Easy Peasy Nasi Goreng

By Lee Price on March 21, 2013 in Food

Nasi Goreng, or Indonesian Fried Rice, is a deliciously easy way to use up leftover rice from last night’s dinner. There is no strict recipe for this dish, so you can add any other flavours or vegetables that you have on hand. And while this recipe is a vegetarian version of the popular dish, you could always add some chicken or prawns if you wanted to.

You may not have kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) on hand in the pantry but it is available from most Asian supermarkets and you will find it a welcome addition to almost any stir-fry. Better still, it keeps indefinitely in a cool dark place. If you’re in a pickle, you can just use regular soy sauce, but trust me, kecap manis makes this meal a bit special.

Ingredients (serves 4)
3 cups cooked brown or white rice, cooled
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced (or 1 tsp minced garlic from a jar)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 ½ tsp ground coriander
1 ½ tsp cumin
6 green shallots, chopped
1 carrot, sliced
3 celery stalks, sliced
1 bunch bok choy, Chinese cabbage or baby spinach
4 tbsp kecap manis
1 tsp hot chilli sauce (or more to taste)
Salt and pepper
1 egg, to serve (optional)
Fresh coriander or parsley, to serve
Peanuts, to serve (optional)
Lemon, to serve

Directions
1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan on med-high heat.
2. Add your garlic, coriander and cumin and mix well before adding the shallots. Cook for 3 minutes then add the carrot, celery and bok choy, stir frying for a further 3 minutes.
3. Add your rice a little at a time, tossing to ensure it gets covered with the spices.
4. Add kecap manis and chilli sauce (to your own taste), then season well with salt and pepper. If using the egg, crack one egg over the mixture and stir thoroughly until it is cooked through.
5. Serve into bowls, adding the fresh herbs, peanuts and a squeeze of fresh lemon.

Have you got a great recipe that you would like to share? Send it through to operationjamjar@y7mail.com and you could see it in a future issue of The Beast. For more recipes and thrifty cooking ideas visit operationjamjar.blogspot.com.