Malaysia · Malaysia

Nasi Lemak (Coconut Rice with Sambal and Anchovies)

Name: Nasi Lemak (Coconut Rice with Sambal and Anchovies)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Malaysia
Ingredients: jasmine rice, rinsed 300 g; coconut milk 300 ml; water 150 ml; pandan leaves, knotted 3 pieces; fresh ginger, sliced 10 g; fine salt 1 tsp; dried anchovies, rinsed 60 g; roasted peanuts 60 g; eggs, hard-boiled and halved 4 pieces; cucumber, sliced 1 pieces; shallots, sliced 4 pieces; dried chilies, soaked 8 pieces; shallot oil 60 ml; tamarind paste 10 g; palm sugar 15 g; oil for frying 2 ml; salt to balance sambal 1 tsp

Fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan, served with sambal, crispy anchovies, peanuts, cucumber and egg.

50 minutes · 4 servings · Moderate

The name means fatty rice, and the dish carries the weight of a Malay breakfast table where sambal, rice and fried things are eaten together without ceremony. Cooks insist the coconut milk goes into the rice before the grain is fully done, so the starch absorbs it and the grains stay separate rather than turning to mush. In many states the anchovies are fried with curry leaf and sliced chilli.

Ingredients

jasmine rice, rinsed300 g
coconut milk300 ml
water150 ml
pandan leaves, knotted3 pieces
fresh ginger, sliced10 g
fine salt1 tsp
dried anchovies, rinsed60 g
roasted peanuts60 g
eggs, hard-boiled and halved4 pieces
cucumber, sliced1 pieces
shallots, sliced4 pieces
dried chilies, soaked8 pieces
shallot oil60 ml
tamarind paste10 g
palm sugar15 g
oil for frying2 ml
salt to balance sambal1 tsp

Directions

1
Combine rice, coconut milk, water, pandan, ginger and salt in a pot and bring to a boil; reduce to low, cover and steam.
Rice is fluffy and smells of coconut and pandan.
2
Fry anchovies in hot oil until crisp; drain on paper.
Anchovies puff up and turn golden, smelling nutty.
3
Blend soaked chilies, shallots, tamarind, palm sugar and a splash of water; cook in shallot oil until thickened and oily.
Sambal is dark red, glossy and holds a thick line when the spoon lifts.
4
Mound coconut rice on each plate; arrange sambal, fried anchovies, peanuts, egg and cucumber alongside.
All components are arranged in separate piles around the rice.

Source: WorldBite Editorial · WorldBite Proprietary Editorial Content