Aceh’s signature Kanji Rumbia is a legendary traditional dish with a tradition of being prepared exclusively during a specific month. Specifically, during the month of Ramadhan, this dish is prepared in large pots at mosques—places of worship for Muslims—for an entire month. It is then distributed free of charge to people from all walks of life to break their fast.
At first glance, Kanji Rumbia resembles chicken porridge, but what makes it unique is its thicker texture and rich blend of spices. The cooking process is very meticulous, resulting in a distinct and truly distinctive flavor that everyone in Aceh is sure to love. Especially since this dish is usually only available once a year during Ramadhan.
Today, of course, is different; I want to try making it myself, of course with a simpler version at home. So, as a substitute for shrimp, I’m using ground meat—I see this as a substitute for the broth, because adding shrimp or meat makes the flavor incredibly delicious and more savory.
Ingredients
500 ml of coconut milk
2 potatoes
100 grams of beef
1 clove of shallot
3 cm of cinnamon stick
1 star anise
1 stalk of green onion
1 stalk of celery
Fried peanuts (optional)
5 cloves of garlic
½ teaspoon of coriander
1 cm of ginger
¼ teaspoon of cumin
Cooking Procedure
Rinse the rice thoroughly, then dry-roast it until it’s dry and slightly golden brown.
Next, blend the spices into a paste, then sauté the shallots, cinnamon, and pandan leaves. Add the spice paste and sauté the spices with 3 tablespoons of cooking oil until fragrant.
Grind the meat, then add it to the sautéing spices and cook until slightly dry.
Add all the prepared ingredients to the pan: the toasted rice, roasted peanuts, potatoes, ground spices, celery leaves, and coconut milk.
Cook everything until it’s completely broken down and tender; if the rice is still grainy, just add water. Don’t forget to season with 1 tablespoon of salt—adjust the flavor as needed. This makes a generous amount, enough for 4 servings.
Result
As for serving it, you can serve it hot or warm, or even cold. In my opinion, both are equally delicious—it’s just a matter of personal preference. The flavor is quite savory, the rice has a very soft texture, and the potatoes are tender too. If you like, you can also add carrots, but since I didn’t have any on hand, I didn’t add them. The flavor is truly rich and spicy—it’s hard to get enough of that savory taste.
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Everyone loves this dish. My husband tried it for the first time and loved it right away. He said it’s a fantastic dish—it tastes really good and has a very unique, distinctive flavor. I’m so happy to be able to make this dish at home.
About The Author
Welcome to this blog, I have a real name "Nurul", who comes from Indonesia. I have several hobbies, reading, writing, gardening, I also love food and cooking, even art related. And the most interesting one is spending the whole day traveling. From those hobbies, I will some inspiring content for all of you, I hope you like my blog, please and reblog this post if you like it!.
