About this recipe
What separates nasi goreng from fried rice generally is not the technique but the seasoning: a pounded bumbu of shallot, garlic and chilli, a little toasted terasi, and kecap manis, which darkens the grains and gives the dish its characteristic sweet-savoury edge. Cold, dry, day-old rice is not a shortcut here — freshly cooked rice steams itself into mush in the wok.
Recipe facts
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Prep
- 20 minutes
- Cook
- 15 minutes
- Total
- 35 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy–Moderate
- Spice
- Medium (adjust chillies)
Allergens Contains shellfish (terasi), egg, fish (fish sauce optional) and soy/wheat (kecap manis). Not gluten-free unless a wheat-free kecap manis is used.
Development draft. This is an untested development recipe from the cookbook project. It has not been kitchen-tested, and the quantities and timings are the author’s working draft rather than a verified result.
Ingredients
Bumbu (spice paste)
- 6 shallots, roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 4–6 red bird's eye chillies, or 2 long red chillies for less heat
- 1 tsp (5 g) terasi (Indonesian shrimp paste), toasted
The rice
- 5 cups (about 750 g) cooked long-grain rice, cooled and refrigerated overnight
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) neutral oil
- 8 oz (225 g) boneless chicken thigh, cut into 1/2 in (1 cm) dice
- 6 oz (170 g) peeled raw prawns (optional)
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) kecap manis, plus more to taste
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) light soy sauce
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 scallions, sliced
- Salt and white pepper
To serve
- 4 eggs, fried sunny-side up with crisp edges
- 1 small cucumber, sliced
- 1 tomato, sliced
- 3 tbsp (15 g) crisp fried shallots
- Prawn crackers (kerupuk udang)
Equipment
- Wok or 12 in (30 cm) heavy skillet
- Mortar and pestle or small food processor
- Wok spatula
- Small frying pan for the eggs
Method
- Pound or blend the shallots, garlic, chillies and toasted terasi to a coarse paste.
- Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in the wok over medium heat. Fry the bumbu, stirring, until it darkens and the raw shallot smell is gone, 4–5 minutes. It should smell sweet rather than sharp.
- Raise the heat to high. Add the diced chicken and stir-fry until it loses its pink colour, about 3 minutes. Add the prawns, if using, and cook 1 minute more.
- Push everything to one side, add the remaining 1 tbsp oil to the clear space, pour in the beaten eggs and scramble them roughly, then fold through.
- Add the cold rice, breaking up any remaining clumps against the side of the wok. Stir-fry 3 minutes until the grains are hot and separate.
- Pour the kecap manis and soy sauce around the rim of the wok so they caramelise briefly before you toss them through. Stir until every grain is evenly coloured a light brown.
- Season with salt and white pepper, stir through the scallions, and taste — add more kecap manis if it needs sweetness or depth.
- Divide between four plates. Top each with a fried egg, add cucumber and tomato at the side, and scatter with fried shallots. Serve with prawn crackers.
From the foundations
The book pairs this recipe with the following, from the sauces, sambals and pastes that open the collection.
The Complete Edition
Nasi Goreng sits in the Indonesia chapter
The book carries this recipe in full alongside the rest of the Indonesia chapter, the pastes and dips it is built on, and the twenty-seven pantry studies that open the collection.
In review with Amazon KDP
Both editions have been submitted to Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and are currently in review. Submitted prices are $9.99 for the kindle edition and $49.99 for the paperback. Neither is on sale yet, and prices are as submitted rather than final.