Nasi Lemak: Malaysian Coconut Rice
Nasi lemak is a dish of fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaves. In Malaysia, it is considered as the national dish, as well as an absolute essential for typical Malay-style breakfasts. Of course, it can also be enjoyed throughout the day!
Malaysia
Ingredients
- 350g basmati rice
- 250ml coconut milk
- 1 cm ginger, sliced
- 2-3 pandan leaves
- ¼ onion, in thin rings
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ Tbsp sugar
- 300ml water
Garnish:
- 200g raw peanuts with skin
- 30g dried anchovies, washed and drained
- 160ml peanut oil
- 2 hard-boiled eggs
- 2 Tbsp Ikan Bilis chili paste
- ½ cucumber, in half rings
- 1 banana leaves, thawed
Kitchen tools:
- Rice cooker
- Wok pan
- Boil the coconut rice. Rinse the rice until the water stays clear. Then add the rice to a rice cooker, together with onion, ginger, pandan leaves, salt, sugar, coconut milk and water. Close the rice cooker and boil the rice until done.
- You don’t have a rice cooker? Then add all the ingredients in a pan and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and let the rice simmer with the lid on the pan. Let the rice bubble for 8 to 10 minutes over very low heat. Has all the water been absorbed? Then turn off the heat and keep the rice in the closed pan for 4 to 5 minutes.
- In the meantime, heat 160 ml of peanut oil in a wok or frying pan over medium-low heat. When the oil shimmers, add the peanuts and cook them for about 5 minutes until they turn brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the peanuts to a paper towel to drain.
- Carefully add the dried anchovies and stir-fry for about 7 minutes, while moving the anchovies back and forth, until golden brown and crispy. Then transfer the anchovies to a paper towel to drain.
Serving
Put a banana leaf on your plate and put some rice on top, together with chicken curry, cucumber, fried peanuts, chili paste, boiled egg and fried anchovies.