Rubber Seed Delicacy From Jerantut, Pahang

obmar · Site Admin Joined: 14 Apr 2006 Posts: 5697

October 08, 2007 09:47 AM

Rubber Seed Delicacy From Jerantut, Pahang

STRANGE DELICACIES… Fermented rubber seeds or `asam rum' are a favourite complement in the diet of those living in Jerantut, Pahang. Pic: Zulfaidi

By Tuan Sharifah Shahaini Tuan Dagang

JERANTUT, Oct 8 (Bernama) -- 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, Pahang.

If you are planning a trip to Jerantut there is no reason why you shouldn't try this rubber seed condiment added in curries and sambal.

"Feel free to taste, there is nothing to worry, is doesn't make you feel intoxicated or under the weather," said Hamzah Abdul Hamid.

Hamzah, 55, a tour guide in Taman Negara who now resides in Kampung Kuala Tahan, said the people in Jerantut often stock up the rubber seed `asam rum' for their daily use.

"In Pahang, 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," he said.

RECIPE HANDED DOWN THE GENERATIONS

Maybe many outside Jerantut may not be aware of this rubber seed condiment or those who had stopped over there are not aware that the delicious curries or sambal that they savoured there 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 in Ramadan 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 said these freshwater fishes often emit fetid odour, the astringent taste of the `asam rum' helps reduce this odour and enhance the curry's taste.

"The same happens if one makes the spicy `sambal cili' or `sambal belacan'...the astringent taste is reduced," he said.

HOW TO PREPARE THE CONDIMENT

On how to prepare the rubber seed `asam rum', Hamzah said the rubber seeds had to be dried beforehand to allow the kernel to shrink.

"The drying process may take a day or two depending on the weather and then the outer shell is discarded, and the kernel is retrieved and dried for another day," he said.

After the process, the kernel is pounded and then kneaded until the oil is out. It is then left to ferment in a bottle or earthen jar and placed in a dry area.

According to him, 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.

"From those days, the Jerantut and Ulu Tembeling areas are full of rubber plantations and the majority of the people there make a living by tapping rubber, and normally the rubber trees fruit from July to September and they collect the fruits to be made into asam rum.

He said, anybody keen to try how the rubber seed tastes can opt for another simple method by crushing the dried rubber kernels using a grinder and just add to the dishes.

The taste may not be the same like the `asam rum' made using the traditional method but at least gives an idea how the taste would be like.

-- BERNAMA