Coconut Rice

With sambal, roasted anchovies & peanuts – NASI LEMAK –

MALAYSIA / SINGAPORE

Nasi lemak literally translates from Malay as ‘fatty rice’ – a reference to the creamy coconut milk used to cook the rice. The term is used to describe not just the rice, but its many side dishes. There are many possible accompaniments, from fried chicken wings (see here) and turmeric fish (see here) to achar (see here), but you don’t really need all the elaborate flourishes. The most basic nasi lemak simply includes a crispy fried egg, sambal tumis (a sweet spicy slow-fried chilli paste), salty and nutty roasted anchovies and peanuts, and slices of cucumber for a refreshing contrast to all that richness and spice. Although jasmine rice is more commonly used in Southeast Asia, my favourite nasi lemak stall tends to use the drier, longer-grained basmati rice, so I do the same. This gives you light, fluffy separate grains, which balances out the rich coconut milk much better.

Serves 4

For the coconut rice

• 2 cups of basmati rice
• 6 pandan leaves
• 1 cup of coconut milk
• 1 cup of water
• generous pinches of sea salt

Crispy anchovies and peanuts

• 50g dried anchovies (ikan bilis)
• 1 tablespoon groundnut oil
• 150g raw peanuts, skins on

To serve (none are optional)

• 4 free-range eggs
• 1 cucumber, sliced
• sambal tumis belachan (see here)

1. To make the coconut rice, first rinse the rice well until the water runs relatively clear. Tie the pandan leaves into knots – this bruises the leaves so the flavour is better released and also makes for more convenient removal later. Put the rinsed rice, pandan leaves, coconut milk, water and salt into your rice cooker and let the rice cooker do its magic. Once cooked, leave covered for a further 5 minutes before fluffing and serving.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the accompaniments. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4. Toss the dried anchovies in the groundnut oil and spread out on a large baking tray along with the peanuts. Roast for 15–20 minutes, until the anchovies are crispy and the peanuts are golden brown and aromatic.
3. Fry the eggs on a medium heat, making sure you get crispy golden bottoms.
4. To serve, scoop the coconut rice on to plates. Serve each plate topped with a fried egg, roasted anchovies and peanuts, sliced cucumbers, and a huge dollop of sambal.

Note: For the stubborn few who don’t (yet!) own a rice cooker: bring the coconut rice ingredients to the boil in a pot, then lower the heat and let simmer on low, covered, until cooked. Towards the end, turn off the heat, but leave the rice to finish steaming in the residual heat of the pot for 10 minutes before fluffing. See here for details.