54

Nasi

means “rice”, while

lemak

means “rich”. So

nasi lemak

refers to the fluffy rice cooked in rich coconut

milk. In this dish, the rice gets paired with a bold, spicy chilli paste (sambal

chilli), egg (replaced with

tofu here), fried peanuts and anchovies (vegetarian versions use crunchy mushroom stems), and sliced

cucumber and tomato. Lots of textures going on! Some add a serving of rendang (dry curry) to make it a

more filling meal. Here I’ll share the basic version. You can refer to page 88 for my tempeh rendang recipe.

The soul of this dish is undoubtedly the sambal. We will use homemade sambal chilli as a base and liven

it up even more with onions and tamarind, as well as a bit of wakame for a familiar ocean-y flavour (non-

vegan sambal sometimes has shrimp). When a good sambal gets mixed with freshly cooked coconut rice,

you’re having an experience, not just tasting it!