Nasi Ulam is such a rarity these days. I am sure it being terribly labourious to prepare is the main reason for that. And its limited availability leads to less awareness of this Peranakan rice salad, which equals to less demand. Sigh....
Anyway, if you miss eating this classic, or want to give it a try (in case one day it goes the way of the dinosaurs), you can get a good rendition from "Chendol Melaka", a little stall inside the coffeeshop at the corner of Upper East Coast Road and Jalan Tua Kong. Besides selling their namesake, they also have Nasi Ulam made the traditional way. Which means the rice packs an incredible amount of fragrance and flavours, thanks to the copious amounts of finely sliced and chopped up herbs and spices. This list includes laksa leaf, torch ginger flower, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf and many more. The vegetables, such as the four-cornered bean and long bean, are also cut into fine pieces before being tossed with the flakes of cooked fish and fluffy rice grains.
Served at room temperature, the Nasi Ulam is wonderful eaten on its own. You can however, add on some of their home-made sambal belachan if you like your food spicier. I think it's shiok either way.
As previously mentioned, this is not easy to make. Hence, quantity is limited. I recommend going to the stall early to avoid disappointment.