Ingredients
Toasted base
- 200 graw rice
- 150 ggrated coconut
Spice paste
- 6shallots
- 4garlic cloves
- 3cm galangal
- 2 stalkslemongrass, sliced
- 1 teaspoonblack peppercorns
- 2 tablespoonsoil
Vegetables
- 200 glong beans, chopped
- 200 gsweet potato, diced
- 150 gcarrot, diced
- 150 gcorn kernels
- 100 gbean sprouts
Herbs
- a large bunch of daun kesum, Vietnamese coriander
- a bunch of pucuk paku, fern shoots, if available
- 2turmeric leaves, finely shredded
- a handful of sweet potato leaves
- a handful of basil
Broth and finish
- 2 litresbeef or chicken stock
- 200 gbeef, in small dice, optional
- salt to taste
To serve
- fried anchovies
- roasted peanuts
- fried shallots
- lime wedges
- sambal
Directions
- Put the raw rice in a dry heavy pan. Toast it over a medium heat, stirring constantly. It takes about ten minutes to turn golden brown. Tip it out and let it cool down. Stir it constantly over a lower heat. Give it about six minutes until deep brown. Tip it out and let it cool as well. Put the cooled rice and coconut in a grinder.
- Grind them to a coarse powder. It should feel gritty rather than floury. Blend the shallots, garlic, galangal and lemongrass. Add the peppercorns to the blender. Blend it to a smooth paste with a splash of water.
- Heat the oil in a large heavy pot. Fry the paste for six to eight minutes. Stir it constantly as it cooks. It should darken and smell deeply fragrant. Wash every herb thoroughly in several waters. Pick the leaves off any woody stems. Shred the turmeric leaves as finely as you can. Turmeric leaf is tough and must be cut very thin.
- Chop all the other herbs roughly. Add the diced beef to the fried paste if using it. Fry it until it is browned all over. Pour in the stock and bring it to a simmer. Stir in the ground rice and coconut mixture.
- Stir it well so no lumps form. It will thicken noticeably within minutes. Let it simmer gently for twenty minutes. Stir it every few minutes and scrape the base. Adding the vegetables is done in order. Add the sweet potato and carrot first. Give them ten minutes to soften.
- Add the long beans and the corn. Give them another five minutes. Add the bean sprouts near the end. They need only a minute or two. Stir in the shredded turmeric leaf. Add the daun kesum and the other greens. Cook them for three or four minutes only.
- Taste it and season it with salt. It should taste herbal, nutty and savoury. Add hot stock if it has gone too thick. Serving it is done hot in bowls. Ladle it out into deep serving bowls. Scatter fried anchovies and peanuts over the top. Add fried shallots and a lime wedge. Serve sambal separately for anyone who wants heat. It keeps two days refrigerated and thickens hard.
Technique
- Bubur pedas is made in Brunei, Sarawak and parts of West Kalimantan, with each area using a different mix of herbs.
- The Sambas version in Kalimantan is particularly well known.
Substitutions
- Any mixture of soft leafy greens can stand in where the traditional herbs are unavailable.
- Daun kesum is the one that is genuinely hard to replace, and Vietnamese shops sell it fresh.
Variations
- A version without meat is made for those fasting or vegetarian.
- Some households add dried shrimp to the spice paste.
- The Sarawak version tends to include more fern shoots.
Frequently asked questions
What is Bubur Pedas?
Bubur Pedas is a soup & stew from Brunei: toasted rice and coconut porridge with many herbs and vegetables, served at Ramadan.
How long does Bubur Pedas take to make?
Bubur Pedas takes 1 hour of preparation and 1 hour of cooking. The recipe makes serves 8. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Bubur Pedas?
Yes, within limits. Any mixture of soft leafy greens can stand in where the traditional herbs are unavailable. Daun kesum is the one that is genuinely hard to replace, and Vietnamese shops sell it fresh.
What is the most important thing to get right in Bubur Pedas?
Grind them to a coarse powder. It should feel gritty rather than floury. Blend the shallots, garlic, galangal and lemongrass. Add the peppercorns to the blender. Blend it to a smooth paste with a splash of water.
