Nasi kuning ( Indonesian for: "

yellow rice Yellow rice is a traditional yellow-colored rice dish in Spanish, Iranian, West Asian, Moroccan, Ecuadorian, Peruvian, Caribbean, Portuguese, Filipino, Afghan, Indian, Sri Lankan, South African and Indonesian cuisines. It is made using ...

"), or sometimes called nasi kunyit (Indonesian for: "turmeric rice"), is an Indonesian fragrant

rice dish This is a list of rice dishes from all over the world, arranged alphabetically. Rice is the seed of the monocot plants ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). As a cereal, cereal grain, it is the most widely consumed st ...

cooked with

coconut milk Coconut milk is an opaque, milky-white liquid extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of coconut milk are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food ...

and

turmeric Turmeric () is a flowering plant, ''Curcuma longa'' (), of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, the rhizomes of which are used in cooking. The plant is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast ...

, hence the name ''nasi kuning'' (yellow rice). In the Philippines, a related dish exists in

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...

, particularly among the Maranao people, where it is known as '' kuning''. Like the Indonesian version, it primarily uses turmeric, but also adds

lemongrass ''Cymbopogon'', also known as lemongrass, barbed wire grass, silky heads, Cochin grass, Malabar grass, oily heads, citronella grass or fever grass, is a genus of Asian, African, Australian, and tropical island plants in the grass family. Some ...

and does not use

. A similar dish is also found in

Sri Lankan cuisine Sri Lankan cuisine is known for its particular combinations of herbs, spices, fish, vegetables, rices, and fruits. The cuisine is highly centered around many varieties of rice, as well as coconut which is a ubiquitous plant throughout the count ...

where it is known as ''kaha buth'' (and Lamprais) and draws from both Indonesian and Sri Lankan influences.

Cultural significance

Indonesian culture The culture of Indonesia has been shaped by long interaction between original indigenous customs and multiple foreign influences. Indonesia is centrally-located along ancient trading routes between the Far East, South Asia and the Middle East, r ...

, nasi kuning has favourable symbolic meanings. The yellow-coloured rice is perceived to look like a pile of gold, so it is often served in festive occasions; including parties, housewarmings, welcoming guests and opening ceremonies – as a symbol of good fortune, prosperity, wealth and dignity. Nasi kuning is quite widespread and commonly found in Indonesian culture. It can be found from Java to Sumatra, Bali and Sulawesi. However, it is most strongly associated with Javanese and

Minahasa The Minahasans (alternative spelling: Minahassa) are an ethnic group native to the North Sulawesi province of Indonesia, formerly known as North Celebes. The Minahasa people sometimes refer to themselves as Manado people. Although the Minahasan p ...

traditions. In Java, nasi kuning might come in the form of a cone called a ''

tumpeng Tumpeng ( Javanese: ; Balinese: ) is an Indonesian cone-shaped rice dish with side dishes of vegetables and meat originating from Javanese cuisine of Indonesia. Traditionally featured in the '' slamatan'' ceremony, the rice is made by using a ...

'' and is usually eaten during special events. The top of the ''tumpeng'' is customarily given to the most senior person in attendance. One of the most popular nasi kuning variants comes from

Manado Manado () is the capital city of the Indonesian province of North Sulawesi. It is the second largest city in Sulawesi after Makassar, with the 2020 Census giving a population of 451,916 distributed over a land area of 162.53 km2.Badan Pusa ...

in North Sulawesi, which employs ''cakalang'' (skipjack tuna).

Ingredients and serving

The addition of

and

, sometimes also includes pandan and

during the rice cooking and steaming process, has contributed to a tempting colour, pleasant fragrance, soft texture and a flavourful taste of the yellow rice. Certain spices such as

cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus '' Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, breakf ...

cardamom Cardamom (), sometimes cardamon or cardamum, is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genera '' Elettaria'' and '' Amomum'' in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indonesia. They ar ...

clove Cloves are the aromatic flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae, ''Syzygium aromaticum'' (). They are native to the Maluku Islands (or Moluccas) in Indonesia, and are commonly used as a spice, flavoring or fragrance in consumer products, ...

s and

bay leaves The bay leaf is an aromatic leaf commonly used in cooking. It can be used whole, either dried or fresh, in which case it is removed from the dish before consumption, or less commonly used in ground form. It may come from several species of tr ...

, might be added to enhance this aromatic fragrant rice dish. Nasi kuning is usually served with a variety of side dishes such as shredded

omelette In cuisine, an omelette (also spelled omelet) is a dish made from beaten eggs, fried with butter or oil in a frying pan (without stirring as in scrambled egg). It is quite common for the omelette to be folded around fillings such as chives ...

, ''serundeng'' (relish of grated coconut and spices), '' urap'' (vegetable in shredded coconut dressing), ''teri kacang'' (fried anchovy and peanuts), ''

sambal Sambal is an Indonesian chilli sauce or paste, typically made from a mixture of a variety of chilli peppers with secondary ingredients, such as shrimp paste, garlic, ginger, shallot, scallion, palm sugar, and lime juice. ''Sambal'' is an ...

goreng'' (fried

tempeh Tempeh or tempe (; jv, ꦠꦺꦩ꧀ꦥꦺ, témpé, ) is a traditional Indonesian food made from fermented soybeans. It is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form. A fungus, '' Rhizo ...

and potato caramelised in spicy sauce), ''

ayam goreng Ayam goreng is an Indonesian and Malaysian dish consisting of chicken deep fried in oil. ''Ayam goreng'' literally means " fried chicken" in Malay, Indonesian and also in many Indonesian regional languages (e.g. Javanese). Marination ...

'' (Javanese-style fried chicken), '' balado udang'' (shrimp in chilli), or '' perkedel'' (potato fritters). More elaborate ''nasi kuning'' might include fried cow's brain, fried cow's lung, beef and seafood. It is common to serve nasi kuning with ''kerupuk udang'' ( shrimp cracker) or ''

emping Emping (also known as arifin) are a type of Indonesian chips, a bite-size snack kripik cracker, made of ''melinjo'' or ''belinjo'' (''Gnetum gnemon'') nuts (which are seeds). Emping crackers have a slightly bitter taste. Emping snacks are av ...

'' chips and a decoratively cut cucumber and tomato.

References

External links

Nasi Kuning recipe

{{Sri Lankan cuisine Indonesian rice dishes Sri Lankan cuisine Malaysian cuisine

Cultural significance

Ingredients and serving

See also

References

External links