Nasi Uduk

Jakarta's fragrant steamed rice cooked in coconut milk with daun salam (Indonesian bay), lemongrass, and pandan, the breakfast and street rice of the Betawi people, served with a spread of savoury sides

Origin: Indonesia

From the journey of Bay Leaf.

Nasi uduk is the beloved coconut rice of the Betawi, the people of old Jakarta, a fragrant steamed rice that is eaten for breakfast, bought from street vendors, and piled onto plates with a generous spread of savoury accompaniments. Its fragrance comes from cooking the rice not in plain water but in coconut milk, perfumed with the aromatics of the Indonesian kitchen: lemongrass, pandan, and, essential among them, daun salam, the Indonesian bay leaf. The salam, leaf of a clove relative rather than the Mediterranean laurel, lends its gentle, faintly sour, herbal note to the rich coconut rice, in just the quiet, foundational way that bay scents a European pilaf or stew. The rice is steamed until tender and fragrant, then served, often shaped into a mound, with a scattering of crisp fried shallots and a spread of sides: fried chicken, tempeh and tofu, omelette strips, peanuts, sambal, and emping crackers. Comforting, aromatic, and endlessly adaptable, nasi uduk shows daun salam in its everyday role as one of the indispensable aromatics of the Indonesian table.

Ingredients

The Rice

400 g jasmine or long-grain rice
400 ml coconut milk
200 ml water
1 tsp salt

The Aromatics

3 daun salam (Indonesian bay leaves)
2 stalks lemongrass, bruised
2 pandan leaves, knotted (optional)
3 slices galangal or ginger

To Serve

crisp fried shallots, to serve

Method

Rinse the rice in several changes of water until it runs clear, then drain well.
Put the rice in a heavy pan with the coconut milk, water, daun salam, lemongrass, pandan, galangal, and salt. Stir once and bring gently to the boil.
When it reaches the boil and the liquid has reduced to the level of the rice, cover tightly and reduce to the lowest heat. Steam undisturbed for 15 minutes.
Take off the heat and rest, covered, for 10 minutes, then fluff gently with a fork, removing the aromatics.
Mound onto a plate, scatter with crisp fried shallots, and serve with your chosen savoury sides.

Notes

Daun salam is the authentic leaf and is sold dried or frozen in Southeast Asian shops; it is not interchangeable with Mediterranean bay, though a single bay leaf is a passable stand-in for fragrance. The rice is sometimes steamed twice in the traditional method for an especially fluffy result. Serve as a feast plate (nasi uduk lengkap) with several sides, or simply with fried chicken and sambal.

The Gastrographer

Name: Nasi Uduk
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Indonesia
Ingredients: 400 g jasmine or long-grain rice; 400 ml coconut milk; 200 ml water; 3 daun salam (Indonesian bay leaves); 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised; 2 pandan leaves, knotted (optional); 3 slices galangal or ginger; 1 tsp salt; crisp fried shallots, to serve

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control