Bubur Masjid
1 hour min
30 minutes min
5 Per
Bubur Masjid in Singapore is always distributed at local mosques during Ramadan, the fasting month in the Muslim calendar. It is a savoury porridge cooked with a mix of flavourful spices and aromatics, chunks of beef and a hint of coconut milk to make it richer and more decadent. As with any other traditional Malay dishes, the spices and herbs need to be sautéed and tempered with oil for quite a while before adding any other ingredients.
Prepare beef by simmering it in 400 ml water over low heat for 30–40 minutes. You can use any cut of beef you prefer, but I quite like beef chuck or tendon for this dish. It gives a nice bite to the porridge’s otherwise mushy texture. Set aside the beef and its cooking water as you will need it for the porridge.
Toast cumin and coriander seeds with black peppercorns in a dry frying pan. If you have a toaster oven, you can make your life easier by chucking the spices in it for about 2 minutes. Place toasted spices in a food processor, together with onion, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, turmeric, as well as vegetable oil. Blend until a nice, thick paste forms. You may have to add a dash of water to help in the blending.
Heat ghee in a large heavy-bottomed pot and add the blended spice mixture. Do not add any more oil as it has already been added to the blended paste. Sauté for a few minutes, stirring constantly to make sure the spice paste does not stick to the bottom of the pot. Once the spice paste is fragrant, stir in cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, cloves and sup bunjut, then cook for about 2 minutes.
Add rice, beef and its reserved water, canned vegetables, as well as the remaining 900 ml water and coconut milk to the pot. Stir continuously for about 5 minutes, then turn the heat to low. Cover the pot and let porridge cook gently for about an hour. Season with salt and stir, then cook for another 20–30 minutes.
Meanwhile, drizzle some oil into a frying pan. Beat eggs in a separate bowl before pouring into the pan. Swirl the pan around to spread the eggs evenly. Once the edges start to brown and the eggs are somewhat set, use a spatula to gently flip the omelette and cook for another minute. Set aside to cool before cutting into strips for garnishing.
Serve the porridge warm or hot, and garnish with omelette strips, spring onions and coriander, along with fried shallots.
200 g beef chuck, cubed
400 ml + 900 ml water
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1 big red onion, peeled
8 cloves garlic, peeled
2.5-cm knob ginger, peeled
1 stalk lemongrass, white part
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
1 stick cinnamon
3 cardamom pods
1 star anise
5 cloves
1 packet sup bunjut Adabi (a mix usually consisting of coriander seeds, aniseed, black peppercorns, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, cardamom)
200 g jasmine rice, washed and drained
150 g canned sweet corn
150 g canned green peas
200 g coconut milk
1 tsp salt
Garnishing
Spring onions, chopped
Chinese parsley, chopped
Fried shallots
