Malaysian Soulfood 'Nasi Lemak'

The most famous and statement dish of Malaysia is Nasi lemak . On the looks of it , this dish is very non - fancy BUT in terms of taste this is a true flavour bomb winner . With a few simple elements ( read toppings ) thrown in together with steamed creamy coconut rice , this dish is something you can very easily recreate in your home kitchen . All of the various elements when eaten together create a most orgasmic outburst on the palette . In Malaysia , you can choose your toppings and get absolutely spoilt looking at the tons and tons of options available . Spicy from the chilli loaded sambal and packed with umami from the fried anchovies , I would reckon this as the best Asian rice dish . Also , quite underrated !

Nasi Lemak is absolutely different from its more celebrated and internationally acclaimed cousin Nasi Goreng . The difference between the two is in the preparation of the rice - while one celebrates rice steamed in coconut fat , the later is a spicy fried platter .

I was told during my visits to KL that Nasi Lemak originated in Malaysia and is therefore officially the national dish of Malays . In this country this dish is eaten for all three meals - breakfast , lunch and dinner ! And everytime I am there I end up doing just that at least for the first few days . Make this once and I will promise , you will keep making this over and over again .

My #1 rating goes to this in the Malaysian soul food category .To keep things simple I have shared the recipe in such a manner that it elaborates the 3 main elements . The cooking of the rice - The making of the punchy sambal & making the main fried topping.

Feel free to innovate with the fried element - while I have done fried chicken you can do absolutely any protein that you fancy ...So go on , give this a try and let me know what you think...

Happy cooking !

Things you will need ( Served 02 adults )

For the Nasi ( Rice )

• 01 cup rice , cleaned and washed

• 01 tin of coconut mill

• 01 or 02 pandan leaves for the sweet fragrance ( easily available now online )

For the Sambal

• 1/2 cup of red chillies - finely chopped ( You can use a combination of dried and fresh depending on the amount of heat you can deal with )

• 01 tbsp shrimp paste OR 02 tbsp fish sauce

• 03 large onions - finely chopped

• 06 pods of garlic - finely chopped

• 01 inch ginger - finely chopped

• 1/3 cup brown sugar

• Salt to taste

• 1 tbsp. tamarind paste

• Oil for frying

For the Toppings

• 500 gms chicken

• 1/2 cup corn flour

• Salt and pepper

• Oil for frying

Other Toppings

• Deep fried anchovies

• Handful of roasted peanuts

• Boiled egg

• Fresh cucumber / onion as salad

Steps to follow

To make the Coconut Rice

• In this recipe , we will prepare the rice the same way you would cook steamed rice at home but instead of water , we will use coconut milk .

• Rinse your rice and drain - to this add the coconut milk, a pinch of salt, and some water. Thrown in the pandan leaves and allow the rice to cook till all the coconut milk and water has evaporated and the rice looks done .

• Cover and allow the rice to seep in its own steam .

To make the Sambal

• Heat oil in a wok and fry the anchovies until they turn light brown - put aside.

• To the same anchovy flavored oil , add another tbsp. of oil and heat. In this , sauté the onion , ginger and garlic mix .Toss in the chillies along with the shrimp paste / fish oil and fry for 2- 3 minutes until everything has softened .

• Add tamarind juice, salt and the brown sugar.

• Simmer the sambal on low heat until it thickens and is jam like -set aside.

Make the fried chicken

• Heat oil in a frying pan

• Coat slightly moist chicken with corn flour , salt and pepper.

• Deep fry till brown - Season and set aside.

Serve !

• Press the coconut rice in a bowl and turn it onto your serving plate.

• Top generously with sambal .

• Arrange the fried anchovies , boiled egg , fried anchovies , fried chicken .

• Dig in !