Ulam (salad) facts for kids
Raw vegetables for ulam.
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| Type | Salad |
|---|---|
| Associated national cuisine | Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore |
| Created by | Malays |
| Main ingredients | vegetables |
| Similar dishes | Lalab, Ngapi yay, Nam phrik |
Ulam is a special type of traditional salad. It is made from fresh leaves, vegetables, or fruits. You can eat ulam raw, or sometimes it's soaked in hot water first. A good example is Centella asiatica, a plant often used in ulam. People usually enjoy ulam with tasty sauces. These sauces can include anchovies, cincalok (a fermented shrimp paste), or sambal (a spicy chili sauce). Ulam is a very popular vegetable dish, especially in traditional villages.
What is Ulam?
Ulam is more than just a simple salad. It uses many different parts of plants. These can be leaves, flowers, fruits, or even roots. The plants are often picked fresh from nature. This makes ulam a very natural and healthy food.
How is Ulam Eaten?
There are a few ways to enjoy ulam. Sometimes, you eat it just as it is. Common examples include fresh cucumber, cabbage, or long beans. These are crunchy and refreshing.
Another way is to use ulam as an ingredient in other dishes. This is called traditional ulam. For example, it's mixed into nasi ulam, which means "ulam rice." It's also used in nasi kerabu, a type of rice that gets its blue color from flowers. Ulam can also be cooked with other vegetables to make a bigger meal.
Ulam in Traditional Medicine
For a long time, ulam has been used in traditional health practices. People believed certain ulam plants had special properties. For example, some plants used in ulam were thought to help with conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure. This shows how important ulam has been, not just as food, but also for well-being in some cultures.
