indonesian meal of the month

presenting july's indonesian meal: nasi goreng (fried rice).

there are many different ways to make fried rice. even in chinese restaurants, they offer fried rice as a side or main dish. however, indonesian fried rice has a distinct flavor, very different from fried rice i've tried at chinese or japanese restaurants. it is truly the only way i like to eat fried rice (though thai hut's fried rice tastes pretty close to how indonesians make them).

traditionally, nasi goreng was a breakfast food, because rice leftover from the night before would be re-heated in the frying pan along with a few other veggies for the morning meal. but you can eat nasi goreng pretty much any time of day. i could eat it everyday.

here's my personal version. i don't really have exact measurements, so if you try this recipe it may take a few tries to achieve the "precise" flavor.

ingredients:

• about 2 c. cooked white rice (best if cooked the day before and kept in fridge before use to keep the dish from turning out mushy)
• about 1/2 c. chopped onion (or 1/2 to 1 whole medium onion, chopped)
• 2 stalks (??) green onion, chopped
  
• 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
• about 3 oz. peas (fresh or frozen)
• 1-2 carrots, chopped
• 1/2 c. tomatoes, chopped
• mushrooms (optional)
• about 1/2 - 1 c. of meat (chicken or shrimp) or tempe (if you're looking for a meat substitute)
• about 2 tsp. kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
• 1 tsp. lemongrass
  
• coriander
• salt, to taste
• shrimp paste (optional)
  
• oil

it's best to use a very large frying pan or preferrably a large wok when cooking this dish. put about 2 Tbs. of oil and about 1/2 tsp. of shrimp paste in the pan and let it heat up (but don't let it start to steam!). throw in the onion (but not the green onion) and garlic, and sautee for 30-40 seconds. add the meat or tempe. i usually do a bit of chicken and a bit of tempe, because emma LOVES tempe. throw in dash of salt and 3 dashes of coriander, and stir-fry until chicken is cooked. add the remaining veggies (including the green onion) and cook until they look about done. throw in another dash of coriander and then add the cooked rice. stir the rice until it evenly mixes with the meat and veggies. thrown in about 2-3 more dashes of coriander, and the kecap manis. stir to evenly distribute the kecap. add salt to taste.

a lot of the veggies are optional. as long as you have the staples (i.e. onions and garlic) it's really not necessary to have the peas, carrots, mushrooms, etc. when i cooked this dish for the photo, i only used onions, garlic and peas. also, i should mention that before i had access to kecap manis or lemongrass, i used to cook this dish using a bit of regular soy sauce, lemon juice from 1/2 lemon (hand squeezed), and about 1 tsp. to 1.5 tsp. of sugar.

i like having my nasi goreng with a fried egg, so when you're serving the dish as a main meal include a fried egg for each person. in indonesia, nasi goreng served with a fried egg is usually called nasi goreng special (or nasi goreng istimewa...i think). also, the dish is excellent when accompanied with some krupuk or emping. i haven't been able to find these here, but maybe if i look harder at the asian grocery store i may be able to find some.

prep and cook time: about 20 minutes
serves about 2-3 people for a main dish

selamat makan!
happy eating!