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Bubur lambuk
Spiced beef rice porridge
Bubur lambuk: spiced Ramadan rice porridge with minced beef
Every afternoon in Ramadan, volunteers at Masjid Kampung Baru in Kuala Lumpur stir bubur lambuk in cauldrons the size of bathtubs and hand out thousands of packets to whoever queues before iftar. The porridge is fragrant with star anise, cinnamon and cloves, made rich with minced beef and a splash of coconut milk, and finished with fried shallots and herbs. At home it makes a gentle, warming one-pot meal. A vegetable and sweet-potato version works well for vegetarians. Chef's tip: walking away from the pot is the usual mistake; porridge catches on the bottom, so stir often and keep the heat low once it thickens.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the spice paste
- 6 shallots
- 1 ⅛ in fresh ginger
- 2 lemongrass stalksbruised
For the porridge
- 3 tbsp neutral oil
- 10 ½ oz minced beef
- 9 oz jasmine ricerinsed
- 8 ¼ cups water or beef stock
- 7 oz sweet potatopeeled, in 1 cm dice
- 1 carrotdiced
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- ¾ cup coconut milk
- 2 tsp saltto taste
To serve
- 4 tbsp crispy fried shallots
- 3 spring onionssliced
- ½ oz fresh corianderchopped
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (8)
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Blend 6 shallots, 4 garlic cloves and 1 ⅛ in fresh ginger into a paste with a splash of water.
Step 2: Heat 3 tbsp neutral oil in a large heavy pot over a medium heat and fry 1 handful whole spices: 2 star anise, 1 cinnamon stick, 4 cloves, 3 cardamom pods for 1 minute until they crackle and smell sweet.
1 minStep 3: Add the paste and 2 lemongrass stalks and fry for 4–5 minutes until golden and fragrant.
5 minStep 4: Add 10 ½ oz minced beef and fry, breaking it up, for 5 minutes until it is browned with no pink left.
5 minStep 5: Stir in 9 oz jasmine rice, then pour in 8 ¼ cups water or beef stock and bring to the boil over a high heat.
8 minStep 6: Lower to a gentle simmer and cook, half covered and stirring every 5 minutes, for 30 minutes until the grains begin to burst. The beef will be well past 160°F by now.
30 minStep 7: Add 7 oz sweet potato, 1 carrot and 1 tsp ground black pepper and simmer, stirring often, for 15 minutes more until the vegetables are tender and the porridge is thick and creamy. Add hot water if it gets too stiff.
15 minStep 8: Stir in ¾ cup coconut milk and 2 tsp salt and heat for 2 minutes without boiling hard. Fish out the lemongrass and whole spices.
2 minStep 9: Ladle into bowls and scatter with 4 tbsp crispy fried shallots, 3 spring onions and ½ oz fresh coriander.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 17 g
- Carbs
- 49 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bubur lambuk take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 70 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of shallots?
- Half an onion per 2 shallots.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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Perfect for:Ramadan