Nasi Dagang

Nasi Dagang

Nasi dagang is a Malaysian and Southern Thai dish consisting of rice steamed in coconut milk, fish curry and extra ingredients such as fried shaved coconut, hard-boiled eggs and vegetable pickles. Nasi Dagang literally means "Trading Rice". It is a well-known breakfast food in the states on the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia, such as Terengganu and Kelantan and Southern Thailand territory of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.

The most famous Nasi Dagang of Terengganu comes from Kampung Ladang, an area within the Kuala Terengganu district. Nasi Dagang can also be considered as a festive dish in Kelantan and Terengganu because it is prepared at home for the morning of Eid ul-Fitr, a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, to be eaten as a breakfast before or after the Eid prayers in the mosque.

Apart from the basic combination of rice and curry, Nasi Dagang usually comes with its different components which can be combined to suit the diner's taste. From a simple serving of the steamed rice and tuna curry usually found at roadside stalls, the complete home-made version may include a sliced hard-boiled egg, fried coconut, vegetable pickle and sambal.

The Terengganu version uses the normal white rice, while the Kelantan variety uses a type of rice locally called 'beras nasi dagang', which is a type of wild rice that has a light purple colour and a little glutinous. The Terengganu version is also much simpler, eaten only with the fish curry (sometimes with belimbing buluh 'averrhoa bilimbi' added) and pickles.

Some people from the West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia claim that Nasi Dagang is the 'Nasi Lemak' of the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia, in the states of Terengganu and Kelantan. This claim is actually unheard of in either place as both dishes can commonly be found sold side by side for breakfast.