Nasi lemak with sambal recipe

Nasi lemak is considered the national dish of Malaysia by many and it’s often served as a breakfast meal. But the creamy rice cooked in coconut milk is so versatile that it can be eaten at any time of the day. It’s also popular in surrounding Asian countries like Singapore and Indonesia, and one taste of this fragrant dish will make you understand why everyone loves it so much.

It’s not an easy meal to cook, because there are so many ingredients, but it’s definitely one for the weekend, when you have more time on your hands and want to create something filling, delicious and impressive.

 

Ingredients

(serves 6)

For the curry paste:

4 banana shallots, peeled and halved

6 cloves garlic, peeled

4cm piece ginger, peeled

1 stalk lemongrass, trimmed, bashed, chopped

1-2 large dried chillies, stalked and soaked for 30 minutes

11/2tsp shrimp paste

1tbsp turmeric powder, or 2 pieces of peeled fresh turmeric, peeled

1tbsp ground cumin

1tbsp ground coriander

1tsp sea salt

 

For the curry:

1tbsp coconut, groundnut or vegetable oil

1 stick cinnamon

3 cloves

1 star anise

15 curry leaves

1 (400g) tin half-fat coconut milk

200ml fresh chicken stock

1tbsp fish sauce

1tbsp palm sugar or light muscovado sugar

1 large whole organic chicken, cut into 8 – 12 pieces, on the bone, skinned

500g potatoes, peeled, cut into bite-size pieces

 

Accompaniments:

6 hard-boiled organic eggs, peeled, quartered

4 shallots, finely sliced, fried until crisp and golden

1 whole cucumber, partially peeled, sliced

50g Malaysian dried anchovies

10g skinned, roasted peanuts

6 fresh red Thai chillies, thinly sliced

4 fresh coriander, for garnish

1 holy basil, for garnish

 

For the rice:

350g Thai sticky rice

1 (400 g) tin coconut milk

1 good dash fish sauce

Water, enough to cover

 

For the Sambal:

10g chopped shallots

8 fresh red chillies, seeded, sliced

5 garlic cloves, sliced

1 stalk lemongrass, thinly sliced (use only the bottom 3 inches of the stalk)

1tbsp tamarind

10 dried chillies, soaked in hot water for 5 minutes, or 3 teaspoons chili powder

2tsp turmeric powder

3tbsp granulated sugar

1tsp salt, or to taste

5tbsp oil

 

Method

To make the curry paste, place shallots, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, red chilli, shrimp paste, turmeric, cumin, coriander and sea salt into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure lid.

Select Variable 1. Turn machine on and slowly increase speed to Variable 10. Blend until smooth.

Heat coconut oil in a large lidded casserole dish. Add cinnamon, cloves, star anise and curry leaves, and fry for 30 seconds or until the curry leaves start to pop. Add curry paste, then toast for about three to five minutes over low heat. It’s important to see the paste go from pale to a tinged golden brown, as this is where you will get your base flavour.

Add coconut milk, stock, fish sauce, sugar, chicken and potatoes to the pan. Poach with the lid on for 10 minutes. Remove lid and cook for another 15 minutes to allow the sauce to reduce a bit. The curry is cooked once the leg pieces and potatoes are cooked through. Remove chicken breast pieces after about 15 minutes to prevent overcooking. For the final minute of cooking, add breast pieces and eggs back to the pan.

While the curry is cooking, boil the eggs and fry off and drain the shallots for accompaniments.

In a saucepan, combine rice, coconut milk, fish sauce, and water until the water level is about 1cm above the rice level. Cover with a tight lid and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer five to six minutes. Remove from heat and leave to steam for 15 minutes.

To make the sambal, soak tamarind in a cup of boiling water. Pour water through a strainer and reserve juice. Place shallots, chillies, garlic, lemongrass, soaked tamarind, soaked chillies, turmeric, sugar and salt into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure lid.

Select Variable 1. Turn machine on and slowly increase speed to Variable 10, then to High.

Blend until a paste forms. If they do not blend easily, add about 3tsp of oil to the mixture and use the tamper to press the ingredients into the blades.

Heat oil in a wok or pan. When the oil is moderately hot, sauté the paste until it is fragrant, for about 15 minutes. Use only low heat and stir the paste constantly so that it does not stick to the wok/pan.

Add tamarind juice and sugar and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until oil from paste floats to the top.

Place the curry in a large serving dish. Ladle desired amount of sambal onto the curry and top with sliced chillies, crispy shallots, coriander and holy basil. Divide the rice between the plates and serve with all the accompaniments.

Allow remaining sambal to cool before storing it in meal-sized portions for freezing.

 

Created by Gizzi Erskine for Vitamix