Nasi Goreng
One of the most famous Indonesian dishes, this is a marvellous way to use up leftover rice, chicken and meats. It is important that the rice be quite cold and the grains separate before the other ingredients are added, so cook the rice the day before if possible.
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 30mI / 2 tbsp water
- 105ml / 7 tbsp oil
- 225g / 8oz pork fillet or fillet of beef, cut into neat strips
- 115g / 4oz peeled cooked prawns, thawed if frozen
- 175-225g / 6-8oz cooked chicken, finely chopped
- 2 fresh red chillies, halved and seeded
- 1cm / ½in cube shrimp paste (blachan)
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 675g / 1½lb / 6 cups cold cooked long grain rice, preferably basmati (about 350g / 12oz / 1¾ cups raw rice)
- 30ml / 2 tbsp dark soy sauce or 45-60ml / 3-4 tbsp tomato ketchup
- salt and ground black pepper
- deep-fried onions, celery leaves and fresh coriander sprigs, to garnish
Preparation
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- Put the eggs in a bowl and beat in the water, with salt and pepper to taste. Using a non-stick frying pan make two or three omelettes using as little oil as possible for greasing. Roll up each omelette and cut in strips when cold. Set aside. Place the strips of pork or beef in a bowl. Put the prawns and chopped chicken in separate bowls. Shred one of the chillies and reserve it.
- Put the shrimp paste (blachan) in a food processor. Add the remaining chilli, the garlic and the onion. Process to a fine paste. Alternatively, pound the mixture in a mortar, using a pestle.
- Heat the remaining oil in a wok and fry the paste, without browning, until it gives off a rich, spicy aroma. Add the pork or beef and toss over the heat to seal in the juices, then cook for 2 minutes more, stirring constantly.
- Add the prawns and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Finally, stir in the chicken, cold rice, dark soy sauce or ketchup and seasoning to taste. Reheat the rice fully, stirring all the time to keep the rice light and fluffy and prevent it from sticking to the base of the pan.
- Spoon into individual dishes and arrange the omelette strips and reserved chilli on top. Garnish with the deep-fried onions and coriander sprigs.
Serves 4-6.