Relish in your own plate of Nasi Lemak. Coconut milk rice served with a side of spicy sambal, fried anchovies, roasted peanuts, sliced cucumbers, and hard-boiled eggs.
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Welcome back to my Ramadan 2023 Series! For Day 8, we’re going back to one of the ultimate classic Malaysian dishes — nasi lemak. I’ve had so many requests for this recipe, so I thought this series would be the best time to showcase it!
For Breakfast, lunch, or dinner
Nasi lemak is considered as a national dish in Malaysia. In fact, you can find it pretty much anywhere in the country! Be it at roadside stalls, restaurants, or even hotel buffets, you’ll definitely come across this gem in one way or another.
On a typical weekday morning, it won’t be a foreign thing to see a line of people at random stalls, purchasing their banana leaf-wrapped nasi lemak packets while commuting to work.
You can enjoy these simple nasi lemak packets for breakfast, or add on side dishes for a more filling lunch or dinner.
This dish is also popular in neighboring countries like Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei!
What Is Nasi Lemak?
In Malay, “nasi” means rice and “lemak” means fat. The main base of the nasi lemak dish is the fragrant coconut rice, made from coconut milk and water. So the “fatty” part of the dish comes from the use of coconut milk as one of its main ingredients.
Another important component of the nasi lemak is the sambal, which is a chili paste condiment made from fresh red chilis and the aromatics like onion, garlic, ginger, and tamarind.
To assemble a simple plate of nasi lemak together, the basic side dishes include fried anchovies, sliced cucumbers, hard-boiled eggs, and roasted peanuts.
what to serve with nasi lemak?
For a heavier meal, there are a variety of side dishes that nasi lemak can be paired up with. Some options include: fried chicken, sambal udang (prawn), sambal sotong (squid), sambal potatoes, beef rendang, and fried eggs. You can also check out this Sambal Telur (Eggs with Sambal).
Ingredients You’ll Need
(For full ingredient measurements, please proceed to the recipe card below.)
Coconut rice
- Uncooked Jasmine rice
- Canned coconut milk
- Water
- Pandan leaves: tied into a knot for easy removal later
- Ginger
- Salt
- Sugar
Sambal paste
- Onions
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Fresh red chili
- Water
Sambal seasonings
- Onion
- Salt
- Water
- Tamarind
Other side dishes
- Dried anchovies
- Raw peanuts
- Eggs
- Persian cucumber
how to make nasi lemak
Coconut Rice
- Rinse the rice until water runs clear.
- Mix the coconut milk and water. Add to the rinsed rice and stir.
- Add pandan leaves, ginger, salt and sugar. Stir and cook in a rice cooker.
- Once the rice is cooked, fluff it up to distribute some of the coconut milk that may be on top. Let it stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Sambal
- Blend the onions, garlic, ginger, chili pepper with water until you get a paste.
- Once simmering, add the sliced onions and stir. At this point, you want to wait until the sambal is cooked through and you’ll know this once the oil “splits” (oil peeks through the surface). This will take between 10-15 minutes, make sure to stir occasionally so it doesn’t bur.
- Once the oil splits, season with salt, sugar and tamarind paste. Stir and pour water. Stir and bring to a simmer for a few minutes before turning off heat.
Other side dishes
- Shallow fry the dried anchovies over medium heat until crispy. Drain on a paper towel.
- Roast peanuts in a bit of oil over medium heat for 6 – 10 minutes. Stirring occasionally.
- Boil eggs until hard boiled and peel. Slice eggs in half.
- Cut off the ends of the cucumber and slice the cucumbers.
To assemble
- Place coconut rice in a small bowl and press down to make sure its compact before flipping it over on to a place. Tap the bottom of the bowl a few times and gently remove the bowl.
- Add a bit of the sambal on the side and the rest of the condiments around the rice. Serve and enjoy!
notes for nasi lemak
- Dried red chili peppers are hotter than fresh ones. If using dried ones, adjust accordingly to your heat preference.
- If using dried red chili peppers, soak in hot water for a few minutes to rehydrate it before blending it with the rest of the ingredients.
- If you want it spicier, you can also add chili powder while seasoning.
- If you can’t find tamarind paste, you can substitute with tamarind powder or even lime. Adjust accordingly.
- It’s very important for the sambal to cook through and the oil splits. Otherwise, the sambal will taste raw and bitter. To prevent this, it is important to use enough oil and to taste the sambal at the end. If it’s not cooked through, keep cooking it over medium or medium low, stirring occasionally.
More Malaysian Recipes
- Malaysian Chicken Chop
- Malaysian Chicken Curry (Kari Ayam)
- Malaysian Curry Laksa
- Malaysian Chili Pan Noodles
- Malaysian Fried Butter Shrimp/Prawn
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Nasi Lemak
Ingredients
Coconut rice
- 2 cups uncooked Jasmine rice
- 13.5 oz canned coconut milk
- 1 cup water
- 1-2 pandan leaves tied into a knot for easy removal later
- 2-3 thick slices of ginger
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
Sambal paste
- 4 onions cut into quarters
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 inch ginger
- 6 fresh red chili see notes if using dried ones
- 3 tbsp water
Sambal seasonings
- 1/2 onion sliced
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tsp tamarind see notes for substitute
Other side dishes
- 3/4 cup dried anchovies
- 3/4 cup raw peanuts
- 2 eggs
- 1 Persian cucumber
Instructions
Coconut Rice
- Rinse the rice until water runs clear.
- Mix the coconut milk and water. Add to the rinsed rice and stir.
- Add pandan leaves, ginger, salt and sugar. Stir and cook in a rice cooker.
- Once the rice is cooked, fluff it up to distribute some of the coconut milk that may be on top. Let it stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Sambal
- Blend the onions, garlic, ginger, chili pepper with water until you get a paste.
- Once simmering, add the sliced onions and stir. At this point, you want to wait until the sambal is cooked through and you'll know this once the oil "splits" (oil peeks through the surface). This will take between 10-15 minutes, make sure to stir occasionally so it doesn't bur.
- Once the oil splits, season with salt, sugar and tamarind paste. Stir and pour water. Stir and bring to a simmer for a few minutes before turning off heat.
Other side dishes
- Shallow fry the dried anchovies over medium heat until crispy. Drain on a paper towel.
- Roast peanuts in a bit of oil over medium heat for 6 – 10 minutes. Stirring occasionally.
- Boil eggs until hard boiled and peel. Slice eggs in half.
- Cut off the ends of the cucumber and slice the cucumbers.
To assemble
- Place coconut rice in a small bowl and press down to make sure its compact before flipping it over on to a place. Tap the bottom of the bowl a few times and gently remove the bowl.
- Add a bit of the sambal on the side and the rest of the condiments around the rice. Serve and enjoy!
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