Bringing Indonesia Home: Our Fun Take on Nasi Goreng

I’ve been eagerly awaiting the chance to recreate a piece of our travels to Indonesia in our kitchen. We had an amazing time indulging in the vibrant Indonesian cuisine, which, I must confess, I knew very little about before. Beyond the famous Nasi Goreng, I discovered a whole world of delicious dishes. So, here’s our version of Nasi Goreng, with some help from my partner in crime and kitchen adventures, VS. Nasi Goreng, or Fried Rice, is the king of the show, but the dish isn’t complete without its trusty knights:

1. A fresh cucumber and tomato salad.

2. A bowl of fiery sambal.

3. A perfectly fried egg to crown the rice.

What you'll need:

For the Fried Rice:

• 1 large capsicum, cubed

• 2 medium-sized carrots, cubed

• 1 medium onion, diced

• 2 jalapeños (green chilies), sliced

• 3 garlic cloves

• 1/2 cup green peas

• Paneer, cut into 1 cm cubes

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

• 2 teaspoon fish sauce

• 2 teaspoon honey

• 3 egg

• Cooked rice (leftover or chilled)

Let's start cooking!

Step 1. Prepping the Veggies: Start by heating some oil in a wok. (VS loves cooking in a wok—it’s perfect for high-heat dishes like this!) Add the aromatics first – onion, carrots, garlic saute for 3 -4 minutes then add capsicum, peas and jalapeños. The trick here is to keep the temperature high, so stir fry the veggies for another 3-4 minutes.

Step 2. Adding the Rice: Next, toss in the chilled rice. Freshly cooked rice can get mushy, so leftover rice is ideal. Sauté for a few more minutes, then add the soy sauce, fish sauce, and honey and mix well.

Step 3. The Egg Scramble: Push the contents of the wok to one side. Add a bit more oil to the empty side and crack an egg into it. Quickly scramble the egg (think ‘bhurji’ style). Once cooked, mix it into the rice.

Step 4. Frying the Paneer: Similarly, fry the paneer cubes on one side of the wok until they’re golden, then mix everything together again.

Serving Suggestion:

Traditionally, you scoop the rice into a bowl and invert it onto a plate for that classic dome shape. It looks pretty fancy! Top it with a half-fried egg, garnish with cucumber and tomato slices, and serve with a side of sambal. We opted for store-bought sambal, which was deliciously spicy. Use it according to your spice tolerance. To borrow a phrase with a twist from our Mexican friend: “We eat super spicy, because we’re Indians!” 😜

Enjoy bringing a taste of Indonesia to your kitchen! Happy cooking!