Our Bubur Lambuk journey won’t be complete without mentioning the original or the OG, as the millennials call it, Bubur Lambuk Kampung Baru. Why is it the orginal, you ask? Well, for this, we got to go back all the way to Kuala Lumpur in the 1900s. A little history on Kampung Baru, it is a government-gazetted settlement specially for the Malay community in Malaya. It was part of the ‘divide and rule’ propaganda of the British but somehow, from something so political, something beautiful came out of it.
Before, the Malay communities are not as united as we are now. Ecen though we are of one race, but the different creeds within separated us. However, all that change during one fine Ramadan when a young man by the name of Said Bank created a porridge during a mosque gotong-royong event to feed the settlers. His porridge was such a hit that the demand just kept coming. His secret? His own special spices.
Looking back at these stories, it does give you a warm feeling deep in your belly knowing how such a humble meal can be so significant to a lot of people. Therefore, as a way of me paying homage to Mr. Said Bank, I have decided to shre my very own bubur lambuk Kampung Baru recipe. Of course, it cannot rival as the ones made in Kampung Baru but my one little addition makes my recipe almost as good as the riginal.
Want to know the secret ingredient, let’s start cooking!
Ingredients:
a) Saute ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 tablespoon of ghee
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 star anise
- 4 cloves
- 4 cardamom
- 1 Pandan leaf,, tie into a knot
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1” (inch) ginger, julienned
- 3 garlic, sliced
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek (halba)
- Juice from 2 inch ginger, blended with 1 cup of water and sieved
- 200g minced beef
b) Congee
- 1 cup (200 gram) rice grain
- 7 cups (1500 ml) water
c) Garnish
- handful of Chinese celery, sliced crosswise
- handful of spring onion, sliced crosswise
Method:
- In a large pot, sauté ingredients (a) except the ginger juice and minced beef until aromatic and golden.
- Add ginger juice and minced beef and continue cooking until ginger juice is reduced.
- Continue making congee by adding all water and rice grains. Add diced carrots into the pot. Stir occasionally to avoid the rice from sticking to the pot. Continue cooking over medium heat until rice grains break down and beef are tender.
- Pour coconut milk, dried shrimp, fenugreek and peppercorn and continue cooking the porridge over medium heat.
- Add minced chicken and salted radish. Season accordingly with salt and coarse black pepper.
- Garnish and serve.
Nothing Beats the Classic!
Does this recipe makes you think of long lost days and special family recipes? ,Share with Butterkicap your own family traditions and stories by emailing us at sembang@butterkicap.com. Keep the memory alive with us.
If you have any questions about Bubur Lambuk Kampung Baru or the Northern and East Coast versions, do slide into my DM on my Instagram or Facebook profiles. I would love to hear your views, comments or even just a chat about the food we enjoy eating. After all, we are all bonded through food, right? Till then, happy cooking!
