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Malaysian · Singaporean

Nasi lemak

Non-vegetarian

Rice cooked in coconut milk with ginger and lemongrass, served with a sweet-hot sambal, crisp fried anchovies, peanuts, boiled egg and cucumber.

Nasi lemak is a Malaysian rice dish, ready in about 1 hour 25 minutes and made with long-grain white rice, coconut milk and dried whole chillies. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Delicious Nasi Lemak served with fried chicken, sambal, peanuts, and boiled egg.
Photo: Kent Ng / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
30 min
Cook
45 min
Rest
10 min
Total
1 h 25 min
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
963

Ingredients

4 servings

For the coconut rice

For the sambal

For frying

To serve

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Rinse the rice well. Put it in a saucepan (opens in a new tab) (or rice cooker) with the coconut milk (opens in a new tab), water, salt, ginger and knotted lemongrass (opens in a new tab). Bring to a simmer, cover and cook on low until the liquid is absorbed, then leave covered off the heat.

  2. Step 2

    Blend the drained chillies, shallots (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab) and shrimp paste (opens in a new tab) to a fine paste with a splash of water.

  3. Step 3

    Heat the oil in a wok (opens in a new tab) and fry the anchovies (opens in a new tab) until crisp and golden; lift out. Fry the peanuts briefly and lift out.

    Ingredients tossed in a hot wok
    How it looks · Photo: Aesthos AR. Photography on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    In the same oil, fry the chilli paste over medium-low heat, stirring often, until it darkens and the oil separates (pecah minyak).

    • 15 min
    • medium-low heat

  5. Step 5

    Add the onion (opens in a new tab) rings, tamarind, palm sugar (opens in a new tab) and salt and a handful of the fried anchovies (opens in a new tab). Simmer until thick and glossy, and taste for a sweet, hot, tangy balance.

    • 6 min
    • low heat

  6. Step 6

    Remove the lemongrass (opens in a new tab), fluff the rice and serve with sambal, the remaining anchovies (opens in a new tab), peanuts, boiled egg (opens in a new tab) and cucumber (opens in a new tab).

    About this dish

    Origin
    Malaysia · Commonly attributedConsidered Malaysia's national dish; it is equally loved in Singapore and Brunei.Also popular in Singapore, IndonesiaMore food from Malaysia
    Dish
    Breakfast · Lunch · Rice dishes · Main courses
    Cooking method
    Simmered, Pan-fried, Steamed
    Taste
    rich, spicy (chilli heat), sweet & spicy, salty
    Diet
    Pescatarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · High-protein
    All labelsPescatarian · Non-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein
    Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Make-ahead
    Cook more with
    Long-grain white rice · Coconut milk · Dried whole chillies · Fresh ginger · Lemongrass · Shallot
    Techniques
    Pan-frying · Simmering · Steaming · Bhunao

    Allergens

    • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
    • Contains: Fishfrom anchovies
    • Contains: Crustaceansfrom shrimp paste
    • Contains: Peanutsfrom roasted peanuts

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    963 kcal per serving

    Estimated

    1 serving ≈ 528 g · recipe makes 4

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 11%
    • Carbohydrate 47%
    • Fat 41%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy963 kcal182 kcal
    Protein27.7 g5.3 g
    Carbohydrate116.1 g22 g
    Net carbohydrate——
    Sugars——
    Added sugars6.5 g1.2 g
    Fibre——
    Fat45.1 g8.5 g
    Saturated fat18.4 g3.5 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol203 mg38 mg
    Sodium1830 mg347 mg
    Salt equivalent4.6 g0.9 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    1128 mg
    Calcium
    191 mg
    Iron
    10.8 mg
    Magnesium
    151 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    163 µg
    Vitamin C
    10 mg
    Vitamin D
    1.3 µg
    Vitamin B12
    0.6 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    471 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Shrimp paste: Fish sauce (FDC 174531) at 1.5× as a stand-in salted fermented seafood condiment; protein is understated.
    • Tamarind paste: Raw tamarind pulp (FDC 167763). Commercial concentrates vary in water content.
    • Jaggery / palm sugar: Brown sugar (FDC 168833) used as a stand-in for unrefined cane jaggery and palm sugar.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • The sambal keeps well — make a double batch.

    Common mistakes

    • Under-frying the chilli paste leaves the sambal raw-tasting and harsh.

    Serve with

    • Add fried chicken (ayam goreng) or beef rendang for a fuller plate.

    Food safety

    • Coconut rice spoils quickly: do not hold it warm for more than 2 hours, and refrigerate leftovers within 1 hour.
    • Keep cooked eggs and sambal refrigerated; sambal keeps 1 week in a clean jar.

    Storage

    • Sambal keeps 1 week refrigerated. Store anchovies and peanuts airtight so they stay crisp.

    Reheating

    • Steam or microwave the rice with a sprinkle of water.

    Variations

    • Nasi lemak bungkus: A small portion wrapped in banana leaf and paper, sold as a grab-and-go breakfast.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    The staple

    For the coconut rice

    Used in steps 1, 5

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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