Nasi Goreng

I’ll often have a recipe lurking in the back of my mind for years before I finally get around to it. For example, this Nasi goreng that first caught my eye in 2020 (says the date on the magazine page I tore out). I’m confident I tore it out because the blurb said that nasi goreng had come in second in Time Magazine’s reader’s 50 favorite foods in the entire world. That’s an endorsement if I’ve ever heard one. Then the recipe sat in a drawer for several years.

There are two things to blame, I think. One is that we have a go to fried rice in this house and it has been a staple for years. It utilizes mostly things from the freezer so we can make it 364 days a year. There would be some resistance if I tried to make it on actual Christmas Day but, outside of that, it’s always a possibility. Two is that this version of sambal has fresh turmeric in it. Could I have used ground turmeric? Of course I could have but I was very drawn to the idea of using fresh turmeric for the first time and I kind of wanted it to be with this recipe. First times are a big deal and you want to feel taken care of.

Those two things (and a global pandemic that made grocery shopping miserable) conspired to keep this one at the bottom of the pile but now that I’ve made this sambal I’m excited to have it as an option for our go to. Or, honestly, just to keep a jar of it in the fridge. I’m a huge proponent of keeping various chili based condiments available at all times because they can make the difference between enjoying your dinner and choking it down while crying on the inside because it’s such a waste of a meal. Let’s not ever do that, life is so short.

Nasi goreng is a fried rice traditionally eaten for breakfast and made from leftover rice from the day before. I love a savory breakfast with a food waste twist. Sambal is a catch all term for Indonesian chili sauce. There are as many recipes for it as there are people making it and the ingredients that are available to them. I did some digging and it looks like this particular sambal recipe comes from the region of Ottolenghi. This is also a great way to use up leftover roast chicken, maybe even turkey since everyone is looking for novelty in the week after Christmas and any kind of chili based condiment is a great place to start.

Making

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2 for breakfast or lunch

45 minutes or 30 minutes if you use leftover rice

Ingredients

250g dry rice of your choice

Vegetable oil

5 fresh makrut lime leaves (optional)

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 large eggs

1 lime, for serving

Spring onions, chopped for garnish

For the sambal

4 red chilies, chopped with no pith or seeds

1 plum tomato or handful of cherry tomatoes

10g fresh turmeric, peeled and chopped (you can use 1/4 tsp ground turmeric)

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp maple syrup

2 tsp green peppercorns, crushed (you can use black peppercorns)

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 small shallots, chopped

Juice of two limes (this is in addition to the lime above which is for serving)

Salt

Instructions

If you have enough leftover rice for two people, use that and save it from going in the bin. If you don’t then make your rice of choice.

While your rice is boiling, make the sambal. If you have blending capabilities (food processor, immersion blender, smoothie blender) put all of the ingredients in and blend until you have a smooth paste. Since this is a traditional recipe it was made well before anyone had a blender so you can also grind together the CHILIES, TOMATO, GARLIC and FRESH TURMERIC into a paste with a mortar and pestle. Then add the SOY SAUCE, MAPLE SYRUP, PEPPERCORNS, SHALLOTS, LIME JUICE and SALT. Grind again until you have a smooth-ish quite loose paste.

When your rice is cooked, if you have time to spread it out on a baking sheet to steam dry for ten, fifteen minutes that would be great but if you don’t have time, no worries.

Put a large pan on medium high heat and a good amount of oil without covering the whole bottom of the pan. Pour in half of your SAMBAL and the MAKRUT LIME LEAVES (if using). Let that fry for a few minutes until it is hot and bubbling.

Add the cooked RICE to the pan with the 2 Tbsp SOY SAUCE and stir fry until it is nice and crispy. It will take about ten minutes.

When the rice is finished, stir through most of your chopped SPRING ONIONS while reserving a few for garnish. Split the rice between two bowls or plates.

Traditionally you would fry the EGGS that go on top but this is your meal so you can make the eggs in any way you’d like and then put them on top of the rice.

Scatter the remaining spring onions over the top and give it a squeeze of LIME. Serve with the extra sambal on the side and warn anyone who doesn’t like it hot.

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- Mariana
- May 19, 2023
Reply
I really enjoyed this recipe, simple and delicious!
1. - Kith and Kitchen
  - May 23, 2023
  Reply
  Thank you! It is fast becoming a favorite. 🙂