Nasi Goreng, Indonesian fried rice… a versatile dish that can be adapted to your own liking.
‘Nasi Goreng’ is a famous Indonesian dish and is very much loved by many Dutch people. ‘Nasi’ means ‘cooked’ and ‘Goreng’ means fried, so literally it means ‘fried rice’. Fried rice is of course known in many cuisines, but ‘Nasi Goreng’ mainly refers to the Indonesian variety. What sets it off from other types of fried rice, are the spices and the combination typically used in Indonesian cooking, like Djahé (ground ginger root), Ketumbar (koriander), Sereh (lemon rass), Laos (Galangal root) and Terasi (or Trassi, fermented shrimp paste).
There are many types of Nasi Goreng, but the basic recipe usually consists of cooked (white) rice, oil/butter and Ketjap/Kecap (a rather syrupy and sweeter soy sauce) and optionally added red chili pepper, onion and garlic. The dish can be served with Bawang Goreng (fried onions), fried egg, Atjar/Acar (pickled vegetables), Sambal (red chili paste), Kroepoek/Kerupuk (prawn crackers), satay and peanut sauce.
In any case, it is a very versatile and adaptable dish. Often, left overs from the previous day (like meat) are fried with cooked rice. Instead of meat, you can add egg to the dish. Depending on what you add to the Nasi, it can be served as a main or a side. We did not have leftovers and I had not planned on making Nasi, so I did not have the usual ingredients at hand. But I craved Nasi so bad, that anything we had would have to make due.
And this was the result: Nasi Goreng with chicken, broccoli and tofu. I added omelet strips and served it with homemade peanut sauce, fried onions, Atjar and prawn crackers. Just as good as the traditional recipe. Maybe even better 😉
The best part: reheated, it tastes even better, when the spices had enough time to really ‘work’ in the dish and do their magic. Just make sure to make enough of it to be able to reheat!
No hard rules to the game, just add what you like. Play around with ingredients and spices.
Enjoy!
Nasi Goreng with Chicken, Broccoli & Tofu
Ingredients
- 2 broccoli (only the florets)
- 5 eggs
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 red onion (finely chopped)
- 250 g tofu
- 250 g uncooked rice
- 3 chicken breasts (ca. 600g)
- 200 g diced ham
- 2 garlic gloves (crushed)
- 1 tsp shrimp paste
- 1 tsp Ketumbar (powdered coriander)
- 1 tsp Laos (powdered Galangal root)
- 1 tsp Djahé (ground ginger)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp Sereh (powdered lemon grass)
Instructions
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Cook the rice* according to instructions on the package.
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Beat the eggs with the soy sauce and make thin omelets. Cut omelets in small strips. Set aside.
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Then cut the tofu in small cubes and fry in a little bit of oil until crispy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
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Cut chicken breasts into thin strips and fry (in a little bit of oil) until golden brown. Take out of the pan and set aside.
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Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a wok or frying pan and sauté the onion. Add the broccoli florets and stir fry until the broccoli is al dente.
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Add the diced ham and stir fry shortly. Then add the garlic, shrimp paste and spices and stir fry for a couple of minutes.
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Then dd the chicken back to the pan and stir well.
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Finally add the omelet strips, tofu and cooked rice. Stir-fry 1-2 minutes so everything heated through.
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Serve with prawn crackers, fried onions, pickled vegetables and satay sauce.
Recipe Notes
*I usually cook the rice in (chicken) stock for extra flavor.
