Bubur Pedas Sarawak

One of the popular dishes for the breaking of the fast in Sarawak has to be bubur pedas, which is only availbe during Ramadan. This uniquely Sarawakian dish is a favourite not only among muslim but also other communities. Curry-like in colour and with thick consistency, this congee is normally packed with vegetables and meat. It is called bubur pedas because of the addition of spicies known as bumbu. The main ingredients of bumbu are garlic, ginger, shallots, onions, dried chilli turmeric, lemon grass, galangal and grated coconut. All the ingredients need to be dried under the sun for half day and then mixed together with rice, which will be fried without cooking oil to extract the aroma. The mixture would then be pounded or blended until it becomes powdery. When the bumbu is ready , it has to be soaked in water for at least 15 minutes before it goes into the pot to make the stock. Bubur pedas should be thick so the amount of water used is based on the portion of ingredients. Once the stock has boiled, ingredients such as carrots , potatoes , leafy greens , mushroom, bean curd , bamboo shoots , turmeric leaves , long beans , dried shrimp and meat are added along with seasoning.