Malaysian Nasi Lemak
Nasi lemak, a delightful Malaysian dish, features fragrant coconut rice complemented by a savory anchovy and spicy chili sauce. It is garnished with crispy fried anchovies, toasted peanuts, fresh cucumber slices, and a hard-boiled egg on top.
Ingredients
Rice:
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups long grain rice, rinsed and drained
- 1 (1/2 inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 whole bay leaf
- salt to taste
Garnish:
- 1 cup oil for frying
- 1 cup raw peanuts
- 1 (4 ounce) package white anchovies, washed
- 4 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved
- 1 medium cucumber, sliced
Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 3 medium shallots, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons chile paste
- 1 tablespoon water, or more as needed (Optional)
- 1 (4 ounce) package white anchovies, washed
- ¼ cup tamarind juice
- 3 tablespoons white sugar
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Make the rice: Stir coconut milk, water, rice, fresh ginger, ground ginger, bay leaf, and salt together in a medium saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Discard bay leaf and keep rice warm until garnish and sauce are ready.
- While the rice is cooking, make the garnish: Heat 1 cup vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in peanuts and cook briefly, until lightly browned. Remove peanuts with a slotted spoon and place onto paper towels to soak up excess grease.
- Return the skillet to the stove. Stir in anchovies and cook, turning occasionally, until crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels. Discard oil and wipe out the skillet.
- Make the sauce: Heat oil in the clean skillet. Stir in onion, shallots, and garlic; cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Mix in chile paste and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally; if mixture is too dry, add water as needed. Stir in anchovies and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in tamarind juice, sugar, and salt; simmer until sauce is thick, about 5 minutes.
- Ladle warm rice into bowls. Top with warm sauce, then top with peanuts, fried anchovies, hard-boiled eggs, and cucumber.
Nutrition
Serving: 8per recipeCalories: 578kcalCarbohydrates: 57gProtein: 20gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 128mgSodium: 230mgPotassium: 473mgSugar: 8gVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 72mgIron: 5mg
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