Rubber seed flavour a secret of Jerantut folk
Try this: Aminah Manja and her husband Oseman Busu (above) show their yam dish made with fermented rubber seeds as a condiment. At right, Oseman shows how the dried seeds are pounded before the fermenting process. The condiment is a favourite of the people of Jerantut, Pahang. Pictures: Bernama
Saturday, October 13, 2007
BREAKING fast with delicacies made from rubber seeds? Sounds strange but fermented rubber seeds or asam rum are a favourite complement in the diet of those living in Jerantut in Malaysia's East Coast state of Pahang.
If you are planning a trip to Jerantut there is no reason why you shouldn't try this rubber seed condiment added in your curry and sambal.
"Feel free to taste, there is nothing to worry about, it doesn't make you feel intoxicated or under the weather," says Hamzah Abdul Hamid.
The 55-year-old National Park tour guide says people in Jerantut often stock up on asam rum for their daily use. "A similar-tasting condiment is also available in the Raub district but it uses buah perah (a type of wild fruit) instead of rubber seeds."
Many outside Jerantut may not be aware of this rubber seed condiment, even those who frequently visit the area might not know that the delicious curries or sambal they eat are actually added with asam rum. The dishes made from this condiment are easily available in many of the restaurants and food stalls around Jerantut and Ulu Tembeling, including at Ramadhan bazaars.
Normally the asam rum is used in the spicy relish sambal that is eaten along with various bitter raw herbs like the young shoots or fronds of papaya tree and the ara (ficus) fruit.
It is also used in making fish curries, especially when using freshwater fishes without scales like baung, toman and keli (catfish). Hamzah says these fish often emit a fetid odour and the taste of the asam rum helps reduce this odour and enhance the curry's taste.
On how to prepare the asam rum, Hamzah says the rubber seeds have to be dried beforehand to allow the kernel to shrink. "The drying process may take a day or two depending on the weather. Then the outer shell is discarded and the kernel is retrieved and dried for one more day."
After the process, the kernel is pounded and then kneaded to extricate the oil. It is then left to ferment in a bottle or earthen jar and placed in a dry area.
According to Hamzah, the fermented rubber tree seed can last up to five years with its taste and condition remaining intact throughout if stored properly.
"In Jerantut the asam rum is still sought after and even the younger generation is well aware of it.
"This simple recipe has been handed down the generations. Those days, the Jerantut and Ulu Tembeling areas were full of rubber plantations and the majority of the people there made a living by tapping rubber. Normally the rubber trees bore fruit from July to September and they collected the fruits to be made into asam rum."
He says anyone keen to try how rubber seeds taste can simply crush the dried kernels with a grinder and add it to the dishes.
The taste may not be the same as asam rum made using the traditional method but at least it can give you an idea of what you've been missing.
Bernama
If you are planning a trip to Jerantut there is no reason why you shouldn't try this rubber seed condiment added in your curry and sambal.
"Feel free to taste, there is nothing to worry about, it doesn't make you feel intoxicated or under the weather," says Hamzah Abdul Hamid.
The 55-year-old National Park tour guide says people in Jerantut often stock up on asam rum for their daily use. "A similar-tasting condiment is also available in the Raub district but it uses buah perah (a type of wild fruit) instead of rubber seeds."
Many outside Jerantut may not be aware of this rubber seed condiment, even those who frequently visit the area might not know that the delicious curries or sambal they eat are actually added with asam rum. The dishes made from this condiment are easily available in many of the restaurants and food stalls around Jerantut and Ulu Tembeling, including at Ramadhan bazaars.
Normally the asam rum is used in the spicy relish sambal that is eaten along with various bitter raw herbs like the young shoots or fronds of papaya tree and the ara (ficus) fruit.
It is also used in making fish curries, especially when using freshwater fishes without scales like baung, toman and keli (catfish). Hamzah says these fish often emit a fetid odour and the taste of the asam rum helps reduce this odour and enhance the curry's taste.
On how to prepare the asam rum, Hamzah says the rubber seeds have to be dried beforehand to allow the kernel to shrink. "The drying process may take a day or two depending on the weather. Then the outer shell is discarded and the kernel is retrieved and dried for one more day."
After the process, the kernel is pounded and then kneaded to extricate the oil. It is then left to ferment in a bottle or earthen jar and placed in a dry area.
According to Hamzah, the fermented rubber tree seed can last up to five years with its taste and condition remaining intact throughout if stored properly.
"In Jerantut the asam rum is still sought after and even the younger generation is well aware of it.
"This simple recipe has been handed down the generations. Those days, the Jerantut and Ulu Tembeling areas were full of rubber plantations and the majority of the people there made a living by tapping rubber. Normally the rubber trees bore fruit from July to September and they collected the fruits to be made into asam rum."
He says anyone keen to try how rubber seeds taste can simply crush the dried kernels with a grinder and add it to the dishes.
The taste may not be the same as asam rum made using the traditional method but at least it can give you an idea of what you've been missing.
Bernama
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