Nasi Kerabu

Ingredients

Blue rice

• 30 dried butterfly pea flowers (bunga telang)
• 600 ml hot water
• 400 g jasmine rice, washed and drained
• 1 stalk lemongrass, bruised
• 1 tsp salt

Spiced fried chicken

• 4 chicken legs (thigh and drumstick)
• 4 cloves garlic, pounded
• 2.5 cm (1 in) piece ginger, pounded
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tbsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp salt
• 500 ml (2 cups) cooking oil, for frying

Herb salad (ulam)

• 2 stalks lemongrass, white part only, very thinly sliced
• 6 makrut lime leaves, very finely shredded
• 1 torch ginger flower (bunga kantan), very thinly sliced
• 1 handful Vietnamese mint (daun kesum), shredded
• 1 cucumber, cut into thin strips
• 4 long beans, thinly sliced
• 100 g (1 cup) bean sprouts, tails removed
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced

Toasted coconut

• 60 g grated coconut
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt

Chilli dip

• 3 tbsp fermented anchovy sauce (budu)
• 2 bird's eye chillies, sliced
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp sugar

To serve

• 4 salted eggs, boiled and halved
• 8 fish crackers (keropok)

Method

1. Steep the butterfly pea flowers in the hot water for 15 minutes, then strain, pressing the flowers. Measure 560 ml of blue water.
2. Cook the rice with the blue water, lemongrass and salt in a rice cooker, or in a pot: boil, cover and cook on the lowest heat for 15 minutes, then rest for 10 minutes off the heat.
3. Mix the chicken with the garlic, ginger, coriander, chilli powder, turmeric and salt and leave for at least 20 minutes.
4. Heat the oil in a wok to 170°C (340°F). Fry the chicken for 15–18 minutes, turning, until deep golden and cooked through. Drain on paper towels.
5. Toast the grated coconut in a dry pan over low heat, stirring all the time, for 8–10 minutes until golden. Mix in the sugar and salt.
6. Mix all the chilli dip ingredients in a small bowl. Prepare all the herb salad ingredients and keep them separate or toss them together.
7. To serve, mound the blue rice on each plate with a heap of herb salad, a spoonful of toasted coconut, a fried chicken leg, a salted egg half and crackers, with the chilli dip on the side. Mix it all together as you eat.

Tips

• No budu: use 2 tbsp fish sauce with 1 tsp tamarind water instead; the flavour is milder.
• Herbs: use whatever you can find among lemongrass, lime leaves, torch ginger flower, Vietnamese mint, basil and long beans. The key is to slice them as thinly as possible.
• Grilled fish: swap the chicken for grilled or fried mackerel, which is just as traditional.
• Make ahead: the blue rice and chicken keep for 2 days in the refrigerator. Slice the herbs just before serving so they stay fresh.