Nasi Lemak (Malaysian Coconut Rice with Sambal)

About This Recipe

Nasi lemak — literally 'rich rice' or 'fatty rice' — is Malaysia's unofficial national dish, eaten at all hours from breakfast banana-leaf parcels at 7 a.m. to midnight late-night sambal feasts in Kuala Lumpur food courts. At its heart it is jasmine rice steamed in coconut milk with knotted pandan leaves and a slice of ginger, producing grains that are fluffy, fragrant and faintly sweet. The rice is the platform; what makes a nasi lemak truly extraordinary is the sambal that accompanies it. Sambal tumis is a slow-cooked chilli paste of dried chillies, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, belacan (fermented shrimp paste) and tamarind, fried in oil until the oil splits and the paste turns dark, glossy mahogany. Around the rice and sambal sit the supporting cast: crispy fried ikan bilis (anchovies), roasted peanuts, slices of cucumber, a halved hard-boiled or fried egg, and often a piece of fried chicken or rendang for those buying the deluxe version. Traditionally it is wrapped in banana leaf, the package compressed flat so that by the time you unwrap it on the bus or at your desk, the leaf has perfumed everything inside. The dish is endlessly variable — every Malaysian aunty has the correct recipe — but the trinity of coconut rice, dark sambal, and crispy anchovies is sacred.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 400 gjasmine rice, rinsed until water runs clear
• 400 mlcoconut milk (full fat)
• 200 mlwater, plus 1 tsp salt
• 3pandan leaves, knotted (or 1/2 tsp pandan paste)
• 1 thumbfresh ginger, sliced into rounds
• 20dried red chillies, soaked in hot water 20 minutes then drained
• 8shallots, 4 garlic cloves, 1 stalk lemongrass (white part), 1 tbsp belacan
• 100 mlneutral oil, plus 2 tbsp tamarind paste and 2 tbsp palm sugar
• 100 gikan bilis (dried anchovies), and 80 g raw peanuts
• 4eggs, plus 1 cucumber sliced for serving

Instructions

1. 1

   Wash and soak the rice

   Rinse the jasmine rice 3–4 times until the water runs nearly clear. Drain well. This removes excess surface starch and gives separated, fluffy grains rather than a sticky mass. Soaking for 15 minutes before cooking helps the grains absorb evenly.

2. 2

   Cook the coconut rice

   Combine drained rice, coconut milk, water, salt, knotted pandan leaves and ginger in a heavy pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stir once, then cover and reduce to the lowest possible heat. Cook 18 minutes, then turn off heat and let stand covered another 10 minutes.

   Do not lift the lid during cooking — escaping steam ruins the texture. A heat diffuser under the pot prevents the bottom from scorching, a real risk with coconut milk.

3. 3

   Pound the sambal paste

   Blend the soaked chillies, shallots, garlic, lemongrass and belacan in a food processor to a thick paste, adding 2–3 tablespoons of water if needed. A mortar and pestle gives a slightly more authentic texture but takes 25 minutes of work.

4. 4

   Fry the sambal

   Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the chilli paste and fry, stirring nearly constantly, for 20–25 minutes. The paste will pass through three stages: wet and bright red, dark red and thick, finally splitting as the oil pools at the edges and the paste turns deep mahogany. This is the dish — do not rush it.

5. 5

   Finish the sambal

   Stir in the tamarind paste and palm sugar. Cook another 3 minutes until glossy. Taste and balance — it should be hot, sweet, sour and pungent in roughly equal measure, with a deep savory base. Set aside off heat.

6. 6

   Fry the anchovies and peanuts

   In a separate pan, dry-roast the peanuts over medium heat until just golden, 4–5 minutes; set aside. Add 2 tablespoons oil to the same pan, fry the ikan bilis 2–3 minutes until crisp and deep gold, drain on paper towels. Both should crunch audibly when shaken.

7. 7

   Cook the eggs and plate up

   Fry or hard-boil the eggs to your preference. To plate: mound coconut rice in the center, top with a generous spoon of sambal, scatter anchovies and peanuts around, lay cucumber slices on one side, halved egg on the other. Serve immediately while the rice is hot and the toppings are crisp.

Variations

• •

  Nasi lemak ayam — add fried chicken thigh marinated in turmeric and lemongrass.

• •

  Nasi lemak rendang — top with beef rendang slow-cooked in coconut and spices for the special-occasion deluxe version.

• •

  Nasi lemak sotong — substitute squid sambal for plain sambal, popular on the east coast.

• •

  Vegetarian nasi lemak — omit belacan and anchovies, add fried tempeh and a sambal made with toasted seaweed for umami.

Storage

Coconut rice keeps 2 days refrigerated; reheat with a splash of water in the microwave or steamer to restore moisture. Sambal keeps 2 weeks refrigerated in a sealed jar (the oil seal helps preservation) and freezes well in ice-cube trays for up to 3 months. Anchovies and peanuts must be re-crisped in a dry pan before re-serving.

Frequently Asked Questions