As Singapore’s hawker culture evolves, several traditional dishes are disappearing from the country’s culinary lexicon. Nasi kerabu is one of these dishes, and here is where you can still find the best examples in Singapore.
Nasi kerabu is a rice dish consisting of blue pea-dyed rice surrounded by a salad (kerabu in Malay), meat or seafood, pickles, an egg, crackers, and sambal. It is similar to nasi ulam except the salad is served on the side instead of mixing it into the rice. The dish is popular in Malaysia, especially in Kelantan, as well as in southern Thailand.
Making nasi kerabu requires each component to be prepared separately, and the work is perhaps one reason why fewer hawkers in Singapore are serving it. Fortunately, Woodleigh Village hawker stall Ji Hui Lai peppers its version with shredded coconut and torch ginger flower, as well as a blisteringly crispy fried chicken.
At Yishun Park Hawker Centre, Arang also focuses on nasi kerabu. Run by a former private dining chef, his meticulous approach to the dish involves grilling with coconut husk for a smokier aroma and making the sambal from scratch.
Diners flock to La Porpo at Bendemeer Food Centre for its ayam goreng, which is rivalled by the nasi kerabu and the stall’s three homemade chilli sauces, like the tart and funky Sambal Loca. The Malayan Council inserts local ingredients into Western cooking, but the nasi kerabu is resolutely classic. Check them out below.
(Hero and featured images credits: @themalayancouncil.sg/Instagram; @jihuilai_nasi_kerabu / Instagram)
Where to find nasi kerabu in Singapore
1 /4
This Woodleigh Village hawker stall likes playing with words – its name is a double entendre for “Chickens Will Come” and “Opportunity Arise.” What they are serious about, however, is the nasi kerabu. The fried chicken is blisteringly crispy and moist, and the aroma of torch ginger flower and shredded coconut penetrates every component of the dish.
S$7.80
Wednesday – Monday, 11am – 8.30pm
Closed on Tuesday
(Image credit: @jihuilai_nasi_kerabu / Instagram)
2 /4
After running a popular private dining venture, chef Nurl Asyraffie Mohamed Shukor switched to selling nasi kerabu in a hawker centre. That, however, did not deter him from approaching it meticulously, from the coconut husk in the grill for a smokier flavour to the sambal made from scratch. Protein options range from ayam percik and ikan bakar to lamb ribs, all accompanied by turmeric rice, kerabu salad, salted egg, fish keropok, and chilli.
From S$10
Tuesday – Sunday, 10am – 1.30pm
Closed on Monday
(Image credit: Kerabu by Arang / Facebook)
3 /4
Celebrity chef Bjorn Chen once proclaimed that La Porpo served the best ayam goreng in town, which can be ordered with the stall’s nasi kerabu. The fried chicken is as crunchy as the bright salad and the three homemade sambal add different dimensions, like the tart and funky Sambal Loca.
From S$6
Sunday – Friday, 10am – 7pm
Closed on Saturday
(Image credit: La Porpo / Facebook)
4 /4
The Malayan Council fuses Western cooking with local flavours, resulting in dishes like butter chicken linguine. But they serve a resolutely traditional ayam panggang kerabu. It features a whole grilled chicken leg glazed with a deeply spiced sauce surrounded by blue pea rice, salad, fried eggs, prawn crackers, and sambal balado. The dish is available at The Malayan Council’s Bussorah St and Rocher outlets.
S$32
(Image credit: The Malayan Council / Facebook)
