Nasi Katok

Ingredients

Rice

• 400 glong-grain rice, washed until the water runs clear
• 600 mlwater
• 1 tspsalt

Ayam goreng

• 8chicken thigh and drumstick pieces, skin on, slashed to the bone
• 4garlic cloves and 3 shallots, blended to a paste
• 1 tbspground turmeric
• 1 tbspground coriander
• 2 tspsalt
• 1 tspwhite pepper
• 1 litrevegetable oil, for frying

Sambal

• 30 gdried red chillies, soaked 20 min and drained
• 6shallots, chopped
• 4garlic cloves
• 1 tspbelacan (fermented shrimp paste), toasted
• 3 tbsptamarind pulp loosened in 100 ml water
• 2 tbsppalm sugar
• 1 tspsalt
• 150 mlvegetable oil

To wrap

• 4 sheetsof brown paper or banana leaf

Directions

1. Marinate the chicken with the garlic-shallot paste, turmeric, coriander, salt and pepper. Massage it into the slashes and refrigerate at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
2. Blend the soaked chillies, shallots, garlic and belacan into a smooth paste with a splash of water.
3. Fry the paste in the 150 ml of oil over medium-low heat, stirring often, for 20 to 25 minutes. It is done when the raw smell is gone, the colour has deepened to brick red and the oil visibly separates and pools at the edges — pecah minyak. Anything less tastes raw.
4. Stir the tamarind water, palm sugar and salt into the sambal and cook 5 minutes more until thick and jammy. Set aside; it keeps two weeks refrigerated.
5. Cook the rice with the water and salt, covered, on the lowest heat for 12 minutes, then rest it off the heat for 10 without lifting the lid.
6. Heat the frying oil to 160°C (325°F). Wipe excess marinade off the chicken so it does not burn, and fry in two batches for 12 to 14 minutes, turning once.
7. Raise the oil to 190°C (375°F) and return all the chicken for a final 2 minutes to crisp the skin. It is ready when the juices at the bone run clear and the crust is deep gold and hard to the tap.
8. Wrap a mound of rice, one piece of chicken and a generous spoon of sambal in brown paper. Eat with your fingers, straight from the paper.

Technique

• The name means ‘knock rice’ — the story is that late-night buyers had to knock on the seller’s shutter to be served. It is the cheapest hot meal in Brunei and is priced accordingly, historically one dollar.
• The sambal is what people judge a nasi katok stall on. Frying the paste until the oil splits is the single step that separates a stall’s sambal from a home cook’s.
• It is deliberately plain: no vegetables, no garnish, no cutlery. Anything added makes it a different dish.

Substitutions

• Belacan can be replaced by 1 tbsp of any fermented shrimp paste, or omitted entirely for a milder, less savoury sambal.
• Fresh red chillies can stand in for dried, but use 200 g and cook the paste longer to drive off the extra water.

Variations

• Nasi katok ayam penyet flattens the fried chicken on top of the sambal before wrapping.
• Some stalls now offer beef rendang or fried fish in place of the chicken, though purists insist on ayam goreng.

History

Plain rice, fried chicken and sambal in a paper parcel; the name means knock rice, from customers knocking at vendors’ doors after hours.

Frequently asked questions

What is Nasi Katok?

Nasi Katok is a main from Brunei: plain rice, fried chicken and sambal in paper; beloved cheap meal. Plain rice, fried chicken and sambal in a paper parcel; the name means knock rice, from customers knocking at vendors’ doors after hours.

How long does Nasi Katok take to make?

Nasi Katok takes 25 min plus 2 hr marinating of preparation and 35 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Nasi Katok?

Yes, within limits. Belacan can be replaced by 1 tbsp of any fermented shrimp paste, or omitted entirely for a milder, less savoury sambal. Fresh red chillies can stand in for dried, but use 200 g and cook the paste longer to drive off the extra water.