| Masak lemak lada api | |
| Alternate Name: | Gulai kuning,[1] masak lemak cili api |
| Type: | Gulai |
| Country: | Malaysia |
| Region: | Negeri Sembilan,[2] [3] [4] [5] also popular in northern Malacca |
| Creator: | Negeri Sembilan Malays |
| Course: | Main |
| Served: | Hot |
| Main Ingredient: | Chilli pepper (Bird's eye or C. frutescens), coconut milk, turmeric, lemongrass, vegetables, meats and offal of choice |
| Variations: | With locusts[6] With seafood With onions (in Johor) |
Masak lemak lada api (Negeri Sembilan Malay: Masak lomak lado api or Saklomak; Jawi: ماسق لمق لاد اڤي), also known as gulai kuning ; is a Malaysian dish originating in the state of Negeri Sembilan.
Masak lemak lada api is a pungent and rich gulai that usually consists of coconut milk mixed with turmeric, giving the dish the characteristic vibrant yellowish green colour, and infused with a generous amount of bird's eye chili (lada api/cili api/cili padi in Malay), which adds the fiery kick to the dish. It is often hailed as the most defining dish in traditional Negri cuisine, infamously known for its immense spiciness, where it has been well established as a staple in Negri households and in restaurants specialising in Negri fare throughout Negeri Sembilan and nationwide.
Masak lemak lada api is also popular in northern Malacca, especially in Alor Gajah District, whose population mainly speak Negeri Sembilan Malay.
In the original Negri rendition of the dish, the spice base calls for a generous amount of chili peppers, normally either bird's eye (c. anuum) or c. fructescens – and turmeric, mixed with liberal quantities of coconut milk on a simmering heat. It is cooked with a variety of meats, usually poultry (including their eggs), beef, mutton, and sometimes venison,[7] which are added straight up or cured by smoking. Like their distant kindred in West Sumatra, the Negeri Sembilanese also integrate their fondness of offal in the cooking process, the popular types being brains, cowhide, tripe, spleen and intestines. Seafoods like prawns and siput sedut are also a popular addition in the preparation of the dish. Complementary vegetables often include potatoes, pucuk paku, edible mushrooms, unripe jackfruit flesh, unripe horse mango, and bamboo shoots. It is best served with hot cooked rice, paired with a side of ulam-ulaman, sambal and other accompaniments.
In the state of Johor, the spice base for masak lemak lada api include onions.