Ingredients
Rice
- 500 gjasmine or long grain rice, rinsed
- 400 mlcoconut milk
- 300 mlwater
- 1 tspsalt
Aromatics
- 2 stalkslemongrass, bruised
- 4daun salam, Indonesian bay leaves
- 3kaffir lime leaves
- 3cm galangal, sliced
- 1small cinnamon stick
- 2cloves
To serve with
- fried chicken, ayam goreng
- fried tempeh and tofu
- telur balado, egg in chilli sauce
- bihun goreng, fried vermicelli
- fried shallots
- prawn crackers, emping
Sambal kacang
- 100 groasted peanuts, ground
- 4red chillies
- 2 clovesgarlic
- 1 tbsppalm sugar
- 1 tbsptamarind
- salt
To serve
- wrapped in banana leaf, for breakfast
Directions
- Rinse the rice several times until the water runs almost clear. Rinsing removes surface starch, which otherwise makes the rice gluey rather than fluffy with separate grains.
- Stir the coconut milk gently as it comes to the boil so it does not catch. Coconut milk splits if boiled hard, so keep it at a gentle simmer once it is up to heat.
- Blend or pound the peanuts, chillies, garlic, palm sugar and tamarind into a thick sauce with a little water. The peanut sambal should be hot, sweet and sour together, and it is spooned over the rice rather than served on the side.
- Adjust it to taste, since heat levels vary enormously between households. Now serve it, and the banana leaf is worth doing if you can.
- Spoon the rice onto a square of softened banana leaf, add the accompaniments and fold it into a cone or a parcel.
Technique
- It is Betawi food from Jakarta and is distinct from Malaysian nasi lemak.
- Coconut milk contains fat, so less total liquid is used than for plain rice.
- Daun salam is a different plant from Mediterranean bay.
Substitutions
- Pandan leaf if salam leaves cannot be found, accepting a different aroma.
- Tinned coconut milk, thinned with water.
Variations
- Served with ayam bakar, grilled rather than fried chicken.
- With semur jengkol, a Betawi speciality.
- Made simply, with just egg and sambal.
Frequently asked questions
What is Nasi Uduk?
Nasi Uduk is a breakfast from Indonesia: coconut rice with fried chicken, tempeh, egg and sambal, wrapped in banana leaf.
How long does Nasi Uduk take to make?
Nasi Uduk takes 25 min of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Nasi Uduk?
Yes, within limits. Pandan leaf if salam leaves cannot be found, accepting a different aroma. Tinned coconut milk, thinned with water.
What is the most important thing to get right in Nasi Uduk?
Rinse the rice several times until the water runs almost clear. Rinsing removes surface starch, which otherwise makes the rice gluey rather than fluffy with separate grains.
