Nasi Lemak

About This Recipe

Nasi lemak is Malaysia's national dish and is eaten from dawn until late at night at roadside stalls, hawker centers, and restaurants. The name means 'rich rice' in Malay, referring to the coconut milk the rice is cooked in. The essential components form a perfect balance: rich and fragrant against spicy, crunchy against soft. The sambal is the dish's soul, and every cook's sambal recipe is closely guarded.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 2 cupsjasmine rice
• 400 mlcoconut milk
• 200 mlwater
• 3 pandan leaves(knotted)
• 1 tspsalt
• 100 gdried anchovies (ikan bilis)(for frying)
• 100 groasted peanuts
• 4 largeeggs(hard-boiled)
• 1 mediumcucumber(sliced)
• 8 wholedried red chilies(for sambal)
• 4 shallots(for sambal)
• 2 tbsptamarind paste
• 1 tbspsugar
• 2 tbspvegetable oil

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook coconut rice

   Wash rice. Cook with coconut milk, water, pandan leaves, and salt. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and steam 15 minutes.

2. 2

   Make sambal

   Blend dried chilies and shallots. Fry in oil 10 minutes. Add tamarind paste, sugar, and salt. Cook until oil separates.

3. 3

   Fry anchovies

   Deep-fry dried anchovies in oil until golden and crispy. Drain.

4. 4

   Assemble and serve

   Serve rice with sambal, fried anchovies, peanuts, sliced cucumber, and halved egg. Traditionally wrapped in banana leaf.

Variations

• •

  Add fried chicken or rendang beef

• •

  Include sambal sotong (squid sambal)

Storage

Coconut rice best eaten same day. Components keep separately 2 days. Sambal keeps 1 week refrigerated.

Frequently Asked Questions