Nasi goreng
Instructions
Nasi goreng
Nasi goreng is much bigger and bolder in flavour than fried rice. It’s typically sweeter, spicier, and saltier with a unique dark brown colour.
While there are many recipes for the sauce, traditional versions include kecap manis (a sweet soy sauce that can either be bought or made at home with soy sauce and palm or brown sugar) and shrimp paste. However, there are many variations to these ingredients like sweet chili, hoisin or even teriyaki sauce.
Nasi goreng kampung is a Malaysian variation of the original dish and means villager’s fried rice. The recipe traditionally uses normal soy sauce instead of the sweeter variety, and adds bird’s eye chilli, water spinach, shrimp paste, and anchovies to the list of ingredients.
If you used fresh rice, your leftovers would keep for up to four days if refrigerated in an airtight container. If you used leftover rice from a previous meal, you need to be more cautious, and it’s generally not recommended to store the dish for more than a day.
Definitely. Simply add a few tablespoons of water and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop. Remember that rice can only be safely reheated once so any reheating after that is not recommended.
Ingredients
|
Rice (about 317 g cooked)
|
85 g |
|---|---|
|
Fried boneless pork loins, pork chop or chicken
|
400 g |
|
Yellow onion
|
1 |
|
Chinese cabbages
|
400 g |
|
Rapeseed oil
|
1 tbsp |
|
Spinach leaves
|
100 g |
|
Japanese soy sauce
|
3 tbsp |
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Ketjap manis (Indonesian ketchup)
|
2 tsp |
|
Terasi (prawn paste)
|
1 tsp |
|
Tomato paste
|
2 tbsp |
|
Salt
|
½ tsp |
|
Black pepper
|
½ tsp |
Sauce
|
Turkish yoghurt
|
200 ml |
|---|---|
|
Sweet chilli sauce
|
50 ml |
Other recipes
Fried rice with an Indonesian twist
Dark brown and beautifully caramelised in colour, spicy, sweet, and smoky in flavour. Nasi goreng is one of Indonesia’s most celebrated dishes. This one is easily recreated at home using leftover rice, pork or chicken, and sweet chili sauce to recreate the sweet and spicy notes that the dish is famous for.
The origins of nasi goreng
Directly translated, nasi goreng means fried rice in Indonesian. Generally considered as the country’s national dish, it was created as a way of using leftover rice. And while the technique was originally introduced by Southern Chinese immigrants, it didn’t take long for the recipe to become quintessentially Indonesian as local ingredients like shrimp paste and kecap manis (a sweet soy sauce) were added to the list of key ingredients.
The spice and seasonings of nasi goreng
There are two key ingredients that give this dish its distinct colour and flavour. The first is kecap manis, a sweet soy sauce that has a thick, syrup-like consistency. Combined with the salty, earthy, and rich taste of terasi (Indonesian shrimp paste), it creates the perfect balance of caramelised sweet and savoury that nasi goreng is famous for.
Try these different garnishes
A traditional garnish would be a fried egg, gently placed on top of the finished dish. A sprinkling of fresh green onion, chili, and fried shallots is also a great combination that not only looks great but will add an extra freshness and crunch to your plate.
Top storage tips
Place your leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to four days (if you used a fresh batch of rice) or one day (if you used leftover rice from a previous meal).