Nasi Lemak with Sambal Chilli Ikan Bilis
Nasi Lemak is a favourite malay customary dish as well as a national dish of Malaysia. Very simple dish to make but it has enormous flavours.
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 45 min
- Yield
- 10 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cups basmati rice
- 2 cups water
- 270 ml light coconut milk
- 2½ inch ginger (peeled, halved and crushed)
- 3 pandan leaves ((screwpine leaves) tied into knot)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- extra virgin olive oil (for pan frying)
- 150 g dried split anchovies ((Ikan Bilis))
- 1 large oriental cucumber (thinly sliced lengthwise)
- 375 g raw red skin peanuts
- 10 hard-boiled eggs (cut into halves)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 small brown onion (cut into wedges)
- 5 long fresh red chillies (deseeded and cut into 1 inch pieces)
- 15 small dried red chillies (deseeded)
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 150 g fried dried split anchovies ( (Ikan Bilis))
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 French onion shallots
- 2 medium onions (thinly sliced into rings)
- 1½ inch ginger (peeled and finely grated)
- 3 tablespoons tamarind paste (or tamarind puree)
- 2 tablespoons stevia
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- 1
Wash the basmati rice and cook in an electric rice cooker by adding extra virgin olive oil, water, coconut milk, ginger, pandan leaves and mix well. Use chopsticks to fluff up the rice when cooked. Keep warm in the rice cooker. Alternatively, you can also steam the rice in a wok or steamer.
- 2
Heat up a large non-stick frying pan with some extra virgin olive oil on high heat. Pan fry the dried anchovies on medium to low heat until lightly brown and crispy. You can pan fry the anchovies in 2 batches if preferred.
- 3
Remove and drain the cooked anchovies in a sieve. Set aside 100g (3.5oz) for condiments and 100g (3.5oz) for the sambal chilli anchovies. Clean frying pan with kitchen paper towel.
- 4
Heat up the large non-stick frying pan with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and toast all the peanuts on low heat for about 10 minutes or until the peanuts are lightly brown and cooked through. Clean frying pan with kitchen paper towel.
- 5
Add the ingredients for the spice paste into a food processor and blend until you get a smooth paste. Alternatively, you can use a mortar and pestle if preferred.
- 6
Heat up the non-stick frying pan again with 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil on medium to high heat. Pan fry the garlic, shallots, onion and ginger on low to medium heat until the garlic are lightly golden and onion are caramelised.
- 7
Then add in the spice paste, tamarind paste or puree, sugar and salt and pan fry for 3 minutes on medium heat until the spice paste is aromatic. Add in the water and stir-fry for another 2 minutes.
- 8
Add in the pan fried dried anchovies, stir and mix well with the sambal chilli. Turn off the heat, remove and set aside in a bowl.
- 9
Use a small bowl to shape the coconut rice and place on center of a serving plate. Serve with some sambal chilli anchovies, eggs, some pan fried anchovies, toasted peanuts and cucumber.