Nasi Lemak
Nasi Lemak is a fragrant rice dish cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaves, traditionally served for breakfast in Malaysia. This recipe includes a spicy sambal, crispy anchovies, roasted peanuts, and a hard-boiled egg for a complete meal.
An original recipe by Forkin
- Total time
- 1 hr 20 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Per serving
- 1,034 kcal
Allergen information: may contain eggs, fish, nuts, and peanuts. Always check ingredient packaging if you have an allergy.
Mise en place
Ingredients
Converted for display; the recipe amounts stay equivalent.
rice
- 2 cupjasmine rice, rinsed
- 1.5 cupcoconut milk
- 0.5 cupwater
- 2 pcspandan leaf, knotted
- 2 sliceginger
- 0.5 tspsalt
garnish
- 0.5 cupdried anchovy
- 0.5 cuppeanut, roasted
- 4 pcsegg
- 0.5 pcscucumber, sliced
sambal
- 4 pcsshallot, sliced
- 3 clovegarlic
- 10 pcsdried chili, soaked and deseeded
- 1 tbsptamarind paste
- 1 tbspbrown sugar
general
- 0.25 cupcooking oil
Equipment
food processor · pot · frying pan · knife · rice cooker
The method
Step by step
- 1
Combine the jasmine rice, coconut milk, water, pandan leaves, ginger, and salt in a rice cooker or heavy-bottomed pot.
About 2 min
Cook’s note: Ensure the liquid level is appropriate for your rice cooker or pot to prevent it from being too dry or mushy.
- 2
Cook the rice until it is fluffy and all the liquid has been absorbed, about 20-25 minutes in a pot, or according to your rice cooker's instructions.
About 25 min
Cook’s note: If cooking in a pot, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer.
- 3
Once cooked, let the rice rest, covered, for 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
About 10 min
Cook’s note: This resting period allows the rice to steam evenly and become perfect.
- 4
While the rice cooks, prepare the sambal: blend the shallots, garlic, and dried chilies into a fine paste using a food processor or mortar and pestle.
About 8 min
Cook’s note: For less spice, remove more seeds from the dried chilies.
- 5
Heat cooking oil in a pan over medium heat.
About 1 min
- 6
Add the blended sambal paste and sauté for 10-15 minutes until fragrant and the oil separates from the paste.
About 15 min
Cook’s note: Stir frequently to prevent burning.
- 7
Stir in the tamarind paste and brown sugar, then simmer for another 5 minutes.
About 5 min
- 8
Fry the dried anchovies in a separate pan with a small amount of cooking oil until crispy and golden brown.
About 5 min
Cook’s note: Do not overcrowd the pan; fry in batches if necessary.
- 9
Boil the eggs until hard-boiled, then peel and slice them in half.
About 10 min
Cook’s note: For easy peeling, transfer eggs to an ice bath immediately after boiling.
- 10
Assemble the Nasi Lemak by serving a portion of the coconut rice, a generous dollop of sambal, a handful of crispy anchovies, roasted peanuts, sliced cucumber, and a hard-boiled egg.
About 2 min
Cook’s note: Traditionally, Nasi Lemak is served on a banana leaf.
Per serving
Nutrition
- Calories
- 1,034.1kcal
- Protein
- 24.3g
- Carbs
- 119.3g
- Fat
- 55.9g
- Fibre
- 6.3g
- Sugar
- 10.7g
Estimated from the recipe’s ingredient quantities. Values can vary with brands and substitutions.
Keep it good
Store leftover Nasi Lemak components separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator.
Reheat the rice and sambal gently in the microwave or on the stovetop. Anchovies and peanuts are best served fresh or lightly re-crisped.
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