You might have seen or read somewhere that I have a nasi kerabu list compiled and I’m supposed to share that soon (btw do check out my KL Hokkien Mee list –> HERE).
That “best nasi kerabu list” is still work in progress, but meanwhile I’ve discovered a “new” nasi kerabu of sort in “khao jam“.
This khao jam first popped up on my FB when the owner of Makan Time launched one of this Friday specials.
A little googling unearthed another outlet that sells it – Kesom in Aman Suria. Makan Time and Keson made khao jam their Friday specials while a stall in Pasar Pagi Bandar Kinrara, Puchong sells it every Wednesday.
To my surprise, there is an online delivery service for khao jam too! I will try that soon.
Since I love khao jam and it is pretty elusive in the Klang Valley, I decided to compile a list of khao jam in KL/PJ for everyone’s benefit! 🙂
I realized also that my list is short (please drop me your recommendations if you don’t mind sharing the places that you know sells khao jam in KL/PJ) so I’m going to publish it first so you guys can go ahead and try without having to wait for me to review them.
I’m rather busy now and there are days when I can’t even leave home!
List of khao jam in the Klang Valley:
1. Makan Time, Kota Damansara – only Fridays
2. Kesom, Aman Suria – Fridays or stay tuned to their FB
3. Morning market Taman Kinrara, Puchong – only Wednesday mornings
4. Khao Jam (online based, pre-orders only/ catering)
https://www.facebook.com/khaojamtrulykelate
5. Restaurant Capital – Nasi Dagang Kelantan (Uptown Damansara)
https://www.facebook.com/pg/CapitalNasiDagang (no fixed days, available on whim)
Now if you are going ” Uh, what is Becky talking about?“, here’s a little background about khao jam.
Khao jam or khao yum is a rice dish popular in southern Thailand. Broken down the name means “khao”(rice) and “jam” (mixed together). Thus, khao jam translates to a rice dish where the ingredient are meant to be mixed thoroughly and eaten.
If this sounds familiar, khao jam is similar to nasi kerabu, a popular dish in the East Coast, especially Kelantan.
While it is easier to get nasi kerabu now, supply of khao jam is still tricky.
Like nasi ulam, leicha and nasi kerabu, khao jam is a labour intensive dish.
For a start, the rice itself is cooked with the extract derived from a variety of herbs and vegetables, with some recipes calling for almost 20 – 50 types.
However, there is no certain rule or a tied recipe that state what herbs must be used in the dish. It mostly up to the individual to include anything available and it is expected that different cooks will have their preferences of herbs and ingredients to add. The ingredients also differ slightly from one region to another.
Please try not to consume this dish like chap fun (economy rice) where you would chew on a bit of this and that with rice.
I was guilty of that at first too, but eventually I learnt to mix it all up and I discovered that each mouthful is now so much more explosive in flavours! Nasi Kerabu, Nasi Ulam and Khao Jam are my favourite rice dishes for that very reason – the fragrance from the wild jungle herbs, the freshness and crunch from the raw vegetables, the spicy, sweet salty mix of budu with the kuah tumis (if available) and sambal which results in the herbaceous mouth-filling taste, while still remaining paradoxically delicate.
Components of Khao Jam:Â
1. Green rice – cooked with the juice derived from numerous blended wild jungle herbs and vegetables (exact amount differs for each vendor/shop/maker/seller)Â
2. Raw vegetables : cucumber, onions, ginger flower (bunga kantan), daun kesom, lemongrass, long bean, four angled beans
3. Toasted coconut flakes (kerisik)
4 . Budu – pungent, salty fermented fish sauce.
5. Fish or dried shrimp flakesÂ
- Khao Jam is typically served with fried fishÂ
So, now that you know what is khao jam, here are a few places for you to try it in the Klang Valley!
So far my favourite is the one at Makan Time.
1. Makan Time, Kota Damansara
RM11.50 nett. Only Fridays.
I think only Makan Time’s version offers such exhaustive variations of herbs and vegetables for their khao jam.
I love the addition of julienned young mangoes as it imparted a wonderful lift to the overall dish. Each portion was also served with a large half of lime to be squeezed over the rice.
Waze: “Makan Time”
PS: Nasi Kerabu is also available in Makan Time, Fridays only too! RM11.00/serving.Â
2. Kesom, Aman Suria (To be updated)
Who wants to join me for this? I’ve tried the nasi kerabu and mee siam here and I will post up the images of both…if I can find them!
Waze: “Kesom”
3. Morning Market Taman Kinrara, PuchongÂ
RM4.50 per pack.
The chilli (sambal) is fiery and the budu sauce is thick and pungent. Aunty Ai Lee said she added almost 15 types of herbs and vegetables into her khao jam rice.
I wouldn’t paying extra for a salted egg to go with this but there wasn’t an option to do so. And if the cucumber and onions were sliced finer it would have been great. Nevertheless it is a good khao jam for that price!
Note: Many thanks to Andrea Tan of the FB group ‘Our Shared Passions’ for meeting me in Puchong and bringing me to the market!
4. Khao Jam FB online (To be updated)
Will order soon. If you have tried it, do share with me of your verdict!
https://www.facebook.com/khaojamtrulykelate
5. Restaurant Capital – Nasi Dagang Kelantan (Uptown Damansara)
Will visit soon.
I’ve tried the laksam and nasi dagang here before but not the khao jam or nasi kerabu.
Waze: “Capital Nasi Dagang”
CONCLUSION:
I love clean tasting dishes that incorporates many vegetables and herbs (raw or otherwise) such as lei cha, nasi kerabu, Nyonya nasi ulam and now, khao jam. So yes, I certainly won’t mind eating nasi ulam, nasi kerabu or khao jam everyday. Meanwhile I’ve been busy compiling my nasi kerabu list so watch out for it!
What about YOU? Have you tried khao jam before? Which do you prefer – nasi kerabu, Nyonya nasi ulam or khao jam? 🙂
Ooo, the only one I’ve tried in the Klang Valley is Kesom, which was nice enough for me 🙂 I like the look and price of the kinrara one!