Nasi Lemak Recipe
Nasi Lemak Recipe captures the essence of Southeast Asian flavors. This iconic comfort food features fragrant coconut-infused rice cooked with pandan leaves. It is served with tantalizing accompaniments such as crispy fried anchovies or ikan bilis with spicy, tangy sambal topped with crunchy roasted peanuts, and hard-boiled eggs. You could serve this hearty meal for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and your guests will be impressed by the harmonious balance of salty, sweet, spicy, and umami flavors. It is a true culinary treasure of the region with varying accompaniments like fried chicken, beef or chicken rendang, and sliced cucumbers for a refreshing contrast!
Equipment
- pan, stovetop
Ingredients
For the fragrant rice:
- 2 cup rice
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 2 cup water
- 1 pandan leaf (screwpine)
- ¼ tsp salt
For the sambal paste:
- 3 dried red chili deseeded
- 4 clove garlic
- 1 shallot
- 1 tbsp dried shrimp
For the sambal:
- 2 tbsp peanut oil
- 1¼ cup ikan bilis (small anchovies)
- 1 onion
- 1 tbsp tamarind pulp
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp peanut roasted
- 3 sprig cilantro for garnish
For the sides:
- 1 cucumber sliced with skin
- 4 egg boiled, sliced
Instructions
To make the rice:
- Prepare the ingredients. Use fresh or canned coconut milk. Boil the eggs and shell them.
- Mix the ingredients in the rice cooker and cook the rice. Keep it aside.
To make the sambal and fried ikan bilis:
- Prepare the ingredients.
- Soak the ingredients in a bowl of water for 10 minutes. Grind them (after draining the water) in a spice grinder using 1/2 tbsp of water or as needed to make a smooth sambal paste. Keep it aside. Heat a pan with peanut oil and fry small batches of ikan bilis until crispy. Remove them using a slotted spatula, and drain them on kitchen paper.
- In the same pan with the residual oil, sauté the onion for 4 minutes on medium heat or until caramelized. Add the sambal paste and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add the soy sauce, brown sugar, fried ikan bilis, and peanuts and sauté for a minute. Turn off the heat and garnish with cilantro.
- Serve the Nasi Lemak coconut-infused rice with ikan bilis and sambal (topped with peanuts), hard-boiled egg, cucumber slices, and chicken rendang.
Video
Notes
- You can omit the chicken rendang from the Nasi Lemak recipe. Fried ikan bilis with sambal, peanuts, and boiled eggs served with coconut rice are essential.
Nutrition
Calories: 659kcalCarbohydrates: 87gProtein: 19gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 152mgSodium: 532mgPotassium: 546mgFiber: 3gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 417IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 115mgIron: 4mg
