Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Friday Fakeaway: Indonesian chicken fried rice

Post Thumbnail

For today’s Friday Fakeaway, we head to Indonesia from where Lara Lee brings us this amazing nasi goreng.

Nasi goreng, which literally translates as fried rice in Indonesian and Malay languages, is an absolute delight that is traditionally served with a fried egg.

Many cuisines have their own version of fried rice, with people mostly familiar with the Chinese variety.

Nasi goreng is a little more complicated to make, but it is such a joy that it is a dish you are sure to make time and time again.

Fried rice dishes are so incredibly versatile that as long as you enjoy eating rice, you can basically add anything you wish to make a fantastic meal.

It is believed it was first developed during the Sui Dynasty in China and as such all fried rice dishes can trace their origins to Chinese fried rice.

“I’ve been eating chicken fried rice for as long as I can recall and it’s a dish of which I never tire,” says food writer Lara Lee.

“This version of nasi goreng is my absolute favourite. The galangal and white pepper give it a good amount of heat, which is balanced by the sweetness of the kecap manis and the saltiness of the soy and fish sauce.

Lara Lee.

“The fried duck egg with a runny yolk on top is sheer luxury. With the added crunch of green beans, fried shallots and kerupuk or prawn crackers, this dish hits all the right spots and is my favourite choice for a Friday night in.”


Chicken Fried Rice

(Serves 2 as a large main or 4 as a side)

Ingredients

  • 2 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into small, bite-sized cubes
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 8cm piece of galangal or ginger (about 40g), peeled and woody stem removed, finely chopped
  • 1 small banana shallot or 2 Thai shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
  • Handful of green beans, chopped into small chunks
  • 2 spring onions, chopped into large chunks
  • ¼ tsp ground turmeric
  • 95g jasmine or basmati rice, cooked and cooled (240g cooked weight)
  • 2 tbsp kecap manis
  • 1 and a ½ tsp fish sauce
  • 2 tsp light soy sauce
  • Sea salt and white pepper, to taste
  • Coconut oil or sunflower oil, for frying

To serve:

  • 2 duck or hen’s eggs
  • 1 tbsp fried shallots
  • ½ long red chilli, thinly sliced
  • Kerupuk or prawn crackers

Method

  1. Season the chicken pieces with salt and white pepper. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan or wok over a high heat and fry the chicken until cooked through, about three minutes. Remove and set aside.
  2. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan, add the garlic, galangal or ginger and shallots and cook over a medium-high heat until fragrant. Add the green beans, spring onions and turmeric and cook for one minute.
  3. Add the rice to the pan, breaking up any clumps with a wooden spoon. Ensure all the ingredients are well combined and the rice is warmed through. Return the chicken to the pan. Season with the kecap manis, fish sauce, light soy sauce and a large pinch of white pepper, and extra salt if needed.
  4. Meanwhile, fry the eggs. Place a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat and add one tablespoon of oil. Once shimmering, crack the eggs directly into the oil. Cook for two to three minutes until the whites are partially cooked. Tilt the pan and spoon the hot oil over the egg whites until they are fully cooked (I like my yolk runny, but cook yours to your liking). Season with salt.
  5. Divide the fried rice between two serving plates and garnish with the fried shallots, sliced chilli and fried eggs on top. Serve with crackers.

Coconut & Sambal: Recipes From My Indonesian Kitchen by Lara Lee, photography by Louise Hagger and Lara Lee, is published by Bloomsbury, priced £26.


More in this series