The Sejarah Melayu tells the stories of the Malay kingdoms from Singapura in the 1300s to the Malacca sultanate till its destruction by the Portuguese in the 1500s. The history of Malay kings spanning over 200 years was commissioned in 1612 by a regent of the Johor sultanate which succeeded the Malacca sultanate.
The heart of coconut is located right at the core of the stem, hence the name. It is like pale milk in colour. It is best eaten the same day it is harvested and can be eaten raw. Coconut heart is crunchy to the bite, moist though not wet inside, and tastes delicately sweet.
The more abundant heart of oil palm (kelapa sawit) is often substituted for heart of coconut but it is fibrous and not as sweet.
Harvesting the heart of coconut is tedious work and can take the whole morning or afternoon (especially in the days without power saws). It also kills the tree 😔 So, to taste umbut kelapa is a privilege and only during special occasions.
In Malay cuisine, heart of coconut can be part of a salad, cooked with coconut milk or made into curry with spices.
In Masak Lemak Putih Umbut Kelapa, the chopped pieces of heart of coconut are boiled till soft, then put into a pot with shredded baked fish, chili pepper, black pepper, raw onion, mung bean vermicelli, dried bean curd skin and salt. All the ingredients are boiled in coconut milk till cooked. Served with rice.
In Masakan Gulai Umbut Kelapa, the chopped pieces of heart of coconut tree are boiled till cooked. Pieces of chicken are stir fried with curry spices. When the curry chicken is almost done, add in the boiled heart of coconut and stir fry together. Pour in and cover with coconut milk, and let all the ingredients stew together. Eat with rice.
Kerabu Umbut Kelapa is a Malay style salad. Kerabu is becoming a lost art as it is tedious to prepare and ingredients hard to assemble. To include hard to get heart of coconut just made it even more challenging.
In this recipe, heart of coconut and pucuk paku (fiddlehead fern) are the main ingredients. Ikan bilis (dried anchovies) and grated coconut pulp are stir fried and pounded into rough powder. Get ready cut chili pepper, raw onion, black pepper, and salt. Toss everything together with boiled heart of coconut and pucuk paku. Give the salad a squeeze of lime before serving.
Umbut kelapa masak lemak was one of the dishes in the Malacca sultanate royal banquet prepared by chef Norzailina based on records in the Sejarah Melayu.
I love the moist crunch of umbut kelapa and its unique slight sweetness. The coconut milk added another layer of sweetness, with the chili pepper providing some heat and spicy highlights to the sweet dish.
Next time you are in a Malay restaurant, check the menu or ask if they have umbut kelapa. It is a delicious dish, and if you are a heritage buff too, you will enjoy the history of the dish as an additional layer of flavour 😋
Written by Tony Boey on 2 Jun 2021
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