Nasi Goreng

Name: Nasi Goreng
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Indonesia
Ingredients: 400 g cooked long-grain rice, cold (day-old refrigerated); 2 large eggs; 3 tbsp kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce, do not substitute regular soy); 1 tsp terasi (Indonesian shrimp paste/belacan), or 0.5 tsp dried shrimp powder; 1 tbsp light soy sauce; 5 cloves garlic, minced; 4 shallots (or half a small onion), finely sliced; red chillies (bird's eye for heat, or long red for milder), thinly sliced; 100 g cooked chicken, prawns or tofu (optional protein); 3 tbsp neutral oil; To serve: cucumber slices, tomato wedges, prawn crackers (kerupuk), sliced spring onion

Indonesia's national fried rice: cold rice stir-fried with kecap manis (sweet soy), shrimp paste, garlic, shallot and chilli, crowned with a fried egg with lacey, crisp edges: impossibly savoury, faintly sweet, with a depth that comes from the funky fermented paste beneath

Origin: Java, Indonesia

From the journey of Rice.

Nasi goreng (literally 'fried rice' in Malay/Indonesian) is Indonesia's national dish and its most globally recognised food, voted repeatedly as one of the world's most delicious dishes in international surveys. Its genius is not complexity but flavour depth: the combination of kecap manis (thick, sweet soy sauce fermented with palm sugar) and terasi (fermented shrimp paste, belacan in Malay) creates an umami and sweetness combination that no other fried rice in the world replicates. The technique is authentically Indonesian street-food style: wok over very high heat, everything happens fast, the rice hits a heavily seasoned base and caramelises in the kecap manis. The fried egg on top; with those lacey, crunchy-edged whites from a very hot wok; is non-negotiable. Nasi goreng exists in hundreds of regional variations across Indonesia's 17,000 islands, from the Javanese version (sweeter, milder) to the Ambonese (more aromatic, with spices), but the combination of kecap manis and terasi defines them all.

Ingredients

Rice

400 g cooked long-grain rice, cold (day-old refrigerated)

Egg

2 large eggs

Sauce

3 tbsp kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce, do not substitute regular soy)
1 tsp terasi (Indonesian shrimp paste/belacan), or 0.5 tsp dried shrimp powder
1 tbsp light soy sauce

Aromatics

5 cloves garlic, minced
4 shallots (or half a small onion), finely sliced
red chillies (bird's eye for heat, or long red for milder), thinly sliced

Protein (optional)

100 g cooked chicken, prawns or tofu (optional protein)

Fat

3 tbsp neutral oil

Garnish

To serve: cucumber slices, tomato wedges, prawn crackers (kerupuk), sliced spring onion

Method

Mix the kecap manis, light soy sauce in a small bowl. Wrap the terasi in foil and toast directly over a flame or dry pan for 30 seconds each side (this removes rawness).
Break up the cold rice with your hands to separate all grains. Set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok over the highest heat. Add the shallots and fry until golden, 2 minutes. Add the garlic and chilli, stir-fry 30 seconds. Add the toasted terasi, crumble it in, and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Add any cooked protein (chicken, prawns) and toss for 30 seconds. Add all the rice in one go. Toss vigorously with a spatula for 2 minutes, breaking up any remaining clumps.
Pour the kecap manis and soy sauce mixture around the edge of the wok (not directly onto the rice) so it hits the hot wok surface first. Toss everything together quickly until each grain is coated and the rice turns a light caramel-brown colour. Cook for 1 more minute. Taste and add more kecap manis or soy if needed.
Divide the nasi goreng between two plates, mounding it in the centre. In the same wok (or a separate pan), fry the eggs in the remaining oil over very high heat; the white should be set but with lacy, slightly crispy edges, and the yolk still runny. Place one egg on top of each plate of rice.
Serve immediately with cucumber and tomato slices, prawn crackers, and sliced spring onion.

Notes

The terasi (fermented shrimp paste) is the umami backbone of nasi goreng and should not be omitted or substituted if at all possible. It is available at Indonesian, Malaysian, Thai and general Asian grocery stores. Store it wrapped tightly in two layers of plastic bags in the refrigerator; it keeps for months. The 'secret' of restaurant-quality nasi goreng is simply very high heat. If your wok is not smoking hot when the rice goes in, you will get steamed-and-stewed rice rather than fried rice.

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Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control