Quick Nasi Goreng
Serves 4
You will need:
• 1 generous teaspoon dried shrimp paste • 1 tablespoon palm sugar or dark brown sugar • 2 shallots, chopped • 2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely grated • 2 red chillies, seeded, and chopped • 2 tablespoons water • 50ml sunflower oil • 4 eggs • Salt, to taste • 200g raw chicken meat, sliced very thinly • 150g shrimps, raw or cooked • 3 cups cooked white rice • 3-4 tablespoons kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) • 1 cucumber, halved lengthwise, sliced crosswise diagonally, for serving
1Put the dried shrimp paste in a small food processor or blender along with the palm sugar or the dark brown sugar, whichever you’re using, the chopped shallots, the crushed or finely grated garlic, whichever you’re using, and the chopped chillies. Blend, adding the water gradually. Once the paste is smooth, set it aside.
2Place a wok or large frying pan over a high heat for at least five minutes until it is hot. Add in the sunflower oil and then crack in the eggs — if you’re cooking in a wok, you’ll need to swirl the oil around in the base of the pan first so that the eggs don’t stick; perhaps even cook just two at a time. Cook the eggs, spooning the hot oil over the tops of them while they are cooking. Season with salt. Cook until the yolks are just cooked through and crisp at the edges — this should take about four minutes. Using a spoon or fish slice, transfer the cooked eggs to a plate and set aside, keeping them warm if possible. Keep the oil in the pan.
3Place the wok or pan back onto a medium heat and add the paste you set aside earlier. Cook, stirring, until it is fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Increase heat to high, add the very thinly sliced chicken and the raw or cooked shrimps, whichever you’re using, Stir-fry for a few minutes until they are cooked. Next, tip in the cooked rice, breaking up any clumps, and cook, stirring, until the rice is heated through — about five minutes. Now add the kecap manis, and cook, stirring, until it is evenly combined, about 30 seconds more. Season with salt or a bit more kecap manis if necessary. Serve the nasi goreng on warm plates, placing one of the cooked eggs you set aside earlier on top of each serving. Serve with the halved cucumbers on the side.