in Msia.
The roasted chicken was tender. Green sambal mildly spicy and hot. Like it very much when paired with the nasi lemak sambal. Added more dimensions to the mild ayam percik. Nasi was fragrant with coconut milk without being too oily.
A pretty decent plate of nasi ayam percik.
Based on the chicken, I don't mind returning, to try out the highly rated nasi ulam next time.
Service was pleasant, and with a warm welcoming smile. Atmosphere, typical hawker centre. It was well ventilated and bright, despite the office lunch crowd.
Jasmine S.
Google
I picked up several sets of nasi ulam, which were delightful. The dish was fragrant and herby, with the scents and flavors of kaffir lime and torch ginger flower particularly standing out—I love them. As for the meats, I preferred the rendang over the chicken. Syakira, one of the owner-chefs, was also very personable and made the buying experience exceptionally pleasant. Overall, I was more than satisfied with my lunch!
Rennie L.
Google
Tried the Ayam Percik set ($8.50). Comes with whole chicken thigh and also a choice of vegetable dish! Overall, a well balanced meal! The rice was nice and fragrant with all the mixed veges, chicken was flavorful and tender, vege was good too. I enjoyed the meal! For feedback, it would just be that the dishes weren’t really warm. Would have been perfect if the rice was warm/hot at least!