This authentic nasi goreng recipe features fragrant fried rice, sweet soy sauce, bold spices, and perfectly fried eggs. A quick and flavourful Indonesian favourite!
This recipe is Jamie Oliver's version from his Jamie's Comfort Food recipe book. We've had the book for quite a few years now - there's loads of delicious recipes in it!
He notes within the recipe that the ingredients should reflect what's available locally and seasonally, and therefore there are thousands of different variations. However, it's commonly flavoured and fried with garlic, peppers, sweet soy sauce and various condiments from fish sauce to ketchups. It's often served at breakfast...and he likes it for brunch. David and I have enjoy for dinner along with some prawn crackers. We really enjoy this recipe - the flavours of sweet and hot are perfectly balanced with the freshness of the pickled cucumber.
You'll find a video to watch via YouTube on Jamie's website, and I also found an online article when he did an interview with Rachel Loos when the cookbook was launched.
David's told me a couple of times how his mum experienced nasi goreng when she travelled to Singapore for the first time to join his dad, where he was based during the late 60's while in the Navy. Having travelled for many hours to get from Scotland to Singapore, she was tired and hungry. Jim nipped out to get something to eat and came back with nasi goreng on a leaf. She wasn't sure what to expect him to come back with...but it wasn't nasi goreng, however, she very much enjoyed it!!
Tips
- Per step 1, the rice needs to be cooked and cooled, so in order to get ahead, you can cook the rice the day before, let it cool and then store it in a container in the fridge ready to use the next day. Or you could cook it and cool it earlier in the day. Alternatively, if you have leftover rice, this is the perfect dish to use it up in.
- The dish is very quick to cook so I’d highly recommend that you have all of the ingredients looked out and prepared beforehand.
- Protein options - try adding chicken, beef or prawns for variety.
- This nasi goreng recipe is easily halved if you’re cooking for 2.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Day-old rice is best as it is drier and less likely to clump. If using freshly cooked rice, spread it on a tray and let it cool to room temperature before frying.
Long-grain rice like jasmine or basmati works best for its fluffy texture, but medium-grain rice can also be used.
Yes - reduce or omit the chilli in the rice and serve with mild toppings like cucumber slices or a drizzle of sweet soy sauce (kecap manis).
Nasi Goreng is flavoured with sweet soy sauce (kecap manis) and often includes shrimp paste, giving it a distinctively sweet, smoky, and umami-rich flavour.
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How to make this Nasi Goreng
Ingredients
- 1 mug (320g) basmati rice (see Tips)
- salt
- 640ml boiled water
- 1 tbsp groundnut oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp palm sugar
- 1 to 2 fresh bird’s eye chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
- 200g sugar snap peas, finely sliced at an angle
- 200g tenderstem broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3 tbsp kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
- fish sauce
- hot chilli sauce, to garnish (we like Sriracha)
For the cucumber pickle:
- 1 large cucumber, cut into 0.5cm slices (with a crinkle cut knife if you’ve got one)
- a bunch of fresh coriander (30g), reserve the leaves (to garnish) and chop the stalks
- rice vinegar
- zest and juice of 1 lime
- a pinch of caster sugar
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the bubbly eggs:
- groundnut oil, for frying
- 4 large eggs
- 4 spring onions, finely sliced, to garnish
- 1 to 2 fresh bird’s eye chillies, finely sliced, to garnish
Instructions
- Put the rice into a pan with a pinch of sea salt, cover with 640ml of boiling water and cook on a medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, or until cooked through. Tip the rice onto a large tray and spread out into a thin layer to steam and cool completely. Or, you can simply use up leftover rice from the day before, which is even better (see Tips).
- Meanwhile, make the pickle - put the cucumber slices in a bowl with half of the chopped coriander stalks. Add a good few swigs of rice vinegar, the lime zest and juice, and caster sugar, then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and toss together well.
- Place a large heavy-bottomed pan or wok on a high heat, add the groundnut oil, then add the onion, garlic, ginger, chilli, remaining coriander stalks and palm sugar. Stir-fry for a few minutes, then add the sugar snap peas, broccoli and cooled rice and continue cooking for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the rice is hot through, tossing regularly. Stir in the kecap manis and a few shakes of fish sauce to season, then turn the heat off. Place a quarter of the rice in a small bowl, push down to compact, then turn out onto a serving bowl plate. Repeat with the remaining rice.
For the bubbly eggs:
- Place a large non-stick frying pan on a high heat and add 0.5cm of groundnut oil. Once hot, crack in the eggs and fry so the whites really bubble up and get crispy round the edges – by angling the pan you can spoon hot oil over the yolks as they cook to your liking. Remove to kitchen paper and pat off the excess oil, then use the eggs to top each portion of rice. Scatter over the spring onions, chilli and reserved coriander leaves, and drizzle with some hot chilli sauce for a bit of a kick and serve with the cucumber pickle.
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Nasi Goreng
Ingredients
- 320 g (1 ¾ cups) basmati rice (see Notes)
- salt
- 640 ml (2 ¾ cups) boiled water
- 1 tbsp groundnut oil
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger finely chopped
- 1 to 2 fresh bird’s eye chillies deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 tbsp palm sugar
- 200 g (7.1 oz) sugar snap peas finely sliced at an angle
- 200 g (7.1 oz) tenderstem broccoli cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3 tbsp kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
- fish sauce
- hot chilli sauce to garnish (we like Sriracha)
For the cucumber pickle:
- 1 large cucumber cut into 0.5cm slices (with a crinkle cut knife if you’ve got one)
- a bunch of fresh coriander (30g) reserve the leaves (to garnish) and chop the stalks
- rice vinegar
- zest and juice of 1 lime
- a pinch of caster sugar
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the bubbly eggs:
- groundnut oil for frying
- 4 large eggs
- 4 spring onions finely sliced, to garnish
- 1 to 2 fresh bird’s eye chillies finely sliced, to garnish
Instructions
- Put the rice into a pan with a pinch of sea salt, cover with 640ml of boiling water and cook on a medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, or until cooked through. Tip the rice onto a large tray and spread out into a thin layer to steam and cool completely. Or, you can simply use up leftover rice from the day before, which is even better (see Notes).
- Meanwhile, make the pickle - put the cucumber slices in a bowl with half of the chopped coriander stalks. Add a good few swigs of rice vinegar, the lime zest and juice, and caster sugar, then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and toss together well.
- Place a large heavy-bottomed pan or wok on a high heat, add the groundnut oil, then add the onion, garlic, ginger, chilli, remaining coriander stalks and palm sugar. Stir-fry for a few minutes, then add the sugar snap peas, broccoli and cooled rice and continue cooking for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the rice is hot through, tossing regularly. Stir in the kecap manis and a few shakes of fish sauce to season, then turn the heat off. Place a quarter of the rice in a small bowl, push down to compact, then turn out onto a serving bowl plate. Repeat with the remaining rice.
For the bubbly eggs:
- Place a large non-stick frying pan on a high heat and add 0.5cm of groundnut oil. Once hot, crack in the eggs and fry so the whites really bubble up and get crispy round the edges – by angling the pan you can spoon hot oil over the yolks as they cook to your liking. Remove to kitchen paper and pat off the excess oil, then use the eggs to top each portion of rice. Scatter over the spring onions, chilli and reserved coriander leaves, and drizzle with some hot chilli sauce for a bit of a kick and serve with the cucumber pickle.
Notes
- Per step 1, the rice needs to be cooked and cooled, so in order to get ahead, you can cook the rice the day before, let it cool and then store it in a container in the fridge ready to use the next day. Or you could cook it and cool it earlier in the day. Alternatively, if you have leftover rice, this is the perfect dish to use it up in.
- The dish is very quick to cook so I’d highly recommend that you have all of the ingredients looked out and prepared beforehand.
- Protein options - try adding chicken, beef or prawns for variety.
- This nasi goreng recipe is easily halved if you’re cooking for 2.
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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