Nasi Lemak

Bonsoir a tous,

The weather is not so pleasant this week, humid and rain almost every day. Grey and windy all day long, it's better if we just stay at home, cleaning up and watching movies.

Okay, forget about the weather, few days ago, I cooked nasi lemak for our lunch with friends. Nasi Lemak is one of the most popular dish in Malaysia and traditionally it's served as a breakfast meal but these meal can be eaten any time of the day. Nasi lemak is a rice cooked in coconut milk and served with sambal, fried anchovies, peanuts, boiled egg and cucumber.

I've made nasi lemak many times since I moving here few years ago. This time, I made my sambal chilli entirely vegetarian and less spicy so all my French friends can enjoy it. And to my surprise, it worked and they loved it.

The two different photos of nasi lemak that I made quite a while ago.

NASI LEMAK

Ingredients:

For coconut rice;

2 cups rice, preferably basmati rice
3 cups coconut milk
2cm ginger, sliced
Salt to taste

For sambal chilli;

2 onion, sliced
1/2 cup dry chilli, boiled or chilli paste
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2cm ginger, sliced
2 tablespoon tamarind, add 1/2 cup water to make a paste
Palm sugar or brown sugar
1/2 cup oil
Salt to taste

METHOD:

To prepare coconut rice:
- Wash and clean the rice and put it in a pot or can cook use a rice cooker as well.
- Add coconut milk, ginger and salt.
- Cover and bring to boil and then simmer for 10-15 minutes until the water has been absorbed.
- Removed from heat and loosen rice with wooden spoon.
- Cover up and allow rice to cook in its own.

To prepare sambal chilli:
- Using a blender or food processor, blend onion, chilli, garlic and ginger into paste.
- Heat oil in a saucepan and sauté blend ingredients for a few minutes.
- Add sugar and tamarind paste and allow to cook for 10-15 minutes.
- Season with salt then remove from the heat.
- Dish a serving portion and serve the coconut rice with sambal and other garnishing like fried anchovies, fried peanuts, hard boiled egg or fried egg and cucumber.

Bon appétit!