How Many Calories in Nasi Kerabu?

Blue herb rice piled with ulam, sambal and grilled protein. One of the lighter, fresher rice dishes.

480kcal / 1 plate with ayam percik

A plate of nasi kerabu with ayam percik is around 480 calories. The pile of raw herbs and ulam is almost free, so the calories sit mostly in the blue rice and the protein.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 plate with ayam percik (400g)	Amount	Per 100g
Calories	480 kcal	120 kcal
Protein	30 g	8 g
Carbs	55 g	14 g
Fat	16 g	4 g

Where the calories come from

Blue herb rice200g

260 kcal

Ulam, herbs, sprouts80g

40 kcal

Ayam percik120g

130 kcal

Sambal, kerisik, budu30g

50 kcal

The real talk

Nasi kerabu is genuinely one of the smarter rice dishes for someone watching their weight, and it is gorgeous too with that blue bunga telang rice. Half the plate is raw ulam and herbs, which is basically free calories but loads of fibre and flavour. The rice is a normal scoop and the grilled ayam percik gives you real protein. At around 480 calories with 30g of protein, the numbers are good.

What changes the maths is the protein and the kerisik. Grilled ikan bakar keeps it light. Switch to fried chicken or pile on the toasted coconut kerisik and sweet sambal and it climbs toward 650. Order it grilled and you are winning.

Nasi Kerabu variants, ranked by calories

Variant	Calories	Notes
With grilled ikan bakar	360 kcal	The lightest version
With ayam percik (standard)	480 kcal	Grilled chicken, coconut glaze
With daging bakar or ayam goreng	640 kcal	Heavier or fried protein

How to eat it lighter

Pick grilled protein, ikan bakar or ayam percik, over anything fried.
The ulam is free volume, pile it on without guilt.
Go easy on the kerisik (toasted coconut) and sweet sambal if you want the lightest plate.

Common questions

How many calories in nasi kerabu?

Around 480 calories a plate with ayam percik. It is one of the lighter rice dishes because much of the plate is raw herbs and ulam, which are almost calorie free.

Is nasi kerabu healthy?

Yes, it is one of the better rice options. The big pile of ulam gives you fibre for almost no calories, and grilled protein keeps it lean. Fried protein and heavy kerisik are what push it up.

What makes nasi kerabu lighter than other rice dishes?

Most of the plate is raw herbs and vegetables rather than oil-rich gravy or fried lauk, so the calories sit mainly in the rice and the protein.

Related foods

See all Rice Meals calories, ranked →

Calorie and macro figures are estimates for a typical hawker or kopitiam serving. Actual numbers vary by stall, recipe and portion size. Use them as a guide, not gospel.

New to all this? Read how I went from 128kg to 86kg without cutting rice →