Nasi Lemak, Malaysia Common Dish

Nasi Lemak is a Malay word which means "rice in cream". This dish obtained its' name from the cooking method whereby the rice is soaked in coconut milk and steamed with knotted screwpine (also known as "pandan") leaves to bring out the wonderful fragrance.

Nasi Lemak is a common dish which can be found in Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Riau Island and Southern Thailand.

It usually comes along with slices of cucumber, fried archovies (known as 'ikan bilis' locally), roasted peanuts, hard boiled egg or fried egg, spicy sauce (known as 'sambal') and sometimes with a side dish such as fried chicken or fried fish.

Nasi lemak can be eaten anytime of the day but most people have it during breakfast, It is a heavy breakfast for small eaters. Some restaurants serve it on plate while others such as hawkers or road side stalls, packed them in banana leaf for convenience and add further fragrance to this delicacy.

Here's the recipe, hope that you will enjoy this dish!

RICE

1 1/2 cup rice (uncooked)

2 1/2 cup thin coconut milk

3cm ginger, cut into strips

3 shallots,sliced

2 screwpine (pandan) leaves, tied into a knot

a pinch of salt

Method:

• Wash rice. Place rice in rice cooker together with the thin coconut milk and other ingredients.
• When rice is cooked, loosen the rice with wooden spoon.

SAMBAL

some fresh prawns

5tbsp chilli paste

2cm cube belacan

4 shallots

4 cloves garlic

1 serai stalk, sliced

2 big onions

tamarind juice

salt and sugar to taste

Method:

• Shell prawns, keeping the tails intact. Mix them with a pinch of salt. 
• Fry prawns half done. Leave aside.
• Pound or grind shallots, garlic, serai and belacan together.
• Cut big onions into rings.
• Heat up wok with 3 tbsp oil. Stir fry pounded spicy ingredients until fragrant.
• Add in chilli paste and continue stirring.
• Add in prawns, tamarind juice.
• Season with salt and sugar.
• Simmer for a couple minutes, add in onion rings and turn off heat.

To Prepare Anchovies (ikan bilis) and Groundnuts

A handful of anchovies and groundnuts

Method:

Wash anchovies briefly and drain. Do not soak. Otherwise will loose flavor.

Add a little oil in wok. Fry groundnuts until dark brownish. Remove.

Add 5 tbsp oil in wok. Fry anchovies until crispy. Remove.

NUTRIENT CONTENT PER SERVING:

Calories: 387kcal

Far: 11g

Protein: 17g

Cholesterol: 183mg

Calcium: 160mg

Iron: 3mg

Nasi lemak is delicious but don't eat it everyday because the coconut milk will increase your cholesterol due to the saturated fat content which is quite high. Once a week is okay.