Indonesian Nasi Goreng Recipe | Fried Rice with Kecap Manis

Indonesian cuisine is influenced by centuries of trade and cultural exchange across Southeast Asia. Rice is a staple food throughout the country. Dishes like nasi goreng are eaten at any time of day—from street food stalls to family dinners. Nasi goreng is considered one of Indonesia’s national dishes and is often made with leftover rice from the previous day. What makes it different from other fried rice dishes is the use of kecap manis, a sweet soy sauce that caramelizes the rice and gives the dish its signature flavor.

JUMP TO RECIPE

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I didn’t let myself have the big Global Kidchen Facebook reveal to all my friends and family until I was able to be consistent. I was doing good. I’ve had something ready every Tuesday morning for the last couple months. Ididn’t know how to set the automatic timer – but I had a routine. You should all just know how much I really appreciated the time you took to peak around the site these last few weeks. I was pretty excited and nervous all at the same time. But, as could be expected, I spilled the beans and now I’m behind schedule. It’s Monday night and I am already planning on staying up way to late, just to finish a post I procrastinated on all week. With that solid introduction, I present you with a recipe from Indonesia, Nasi Goreng. Or simply put, Fried Rice.

Funny enough, we actually made some Indonesian a few weeks ago for a birthday party. I made chicken satay skewers, and they were so good. I wanted to make them again for tonight but it’s raining and I’m not feeling like grilling in the rain. Instead I’ll just have to remember to post the recipe later.

Indonesia: Nasi Goreng

I am a firm believer that a rice dish can be the whole meal! Try these other fun rice meals we’ve made so far: Albanian Speca te Mbushur (Stuffed Peppers), St Vincent and the Grenandines Blaff, Spanish Paella

Ingredients

• 4-5 c, cooked basmati rice
• 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, small cubes
• 1 small onion, diced
• 4-5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 4-5 napa cabbage leaves, shredded and stems removed
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 fresno chili peppers, diced
• 3-4 scallions
• 3 tbsp. kecap manis
• 2 tbsp. fish sauce

Directions

1. Use left over rice if you have it around. Otherwise steam up the rice while you are getting everything else ready – you will need about 4 cups (cooked).
2. You can buy the kecap manis needed OR make it pretty easily yourself ahead of time. Equal parts soy sauce, coconut sugar, brown sugar, water. Stir at a boil for about 10 minutes and set aside to cool and thicken – I did about 1/4 c. each.
3. Prep and dice your vegetables (onion, garlic, carrots, chilies, napa cabbage) and chicken thighs.

3. Heat vegetable oil on medium-high heat and start by adding in onions, garlic, chilies and carrots. When they are about cooked through add the chicken pieces. They should be pretty small. Next add the cabbage and scallions.

4. When the vegetables and chicken are cooked through, add the rice and fold in. When they are fully mixed together add in kecap manis and fish sauce. Stir around until the glaze has been spread through the rice.

5. Top with a fried egg and pair with some fresh veggies!

Tip to add:

Day-old rice works best for fried rice because it is drier and fries better in the pan. This is actually how the dish traditionally developed—using leftover rice so it doesn’t become soggy during stir-frying.

Recipe from Indonesia