TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Nasi Bulu (Hairy Rice) became Gorontalo’s favorite food during Ketupat Eid that is celebrated on the seventh day after Eid.
When Ketupat Eid comes, many motorcycles with nasi bulu tied to it’s exhaust passes by.
Nasi bulu—meaning bamboo in Gorontalo—becomes visitors’s prey during ketupat Eid in areas such as Java Village or Yosonegoro, Tabongo, Bongomeme subdistrict until Limboto.
Salahudin Karim, 50, a resident of Limehu Village, Tabongo subdistrict, provided up to 500 nasi bulu to the people who visits his home during ketupat Eid.
To serve the guests, he and his family prepares 500 bamboo-cuts of 60 centimeters, 150 kilograms of white sticky rice, 50 kilograms of rice and 100 coconuts.
He makes nasi bulu with a mixture of sticky rice and regular rice. The rice that have been cleaned then mixed with coconut milk, pandan leaves along with garlic, red onion, salt, ginger and smoothen sugar.
“Our special recipe is that the red onion is to be fried first then mixed with the rice and coconut milk before being cooked, whereas other people usually smoothen the red onions directly,” Salahudin said.
After being mixed, place the rice inside the bamboo that have been cleaned and by putting a banana leaf as a base. Then, the seasoned coconut milk is included until full and by covering the end with coconut pulp.
The bamboo that contains rice will be mixed with the coconut milk and the bamboo is to be steamed for one hour and then lifted and placed above live coals to dry out the water from the rice.
“This is also what makes our nasi bulu differ from others. If other people choose to directly burn it, we steam it first in order for the rice to be soft on the inside and the outside. We usually handout two to three bamboos to one family who visits us. We are happy to serve every guest that comes by whether or not they are our family,” Salahudin said.
ANTARA | MARYATI
