Recipes › Nasi Goreng

Nasi Goreng

Nasi goreng is not rice with things added. It is a specific sequence: aromatics first, then protein, then rice, then seasoning, with each step finishing before the next begins. The wok should be hot the entire time, and the rice should be cold from the fridge.

Ingredients

• 600 g cooked white rice, refrigerated overnight
• 3 tablespoons cooking oil
• 5 shallots, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon shrimp paste (terasi), or 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 2 red chillies, sliced
• 250 g chicken thigh, diced small
• 100 g peeled prawns
• 3 eggs
• 2 tablespoons sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon white pepper
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• To serve: fried shallots, cucumber, prawn crackers

Method

1. Break up the cold rice with wet hands until no clumps remain. Clumped rice steams instead of frying.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok over high heat. Fry the shallots and garlic for 1 minute until fragrant, add the shrimp paste and chillies, and cook 30 seconds more. Push to the side of the wok.
3. Add the chicken and stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes until just cooked, then add the prawns for 1 minute. Remove everything to a plate.
4. Add the remaining oil. Crack in the eggs and scramble roughly for 30 seconds.
5. Add the rice and toss continuously over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes, breaking up any lumps and coating the grains in the egg and aromatics.
6. Return the chicken and prawns. Add the sweet soy sauce, light soy sauce and white pepper. Toss for 2 minutes until the rice is evenly coloured and slightly dry.
7. Stir through the spring onions, taste for salt, and serve immediately with fried shallots, cucumber and crackers.

Notes and tips

• Cold, dry, day-old rice is the single most important factor. Fresh rice will always steam and clump.
• Do not crowd the wok. If your wok is small, cook in two batches — overcrowding lowers the temperature and the rice goes soggy.
• Shrimp paste is what makes it taste like nasi goreng rather than generic fried rice. If you dislike it, fish sauce is the nearest substitute.
• Everything must be chopped before the wok is lit. Fried rice cooks in ten minutes and there is no time to prep mid-cook.
• For a vegetarian version, replace the meat and prawns with firm tofu and mushrooms, and use light soy sauce instead of shrimp paste.

Questions

Can I use freshly cooked rice?

You can, but spread it on a tray and cool it completely first, ideally in the fridge for an hour. Warm rice steams.

How do I make it spicy?

Add bird's eye chillies with the aromatics, or serve sambal on the side so each person controls the heat.

Why is my fried rice soggy?

Almost always one of three things: warm rice, too little heat, or too much sauce added at once. Fix the rice first.

Is kecap manis essential?

It defines the flavour. If unavailable, mix dark soy sauce with brown sugar and a little molasses as a close substitute.

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