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malaysian nasi lemak

Malaysian Nasi Lemak

Char Ferrara
A quintessential Malaysian favorite. Nasi Lemak features fragrant and rich coconut rice with spicy sambal, topped with crispy anchovies, crunchy peanuts, hard-boiled egg, and cool cucumber.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours
Cuisine Malaysian
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
 
 

Nasi Lemak (rice)

  • 2 cups uncooked white rice
  • 1 cup coconut milk divided
  • 2 ½ cups water
  • 2 pandan screwpine leaves, tied into a knot
  • 1 knob ginger 1-2 inches
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar

Sambal

  • 10 - 15 dried red chili
  • 1 tablespoon tamarind paste
  • 2 shallots
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 teaspoon belacan optional
  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil
  • ½ onion sliced
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Other ingredients for Nasi Lemak

  • 2 eggs hard-boiled (halved)
  • ½ cucumber sliced
  • 1 cup raw red skin peanuts
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup dried anchovies
  • ¼ cup crispy shallots for garnish optional
  • cooking oil for deep-frying
US Customary - Metric

Instructions
 

Nasi Lemak (rice)

  • Rinse the rice 3 - 4 times or until the water is less murky.
  • Pour ½ cup coconut milk over the rice.
  • Add pandan leaves, ginger and salt to the pot.
  • Place the pot on the stove over high heat to bring it to a boil (uncovered).
  • When it is at a rolling boil, reduce the heat to medium to bring it down to a simmer.  
  • When you can see that the water has absorbed just past the surface of the rice and little “craters” have formed on the rice surface, place the lid on the pot.
  • Allow it to boil for a few more seconds with the lid on, then turn off the heat.
  • Leave the lid on to allow the rice to continue to cook for about 15 minutes. No peeking!
  • Pour the remaining ½ cup of coconut milk and sugar over the rice. Mix well, then cover the pot again.

Sambal

  • Remove the seeds from the dried red chili. Rinse, then soak the chilies for about 15 minutes.
  • Soak the tamarind paste in 1 ½ cups of warm water for 15 minutes.
  • Place the drained chilies, shallots, garlic and belacan (if using) in a food processor.
  • Use your fingers to gently press the tamarind pulp to release the tamarind juice. Pour the tamarind water into the food processor through a sieve. Use a small spoon to press as much of the juice as possible from the tamarind pulp. Discard the pulp.
  • Blend the sambal ingredients to a puree.
  • Heat cooking oil in a wok over medium heat. Sauté onions until soft.
  • Add the sambal puree to the wok, followed by brown sugar.
  • Do a quick taste test. If too spicy, add more sugar.
  • Allow the sambal to simmer until it has thickened. This will take several minutes.

Fried Peanuts:

  • Heat up cooking oil for deep-frying.
  • When the oil is hot, add peanuts.
  • Allow the peanuts to fry for about 2 minutes, then remove them from the wok using a spider skimmer. Place the peanuts on paper towels or newspaper.
  • Sprinkle salt over the peanuts.

Crispy anchovies:

  • Deep fry the dried anchovies for about 2 minutes or until crispy. They should be a very light golden brown color.
  • Remove the fried anchovies from the wok using a spider skimmer.
  • Spread the crispy anchovies over paper towels or newspaper.

Notes

Top nasi lemak with crispy shallots (optional). Serve with sambal, hard-boiled eggs, crispy anchovies, peanuts, and sliced cucumber.

Nutrition

Calories: 650kcal
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