Main dishes
Indonesian Nasi Goreng
Indonesian fried rice with chicken, shallots, garlic and chile, seasoned with kecap manis and topped with a fried egg. Serves 4 and is ready in 35 minutes.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Cuisine
- Indonesian
Ingredients
For the rice
For the sauce
To serve
Method
Loosen the rice
Separate 600 g of cold cooked rice from the day before with your hands until there are no clumps.
Cut and prep
Cut 250 g chicken breast into 1.5 cm cubes and season with 2 g salt. Slice 3 shallots, mince 3 garlic cloves and 2 red chiles, and slice 2 scallions.
Fry the eggs
Heat 15 ml oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Fry the 4 eggs in 2 batches, 2 to 3 minutes each, with runny yolks, and set aside.
Brown the chicken
Add 15 ml oil to the wok and turn the heat to high. Brown the chicken 4 to 5 minutes, until cooked through.
Stir-fry the aromatics
Add the shallots, garlic and chile and stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes, without burning them.
Stir-fry the rice
Add the rice and stir-fry 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until hot and loose.
Season
Pour in 45 ml kecap manis and 15 ml soy sauce and mix 2 minutes, until the rice turns caramel brown. Stir in the scallions.
Serve
Divide the rice among 4 plates, top each with a fried egg and serve with cucumber and tomato slices.
The step photos are illustrative.
Notes
Nutrition facts
1 plate with egg, cucumber and tomato (1/4 of the recipe)
- Protein
- 26.8 g
- Carbohydrates
- 59 g
- Fat
- 14.1 g
- Sodium
- 947 mg
Estimate per serving; all the oil is counted even though some stays in the wok, and the sodium includes the 2 g of salt and the soy sauce. Kecap manis is an approximation using USDA values for soy sauce and sugar.
Reference source: USDA FoodData Central — SR Legacy (2018)
For general information only; it does not replace advice from a qualified health or nutrition professional.
About this recipe
Nasi goreng is Indonesia’s fried rice: cold day-old rice stir-fried in a wok with chicken, shallots, garlic and chile, and seasoned with kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) and soy sauce.
It is served topped with a runny-yolk fried egg, with cucumber and tomato slices on the side. It serves 4 and takes about 35 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Why use day-old rice for nasi goreng?
Cold, dry rice separates and stir-fries without sticking. Freshly cooked rice is moist and clumps in the wok.
What is kecap manis?
A sweet Indonesian soy sauce, thick with a caramel flavor. It gives the rice color and sweetness.
What do you serve with nasi goreng?
A runny-yolk fried egg on top, with cucumber and tomato slices on the side.
