In case you’re not familiar with Southeast Asian food, nasi is the Indo-Malayan word for “rice”, a very common ingredient in Asian cuisine.
But this recipe has a trick, and what makes this dish different from other rice recipes is the goreng part of it: in this preparation, the grains are fried and so the final result has a very characteristic smoky taste.
One dish, many possibilities
Nasi goreng is widely eaten in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei, and every country has their variations, depending on the ingredients particularly used in each specific area.
This traditional dish is so popular and easy to make that you can find it almost everywhere if you visit any of these countries. Some more glamorous and expensive variations might be only available at restaurants, but others are easily found when you go sightseeing and look for some street food. Frozen and ready to microwave versions are sold in supermarkets as well!
And outside the Asian area, you can try a pretty good nasi goreng in the Netherlands if you happen to live there or go for a visit. Thanks to the big Indonesian community living in that country, this dish has become extremely popular in this part of Europe.
Unveiling the magic
As a rule, it is said that the secret to any tasty nasi goreng is the combination of animal-derived ingredients, such as eggs, seafood or meat; a spicy touch, given by some garlic, spring onions, some chili or turmeric, sweet soy sauce, and a pinch of salt and black pepper; and finally some condiments, like krupuk, pickles, fried shallots, and some cucumber and tomato, to create a unique flavor blend each time.
Crispy and affordable
Another great thing about nasi goreng is that leftover rice is preferred over freshly cooked rice, because it is less moist and so the result is crispier.
Apparently, the story says that this dish comes from a Chinese fried rice tradition that was invented to avoid wasting the extra rice. This makes total sense if we come to think that Malaysians typically have this dish for breakfast, using the leftover rice from the night before. Can you imagine having such a tasty and healthy filling breakfast?
What are you waiting for? Give your frozen rice a chance with this easy egg fried rice recipe and be ready to experience all the flavors from Southeast Asia!
Ingredients
- 1 cup of left-over white rice.
- 2 beaten eggs.
- ¼ cup of shredded chicken.
- 3 prawns.
- 1 stick of spring onion.
- 1 shallot onion.
- ½ red bell pepper.
- 1 carrot.
- 1 clove of garlic.
- 1 tbsp. of sambal oelek (Malaysian chilli sauce).
- 1 tbsp. of sweet soy sauce.
- Some krupuk or prawn crackers (if you fancy).
- Salt to taste.
- Cooking oil.
- Some sliced tomato and or cucumber (for freshness and decoration).
Preparation
- Chop your clove of garlic and add it to a big pan or wok at medium heat with some cooking oil. Add your prawns and your chicken and stir fry until they look ready and have acquired some taste from the garlic. Set aside.
- Chop your spring onion, shallot onion, red bell pepper and carrot and add them to the pan. Add some extra cooking oil if necessary. Stir fry and add the beaten eggs and a pinch of salt. Whisk vigorously to prevent the eggs from getting an omelette texture. You want your eggs to be rather scrambled.
- Add your left-over rice and let it fry a bit. Set your stove to high heat and add the chicken and the prawns previously cooked. Mix well and add the sambal oelek.
- When you see everything is nicely mixed and done, that is, your rice has acquired a nice brownish colour, add your sweet soy sauce and mix one last time, just before turning off the heat.
- Let it cool down a bit and serve with some tomato or cucumber slices on top. Include some pieces of prawn crackers if you like it as an extra snack.
If you happen to try this recipe but you don’t have any leftover rice, don’t worry! You can totally cook your rice as you would normally do. It’s better if you let it cool down for a while before frying it.
Disclosure: this is a collaborative post