Fried rice with crispy fried egg (nasi goreng)
Nasi goreng is an addictive rice stir-fry that’s topped with a fried egg. I couldn’t stop eating it in Malaysia and found it easy to replicate at home. Traditional recipes can include a complicated base involving shrimp paste, fried anchovies and an ingredient list as long as your arm, but sometimes less is more. This recipe is less fish-fragrant and I’ve thrown in chopped pineapple for a fresh flavour.
SERVES 4 PREP 15 mins COOK 10 mins EASY
400g basmati rice 1 tbsp tamarind paste
4 tbsp sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
1 tbsp fish sauce 2 garlic cloves 2 shallots handful coriander, stalks and leaves separated
3cm piece ginger 2 tbsp vegetable oil 1 red thumb-sized chilli, thinly sliced 100g green beans, chopped
50g pineapple, chopped
4 eggs crispy fried shallots, sliced cucumber and lime wedges, to serve
1 Boil the rice until al dente, about 8 mins, then drain.
2 In a small bowl, mix together the tamarind paste, kecap manis and fish sauce.
3 Put the garlic, shallots, coriander stalks and ginger in a food processor and pulse until chopped.
4 Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok and fry the chopped garlic mixture and the chilli for 2-3 mins. Add the beans and pineapple, fry for 2 mins, then add the rice. Pour in the tamarind mixture and toss together so that it coats the rice. Remove from the heat.
5 Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan until very hot. Crack in the eggs and fry over a high heat for
1 min until the whites are crispy at the edges, but the yolks soft.
6 Spoon the rice into four bowls, then top each with a fried egg, a sprinkling of the fried shallots and coriander leaves. Serve with the cucumber and lime wedges.