Nasi Goreng

My sister took me to this new restaurant in Cochin, "Nasi and mee". It was lovely! That's where I first had Nasi Goreng and the flavors were so different and beautiful. Finally managed to create it at home. 😊

It's an Indonesian dish and just means 'fried rice' 😊

The soul of the dish is 'kecap manis' which is a thick sweet sticky soy sauce. If you can't find it in stores, you can turn your normal soy sauce into kecap manis. But don't try to use normal soy sauce as is. It just doesn't work for this dish. Another key ingredient is 'shrimp paste' which is optional, so I didn't use. But I did add a tsp of fish sauce which I'm not sure is very authentic. 🤔 But it turned out yum, so I guess it's okay. 😊

Recipe courtesy: Recipetineats.com

Ingredients:

Cooked rice - 3 cups (chilled overnight)

Chicken breast - 150gms (sliced thin)

Onions - 1 medium (chopped)

Garlic - 2 fat cloves (sliced)

Fresh red chilli - 1 (chopped)

Kecap Manis - 3tblsp

Shrimp paste - 2 tsp (optional)

For garnish :

Fried eggs - 4

Fresh tomatoes - cut into wedges

Cucumber - cut into chunks

To make Kecap Manis :

Boil one cup of regular soy sauce with the following :

    ●1 1/4 cup brown sugar 

    ●1tbsp molasses 

    ●2 fat cloves of garlic 

    ●2" of fresh ginger 

    ●2 staranise 

    ●3 cloves

Keep cooking for 15 minutes 

Cool, strain and store in a jar. 

(This can stay in the fridge for up to one month!) 

Method:

1. Heat 2tbsp oil in a wok. 

2. Add in the garlic and chilli. 

3. Add in the onions and sauté till slightly brown. 

4. Add in the chicken and 1tbsp Kecap Manis and fry till the chicken is cooked. 

5. Throw in the cold rice and mix well then add a further 2tbsp Kekap Manis and the shrimp paste, (if you're using). 

6. Keep on mixing/tossing the rice till the sauce is absorbed and the rice begins to caremalise 

7. Add salt as needed 

8. Serve hot hot, garnished with fried egg and fresh tomatoes and cucumbers on the side.