Nasi Lemak

Nasi Lemak is a fragrant rice dish cooked in coconut milk.  It is a simple breakfast dish and can be elevated to an elaborate dish by adding fried chicken, prawn sambal, stir-fried vegetables, etc.

Ingredients (serves 4 to 6 persons):
450 g rice grains
700 ml coconut milk (taken from a 400 ml can and 300 ml water)
salt to taste
1 cm fresh ginger, to be peeled and crushed
2 pandan leaves, to be tied into a knot

Method:
Wash rice by running water through a sieve and add to pot.  Add diluted coconut milk, crushed ginger, pandan leaves and salt to taste.  Bring to boil.  Once coconut milk has evaporated, reduce heat to minimum and cook with lid on for about 15 minutes.  Stir rice and cook with lid on for another 30 minutes or until rice is cooked.  Alternatively, cook the rice in a rice cooker. Once rice is done, flake with a fork and discard the pandan leaves and ginger piece.

Serve with sambal, cucumber, shredded omelette, fried peanuts and fried anchovies or fried fish.

Sambal Tumis
Ingredients:
1 tbsp fresh tamarind, to be mixed with a little water
1 tsp aji-no-moto (optional) note:  I omitted this ingredient
salt and sugar to taste

Variations:  Sambal Tumis can be served with boiled eggs, fried anchovies or prawns.  The latter are to be cooked together with the sambal.

Blended Ingredients:
40 stalks dried chillies, to be cut into pieces and soaked in warm water
5 stalks fresh chillies, to be sliced
1 big onion, to be peeled and sliced
1 clove garlic, to be peeled and sliced
1 tsp shrimp paste (belacan)

Method:
Heat some oil in a wok and add in the blended ingredients.  Stir-fry over medium heat until fragrant.  Then, add in tamarind juice and let it simmer until the colour darkens.  By cooking it longer will intensify the colour if one wishes.  Check seasoning.  Once done, remove from heat and leave aside.

Note:  One may also serve Nasi Lemak as shown below:

From left:  fried fish (I used trout), sambal tumis, fried french beans with dried prawns, fried anchovies & peanuts, cucumber slices and shredded omelette (on top of rice).

Bon Appetit!