Nasi Goreng Recipe
Nasi goreng is Indonesian style fried rice. Its difference from other fried rice is the two ingredients it contains: kecap manis and shrimp paste. Kecap manis sweet soy sauce. It is said that sugar and soy sauce can be used instead, although it is probably not exactly the same. That's what I did. It was said that it would be okay to not use shrimp paste, but if we didn't use it, it wouldn't be much different from other fried rice recipes. Since I'm looking for an alternative in Kecap Manis, I thought I'd at least buy shrimp paste and maybe later I can use it in other dishes. When I thought about this, I twas thinking shrimp paste would have a fish sauce-like flavor.
I didn't dare to taste it on its own, but its scent was not at all what I expected. It had a very strong, disturbing smell for me. That's why I used a small amount. It didn't give a flavor that dominated the dish, but it did give a slight seafood scent. But in my opinion, I used it just at right amount. Even one gram more would be disturbing.
What if we don't use it at all? Then, as I said at the beginning, it would be no different from the fried rice recipe. The smell and taste of seafood coming from below adds a different aroma. Even if you don't want to buy it just for this recipe, I think you can use fish sauce. Fish sauce can be used in different dishes, it is easier to find and it is cheaper.
It is important that the boiled rice you use for nasi goreng is not fresh. As I mentioned in the recipe, it would be nice to let it sit in the refrigerator overnight, but if you don't have the chance to do that, try to let it sit for at least a few hours. What you should never do is use hot, freshly cooked rice. When you do it this way, it will become doughy.
The dish is traditionally served with fried eggs on top. I don't like eating eggs for meals other than breakfast. I especially don't like putting eggs on dishes like this. I don't prefer it either fried like this or boiled as in recipes such as piyaz or Antalya piyazı.
I used eggs in this recipe just to match the original image, but I must admit that it was more delicious with eggs. Moreover, there were already eggs in it. That's why, even if you have a preference or prejudice like me, I suggest you give eggs a chance.
Enjoy your meal...
Nasi Goreng Recipe with Video
Ingredients
- 200 g of chicken breast,
- 1 cup of rice,
- 1 onion,
- 1 egg,
- 1 red hot pepper,
- 1/4 cup of soy sauce,
- 1 teaspoon of brown sugar,
- 1 teaspoon of shrimp paste,
- 4 tablespoons of olive oil,
- Green onions,
- 1.5 cups of water.
For serving:
- 1 egg per person,
- Spring onions,
- Fried onions.
Preparation
- Wash and drain the rice and take it in a sauce pan,
- Add water, close the lid and cook until the rice softens, then remove from heat,
- After it cools down, place it in the refrigerator and let it rest overnight,
- The next day, heat the olive oil in a large pan, add the chicken cut into strips and cook until golden brown,
- Add the chopped onion and finely chopped pepper and stir fry until soft,
- Break the egg and cook it by stirring,
- Add rice and mix,
- Add brown sugar, soy sauce and shrimp paste and mix,
- Add chopped spring onion and mix,
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan, break the eggs you will use while serving, break them separately and cook until the bottoms are golden brown,
- Take the dish into the serving plates,
- Add a fried egg on top of each plate,
- You can serve it by sprinkling chopped onion and fried onion over.
Enjoy your meal...