Bubur Lambuk, a lightly spiced rice porridge, is a Ramadan tradition in Singapore and Malaysia that can be traced back to a mosque, in the mid 20th century in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Bubur Lambuk History
Bubur means porridge, and this can be sweet or savoury, as we have a gazillion kinds of porridge in South East Asia, made with all kinds of grains.
Now, there are a couple of stories explaining the origin of bubur lambuk. One claims that it dates back to 15th century Malacca, and something to do with visiting royalty from the north.
However, the more commonly accepted claim is that this iconic Ramadan recipe was created in 1949 by the late Said Benk. He was a Pakistani immigrant, and a congregant of the old Jamek mosque (Masjid Jamek) in an area called Kampung Baru, in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia.
One day, during Ramadan, the fasting month, he brought with him a homemade rice porridge for Iftar (breaking of the fast), sharing it with his fellow congregants.
It proved to be such a hit, that he was asked to make it for everyone for the rest of the month. I am inclined to believe this story because bubur lambuk has a definite south Asian (Indian, Pakistani, etc) flavour to it.
In fact, I’d even go as far as saying that the precursor of Bubur Lambuk is Haleem, that South Asian porridge-like stew made of meat and grains. Which in turn, owes its origin to an old, Arabic dish called Harisa.
A Ramadan Tradition
Now apparently, that recipe was handed down person to person. To this day, only the mosque’s chief cook knows the original recipe, and guards it religiously. This recipe and tradition is so popular that it’s made its way to all parts of Malaysia and Singapore (which until 1965, was part of Malaysia), and also Indonesia.
Every day, during the fasting month, bubur lambuk is given out free to anyone who wants to take home a tub of it, whatever your circumstances. Giving out food or sharing your food with your neighbours and friends is very common practice that is highly encouraged during Ramadan.
When we were young, someone would always come back with a tub of it, no matter how much food my granny had prepared. It’s just something that was done, a tradition that one enjoys following.
Bubur Lambuk Ingredients
Bubur Lambuk is flavoured with a combination of:
- aromatics (onion, garlic, etc)
- spices (cinnamon, cumin, coriander, etc)
- a touch of coconut milk
- and dried shrimp (click to read more)
- pandan leaves
How much you use of the ingredients will affect the final flavour. My mum used to pile on the ginger. LIKE CRAZY. Being a huge fan of ginger (teh halia, anyone?), I absolutely loved her version.
I add a little turmeric to my bubur lambuk, for both a touch of colour as well as aroma.
Pandan Leaves in Bubur Lambuk
Click here to read more on LinsFood. Highly valued in Asian cooking, the pandan or pandanus amaryllifolius is a tropical plant. We use pandan in both sweet and savoury dishes for its fragrance as well as colour.
If you can’t get them, leave them out, as we’ll be topping the porridge with fresh coriander leaves (cilantro) and spring onions (scallions).
The Recipe
It’s a very easy recipe to make, taking no more than 40 minutes, from start to finish.
Don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients, they are just aromatics and spices. I’ve grouped them so you that the recipe is easier to follow and you can get the ingredients ready, section by section.
Cooking bubur lambuk at home is so easy, this is what we’ll be doing:
- Put a saucepan of water to boil.
- Rinse the rice and set aside.
- Prepare all the other ingredients (chop the aromatics and get the spices ready).
- When the water is boiling, top in the rice, aromatics and spices.
- Finish off with dried shrimp and coconut milk.
- Garnish and serve.
Told you it was easy!
Let’s get Cooking!
Vegan Bubur Lambuk
Know someone who doesn’t eat meat, but loves bubur lambuk? I’ve got just the thing. Click here for our Vegan Bubur Lambuk Recipe.
Images by LinsFoodies
More Ramadan Recipes
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And if you make the recipe, share it on any platform and tag me @azlinbloor, and hashtag it #linsfood
Lin xx
Bubur Lambuk, a lightly spiced Rice Porridge from Singapore and Malaysia
Ingredients
- 2 litres water
- 200 g Basmati rice or any long grain rice
- 60 g dried shrimp (udang kering)
- 200 g meat of your choice (minced chicken, beef or lamb) I'm using beef
- 250 ml half strength coconut milk
Aromatics
- 1 medium onion (bawang besar)
- 4 cloves garlic (bawang putih)
- 2.5 cm ginger (halia)
- 1 stalk lemongrass (serai)
- 2 stalks pandan leaf optional
Whole Spices
- 1 small cinnamon stick (kayu manis)
- 1 small star anise (bunga lawang)
- 2 cloves (bunga cengkih)
- 2 cardamoms (buah pelaga)
- ½ tsp whole cumin seeds (jintan manis)
Ground spices
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground coriander (serbuk ketumbar)
- ½ tsp ground cumin (serbuk jintan manis)
- ½ tsp ground turmeric (kunyit)
- ½ tsp ground black pepper (serbuk lada hitam)
Garnish
- chopped coriander leaves cilantro (daun ketumbar)
- crispy fried shallots
- chopped spring onions scallions (daun bawang)
- chopped fresh red or green chillies OR chilli flakes
Instructions
Boil the water with spices and aromatics
- Bring the water to boil in a large saucepan over high heat.
- While waiting, rinse the rice, drain and set aside.
- Chop up the onion, garlic and ginger fairly finely. You can do it by hand or place everything into a chopper. Tip the whole lot into the water as it is heating up.
- Bruise the end of the lemongrass, by hitting down hard on it with the back of a knife. Add it to the water.
- Tie all the pandan leaves up with a knot in the middle. Drop them in the water.
- Add all the whole spices to the water. So that’ll be 1 small cinnamon stick, 1 small star anise, 2 cloves, 2 cardamoms and 1/2 tsp cumin seeds. Leave the water to come to a boil.
- Place the dried shrimp in a chopper and chop to a fine floss like state. Set aside.
When the water is boiling
- Tip in the rinsed rice and whatever meat you are using. Bring back to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add all the ground spices. So that’s 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp ground turmeric and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Stir to mix.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the rice is all cooked and breaking up slightly. Add a little more water if it’s getting too thick, but don’t forget, we still have 1 cup of coconut milk to be added in. You can cook it for longer if you like a more uniform porridge consistency. You will need more water, the longer you cook.
- Stir in the coconut milk and ground dried shrimp, and bring back to a simmer, cooking for no more than a minute. Check seasoning, add more salt if you think it needs it.
- Serve up, garnished with the fried shallots, fresh coriander leaves, spring onions and chilli slices.
Just by chance, i came across your blog and I have become your fan. The stories and the origin of Asian cuisine is a history book by itself etc. The spice trade, the influence of seafarers from far and wide, and the foods that came out of interracial marriages are simply fascinating as the tales of Sinbad.
Hi Nasheer, I’m so pleased to hear that, and you are absolutely right! It can be a real struggle to not add too much history and background to my recipes!
Thank you so much for this, Azlin. Probably the best one I’ve ever made, just the right amount of spice and flavour. Perfect timing for Ramadan.
My pleasure, Rusmawati.
Thank you, Azlin. It was an absolute delight. My husband and I enjoyed the whole lot of it.
We are both in Australia and missing our Singaporean food.
My pleasure, Annabelle. I’m really pleased to hear that you enjoyed it, and I can totally identify with missing home food!
Yum, I can’t wait to try this spiced congee, it sounds so delicious!
It certainly is!
I love exploring new cuisines and this recipe is a favorite of mine now!
I’m so pleased to hear that, Gwynn!
I have never had this dish before, but it sounds delicious! Sounds great for a cooler weather meal! I saved the recipe to give it a try soon!
It certainly is, Liz, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing bubur lambuk ramadan recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
Thank you, Alyssa, I’m really pleased you enjoyed it!
Thank you so much for this delicious recipe, Azlin. I thought I’d try it before ramadan last weekend. And it was so good, brought tears to my eyes! Planning to make it a lot!
I’m so pleased you loved it, Maimunah, and it’s my pleasure.
This was just so delicious, azlin, thank you. I’m preparing my Ramadan menu now and this is going to be on that menu a lot! Especially since it can be stored for next day, right?
So good, thanks!
A pleasure.
So, so good. Thank you, just what I was looking for.
Thank you Azlin. Made this for Iftar all the way here in Sweden. It was much loved and much appreciated in our group. Ramadan Kareem to you and your family.
A pleasure, Elsa, I’m really pleased to hear that. Ramadan Kareem to you and your family too.