Indonesian Fried Rice (Nasi Goreng)
Cold jasmine rice is stir fried with a shallot, garlic and chilli bumbu, kecap manis, soy sauce and optional chicken, then served with a fried egg, cucumber, tomato and lime.
Ingredients
For the Nasi Goreng
- 500 g cold cooked jasmine rice chilled safely and used within 24 hours, or two 250g pouches plain microwave jasmine rice used without heating
- 250 g boneless skinless chicken thigh, cut into thin bite sized strips, optional
- 4 medium eggs
- 45 ml rapeseed or sunflower oil divided
- 35 ml kecap manis divided into 15ml for the chicken and 20ml for the rice
- 10 ml light soy sauce plus up to 5ml more after tasting
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 2 spring onions thinly sliced
For the Bumbu Paste
- 120 g shallots peeled and roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves peeled
- 1 long red chilli stalk removed and roughly chopped
- 1 red bird's eye chilli optional
- 1 teaspoon Indonesian shrimp paste or terasi approximately 5g, optional
To Serve
- ½ cucumber sliced
- 2 medium tomatoes cut into wedges
- 1 lime cut into wedges
- 20 g crispy fried shallots optional
Instructions
- Break apart every clump of cold rice with clean hands or a fork. In a small bowl, mix the 20ml kecap manis for the rice with 10ml light soy sauce and the white pepper. Keep the 15ml kecap manis for the chicken separate.
- Pound or process the shallots, garlic, long red chilli, optional bird's eye chilli and optional shrimp paste into a coarse paste. Do not add water.
- Heat 15ml oil in the wok or a separate frying pan over medium high heat. Fry the eggs individually or in two batches until the whites are set and the edges are lightly crisp. Cook the yolks to preference, then transfer the eggs to a plate.
- Return the wok to high heat and add 15ml oil. Add the optional chicken in a single layer and stir fry for 3 to 4 minutes until lightly browned. Add the reserved 15ml kecap manis and cook for another minute, until the chicken is cooked through with no pink remaining. Transfer it to a clean plate. If omitting the chicken, omit this step's oil and reserved kecap manis.
- Add the remaining 15ml oil to the wok and reduce the heat to medium high. Fry the bumbu for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring continuously, until the shallots have softened, the paste smells aromatic and its raw edge has disappeared.
- Increase the heat to high. Add the cold rice and stir fry for 2 minutes, breaking apart any remaining clumps. Pour the prepared kecap manis and soy mixture around the hot sides of the wok. Return the chicken, if using, and toss until the grains are evenly brown.
- Stir fry for another 2 to 3 minutes until the rice is steaming hot, separated and catching very lightly in places. Add the spring onions and toss for 30 seconds. Taste and add up to 5ml more light soy sauce only if needed.
- Divide the rice between four warm plates. Top each serving with a fried egg and add cucumber, tomato, lime and optional crispy shallots at the side. Eat immediately.
Notes
- The preparation time assumes the cooked rice is already cold. If cooking rice specifically for this recipe, allow additional cooling time.
- Cooked rice must be cooled quickly, refrigerated within 1 hour and used within 24 hours. Never use rice left at room temperature for several hours.
- Plain microwave jasmine rice can be used directly from the packet without heating. Break up the grains before adding them to the wok.
- A wide pan is important. If your pan is smaller than 30cm, make half the recipe so the rice fries rather than steams.
- Kecap manis is thick Indonesian sweet soy sauce. It is not the same as ordinary light or dark soy sauce.
- To replace the 35ml kecap manis, gently simmer 30ml light soy sauce with 20g dark brown sugar until slightly syrupy, then cool it. Use it in the same divided amounts and omit the additional 10ml light soy sauce from Step 1 until the final tasting stage.
- Shrimp paste is optional but contributes savoury depth. It contains crustaceans and must be omitted for anyone with a shellfish allergy.
- If the chicken is omitted, leave out the 15ml oil and 15ml kecap manis assigned to Step 4. The rice seasoning quantities remain unchanged.
- The eggs may be cooked until the yolks are fully set when preferred or when serving anyone who should avoid lightly cooked eggs.
- The rice is reheated once during stir frying. Serve immediately and do not cool it for another reheating.
Nutrition
Calories: 493kcalCarbohydrates: 57gProtein: 27gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 215mgSodium: 444mgPotassium: 758mgFiber: 4gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 1061IUVitamin C: 51mgCalcium: 87mgIron: 3mg
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