What is Nasi Goreng?

Nasi Goreng is an Indonesian dish which merely means fried rice, so it is a great dish for leftovers. This recipe comes from Malaysia where Nasi Goreng is served as a traditional breakfast dish. In fact the first time I had heard or tasted Nasi Goreng was in 1984 in Raffles Palm Court in Singapore.

Nasi goreng with sugar barbecued chicken and lime

Ingredients for Nasi Goreng
For the barbecued chicken
3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp crushed white peppercorns

1 tbsp granulated sugar

1 tbsp Thai fish sauce

1 lime, juice only

500g/1lb 2oz skinned boneless chicken thighs, each cut into 2.5cm/1in strips

For the spice paste
2 tbsp vegetable oil

4 fat garlic cloves, roughly chopped

50g/2oz shallots, roughly chopped

25g/1oz roasted salted peanuts

6 medium-hot red chillies, roughly chopped

1 tsp blachan (shrimp paste)

1 tsp salt

For the nasi goreng
300g/10½oz long-grain rice

sunflower oil, for frying

6 large shallots, thinly sliced

2 large free-range eggs

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp tomato purée

1 tbsp ketjap manis

1 tbsp light soy sauce

5cm/2in piece cucumber, cut into quarters lengthways, sliced

8 spring onions, trimmed, thinly sliced on the diagonal

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method for Cooking Nasi Goreng

For the barbecued chicken, mix the crushed garlic, crushed white peppercorns, sugar, fish sauce and lime juice together in a bowl. Add the chicken pieces and place in the fridge to marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

To cook the chicken, thread the marinated chicken pieces onto parallel pairs of the soaked bamboo skewers (this helps to stop the pieces from spinning around as you turn them).

3.Preheat the grill to its highest setting (or prepare the barbecue).

Grill the chicken skewers for 6-7 minutes, turning regularly, until golden-brown and caramelised on the outside and cooked through (no trace of pink should remain).

Slide the barbecued chicken off the skewers, cut into chunks and set aside.

For the spice paste, blend all of the spice paste ingredients in a food processor to a smooth paste.

For the nasi goreng, cook the rice in boiling, salted water for 12-15 minutes, or according to packet instructions, until just tender. Drain, rinse well with boiling hot water from the kettle, and drain well again.

Spread the rice out onto a large baking tray and set aside until cold (but do not refrigerate).

Heat 1cm/½in of the sunflower oil in a large, deep-sided frying pan until a breadcrumb sizzles and turns golden-brown when dropped into it. (Caution: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.) Add the sliced shallots and shallow fry, stirring now and then, until crisp and richly golden-brown. Remove the onions from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on plenty of kitchen paper. Sprinkle lightly with salt and set aside until cold and crisp.

Beat the eggs in a bowl with some salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Heat a couple of tablespoons of the sunflower oil in a small frying pan over a medium-high heat, pour in one-third of the beaten egg and cook until it has has set on top.

Flip the egg over, fry it for a few more seconds then turn it out onto a chopping board or plate, roll it up tightly and set aside until cold. Repeat the process twice more with the remaining egg.

When the egg rolls are cold, slice them into thin strips.

Heat a wok over a high heat until smoking hot. Add two tablespoons of the oil left over from frying the shallots, then add the nasi goreng paste and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant.

Add the tomato purée and ketjap manis and stir-fry for a few seconds, then add the cold cooked rice and stir-fry for a further 2-3 minutes, or until heated through.

Add the barbecued chicken pieces, fried shallots and strips of omelette and stir-fry for another minute.

Add the soy sauce, cucumber and most of the spring onions and mix together well.

To serve, spoon the nasi goreng onto a large warmed platter. Sprinkle over the remaining spring onions and allow people to help themselves.

Alternatives for Nasi Goreng

As nasi Goreng is meant to be a left over dish for breakfast you can use any vegetable, in this case the cucumber is to give it a little crunch you could substitute spring onions or scallions.Prawn and eggs are common in Indonesia, but it is also great with bacon and tomato added to the chicken.

If you like Nasi Goreng for breakfast you may also like Links

this Cajun Style Omelette

More information can be found on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasi_goreng”>Nasi Goreng here</a>

Despite the fact that Nasi Goreng is Indonesia's national breakfast dish Nasi Goreng can be eaten at anytime, it makes a fantastic supper or lunch with a salad.

Some of common nasi goreng recipes are:
Nasi goreng ayam: the most common nasi goreng with chicken, spices and sweet soy sauce, the color is golden brown
Nasi goreng istimewa: special nasi goreng, usually refer to nasi goreng ayam with addition of fried eggs topping
Nasi goreng ati ampela: nasi goreng with chicken gizzard and liver
Nasi goreng sapi: nasi goreng with beef
Nasi goreng kambing: nasi goreng with goat meat
Nasi goreng pete: nasi goreng with green stinky beans, the combo variation of nasi goreng kambing-pete is also popular
Nasi goreng sea food: nasi goreng with seafood such as cuttlefish, prawns, shellfish and fish
Nasi goreng ikan asin: nasi goreng with salted fish usually without sweet soy sauce, as the result the color is paler than regular nasi goreng
Nasi goreng teri Medan: nasi goreng with salted anchovy, specialty of Medan, North Sumatra
Nasi goreng Aceh: Aceh style spicy shrimp nasi goreng
Nasi goreng Jawa Timur: East Javanese style of nasi goreng, similar with nasi goreng ayam, but sweet soy sauce is replaced with tomato and chili sauce, as the result the color is red instead of golden brown. The Makassar nasi goreng also red, similar to this one
Nasi goreng Magelangan: Central Javanese Magelang style of chicken nasi goreng mixed with noodles, it can be considered as the crossover between nasi goreng and mie goreng
Nasi goreng amplop or nasi goreng pattaya: nasi goreng "enveloped" in thin omelette, can be found in Indonesia and Malaysia
Nasi goreng santri: means priest's nasi goreng, refer to a meatless vegetarian nasi goreng
Nasi goreng sosis: nasi goreng with sausages
Nasi goreng Hawaii or also called nasi goreng nanas: nasi goreng with pineapple
Nasi goreng Hongkong: nasi goreng Hongkong style, more closely related to Chinese fried rice and similar to Japanese Chahan (Yakimeshi)

Condiments:
Krupuk: various types of crackers, usually emping or prawn crackers
Acar: pickles made from vinegar preserved cucumber, shallots, carrot, and small chilli pepper
Sambal: somekind of traditional chilli sauce
Slices of fresh vegetables: usually cucumber, tomato, lettuce and cabbage
Fried eggs: fried eggs, omelette or shredded omelette could be served as nasi goreng toppings