Nasi lemak

Name: Nasi lemak
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 400 g long-grain jasmine rice; 400 ml full-fat coconut milk; 200 ml cold water; 1 tsp fine sea salt; 2 fresh pandan leaves tied into a knot, plus 1 bruised stalk of lemongrass and 3 thin slices of fresh ginger (for the rice); 60 g raw skinless peanuts; 60 g ikan bilis (dried Malaysian anchovies); 4 large eggs; 1 medium cucumber (about 200 g), sliced into 5 mm rounds; 10 dried red chillies, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes and drained; 4 fresh red chillies (mild); 2 large shallots (about 120 g), peeled, plus 3 garlic cloves and 1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger (15 g); 1 tbsp belacan (toasted shrimp paste), or 1.5 tsp fish sauce as a substitute; 2 tbsp tamarind paste mixed with 4 tbsp warm water (or 3 tbsp lime juice); 2 tbsp palm sugar or dark brown sugar; 1 medium red onion (about 120 g), sliced into thin rings; 60 ml plus 250 ml neutral oil (split: 60 ml for the sambal, the rest for frying anchovies and peanuts); 0.5 tsp fine sea salt for the sambal

Nasi lemak — whose name means fatty or rich rice in Malay — is Malaysia's national dish and the nation's breakfast. Rice is cooked in coconut milk with pandan leaves and served surrounded by a fixed set of accompaniments: spicy sambal, ikan bilis (crispy anchovies), roasted peanuts, sliced cucumber, and a boiled or fried egg. The package was traditionally wrapped in banana leaf. Each element has its role: the sambal brings heat and complexity, the anchovies saltiness, the peanuts texture, the cucumber coolness. The dish can be extended with rendang chicken or curry, but the core remains unchanged. Malaysians eat nasi lemak at any hour of the day.

Total time40m

Active time30m

Servings4

DifficultyMedium

Cost$$

Add to my meal plan

❤️

Rich in protein

Filling and nutritious

⭐

Traditional recipe

Authentic taste

Ingredients 4 servings

400 g long-grain jasmine rice
400 ml full-fat coconut milk
200 ml cold water
1 tsp fine sea salt
2 fresh pandan leaves tied into a knot, plus 1 bruised stalk of lemongrass and 3 thin slices of fresh ginger (for the rice)
60 g raw skinless peanuts
60 g ikan bilis (dried Malaysian anchovies)
4 large eggs
1 medium cucumber (about 200 g), sliced into 5 mm rounds
10 dried red chillies, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes and drained
4 fresh red chillies (mild)
2 large shallots (about 120 g), peeled, plus 3 garlic cloves and 1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger (15 g)
1 tbsp belacan (toasted shrimp paste), or 1.5 tsp fish sauce as a substitute
2 tbsp tamarind paste mixed with 4 tbsp warm water (or 3 tbsp lime juice)
2 tbsp palm sugar or dark brown sugar
1 medium red onion (about 120 g), sliced into thin rings
60 ml plus 250 ml neutral oil (split: 60 ml for the sambal, the rest for frying anchovies and peanuts)
0.5 tsp fine sea salt for the sambal

How to make it

1Rinse the rice in a sieve under cold running water for 1 minute, until the water runs almost clear, then drain well; put it in a heavy 2-litre pan with the coconut milk, water, 1 tsp salt, pandan, lemongrass, and ginger; bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, stirring once; lower the heat to the lowest setting, cover with a tight lid, and cook undisturbed for 12 minutes; turn off the heat and rest, covered, for another 10 minutes — the trapped steam finishes cooking and dries the grains; discard the aromatics before serving.
2While the rice cooks, fry the peanuts; heat the 250 ml oil in a small pan to 160°C; fry the peanuts for 3–4 minutes until pale gold (they will darken as they cool), then lift onto paper towels with a slotted spoon; salt lightly.
3Pat the ikan bilis dry; in the same oil, fry them in two batches for 60–90 seconds per batch, stirring once, until crisp and deep gold; lift onto a separate sheet of paper; reserve the oil.
4Hard-boil the eggs: lower them into gently simmering water and cook for exactly 8 minutes for set yolks (or 7 minutes for slightly jammy); transfer immediately to iced water for 3 minutes, then peel and halve.
5Make the sambal paste; combine the drained dried chillies, fresh chillies, shallots, garlic, the 15 g ginger piece, and belacan in a blender or mortar with 2 tbsp of the reserved oil and process to a coarse paste.
6Heat 60 ml fresh oil in a wok or wide pan over medium heat; add the sambal paste and fry, stirring continuously, for 12–15 minutes, until the oil splits out around the edges and the paste turns deep brick-red; this long fry is what kills the raw bite of the aromatics.
7Stir in the red onion rings, tamarind water, palm sugar, and 0.5 tsp salt; simmer for 6–8 minutes more, until the onions are softened and the sambal has a glossy, jammy texture that holds a clean line when you drag a spoon across the pan; taste and balance — it should be hot, sweet, sour, and savoury in roughly equal measure.
8To serve: mound a portion of rice on each plate; surround with a hard-boiled egg half, a generous spoonful of sambal, a small heap of peanuts, a small heap of crispy anchovies, and a fan of cucumber slices; eat by mixing small amounts from each pile into each bite.