Nasi Lemak Recipe

Nasi lemak recipe is a Malay cuisine dish consisting of fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf. It is commonly found in Malaysia, where it is considered the national dish. Nasi Lemak is often served for breakfast.

Nasi Lemak Recipe

This is a Malay cuisine dish consisting of fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf. It is commonly found in Malaysia, where it is considered the national dish. Nasi Lemak is often served for breakfast. However, because nasi lemak can be served in a variety of ways, it is often eaten throughout the day.

About Nasi Lemak Recipe

Nasi Lemak, is a platter which consists of coconut milk, pandan flavoured rice which is served along side with a spicy sambal which has chillies, garlic, onions. This nasi lemak is also served with an additional sides like cucumber, fried anchovies, boiled eggs and peanuts.

A popular condiment in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore, sambal is a sauce made from chilies, spices, herbs, and aromatics. It has a complex flavor that is all at once earthy, spicy, and hot. The traditional way of grinding the spices to make the sambal starter paste is to use a stone mortar and pestle. But you can use a blender to fasten the process.

You will love my Sambal Chicken & Sago Cake/ Kuih Sago

Also check out

1. Roti jala
2. Malaysian Mango Salad
3. Nasi Lemak 
4. Chicken Rendang

Video for Nasi Lemak Recipe

How to Make Perfect Rice for Nasi Lemak

1. Use fragrant jasmine rice if you can.
2. Soak rice in water for 30 mins so it cooks faster.
3. Cook the rice in thick coconut milk.
4. Add pandan leaf for maximum flavour. Pandan leaf adds so much flavour to the rice.
5. Add salt.

How to Make Perfect Sambal:

1. Grind the sambal coarse so you get nice texture of the onions and chillies
2. Always taste and adjust tamarind, jaggery.
3. Add good amount of chillies for heat and colour.
4. Cook the sambal till oil separates.
5. Use generous amount of oil.
6. You can add dried prawns or belachan taste for more umami flavour.

Ingredients for Malaysian Sambal Sauce

• 10 Shallots peeled
• 8 Kashmiri Dry Red Chilli
• 3 Birds Eye Chilli
• 1 inch Ginger (peeled & chopped)
• 6 cloves Garlic (peeled)
• 2 tsp Chicken Stock Cube or Belacan
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp Jaggery
• 1 lemon size Tamarind
• 4 tbsp Peanut Oil

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Nasi Lemak Recipe with Step by Step Pictures

1)Take washed jasmine rice in a sauce pan. Add coconut milk.

2)Add in water, I used the cup in which i measured coconut milk so it looks white.

3)Add pandan leaf.

4)Add salt.

6)Bring it to a boil.

7)Cover and simmer till rice is cooked completely.

8)Now lets make sambal sauce. Take shallots in a blender.

9)Add in garlic

10)Add ginger

11)Add in birds eye chilli

12)Add soaked dry red chillies

13)Add the chilli soaked water.

14)Grind to a coarse mixture.

15)Like this.

16)Heat oil in a wok. Add the ground mixture.

16)Saute for 3 to 4mins.

17)Add in tamarind juice

18)Add becan or chicken stock cube.

19)Add jaggery

20)Add salt.

21)Mix well.

22)Cook till oil separates.

23)once the rice is cooked, set aside covered for 10 mins.

24)Fluff up the rice.

24)Serve with cucumber, peanuts, boiled eggs, sambal and malay fried chicken.

Tips & Tricks

• After the sambal is cooked, ladle as much of the hot sauce as you want onto your main dish or rice. The rest of the sambal should cool before storing in fridge or freezer.
• The frozen sambal will keep for 2 to 3 months. It's best to freeze it in smaller containers and take out what you need for each meal.
• Most of the ingredients can be found at Asian markets or high-quality grocery stores with a robust international foods aisle.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long can we store Sambal?

You can make a huge batch and store in a glass jar for over a month in fridge.

What is Sambal?

Sambal is a spicy sauce made using red chillies, ginger, garlic, lemon grass, galangal, tamarind, palm sugar, onions and shallots. The paste is cooked in oil till the raw smell goes and the paste gets thick and oily.

Recipe Variations

• Instead of shallots, you can use small red onions.
• In place of the dried chilies, add chilli powder.
• If fresh turmeric is unavailable, use turmeric powder.
• If galangal is difficult to find you can use a 1-inch piece of fresh ginger.
• Instead of tamarind paste, use tamarind juice instead.

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