Nasi Lemak

 

'Nasi Lemak' is Malaysia's proud national dish which is eaten by many Malaysians on a daily basis. It is fragrant coconut rice, cooked in coconut milk and flavoured by a leaf called 'pandan' or also known as 'screwpine'. Pandan is indigenously grown in many parts of South East Asia and used frequently to add flavour to many Malay cuisines. As a rule, the coconut rice must then be served with sambal (spicy relish), fried anchovies, roast peanuts, cucumber and either a boiled or fried egg. It can also has a meat cooked with spices on the side like fried chicken, beef rendang or seafood. Here, I have the recipe for sambal squid with nasi lemak.

Prep time 20 mins  Cooking time 30 mins

INGREDIENTS:

Coconut Rice

2 rice cooker cups of rice 

160 ml coconut milk (small can) 

2 pandan/screwpine leaves (if available) 

1 ⁄4 tsp salt water, as required 

Sambal Squid

4 cloves of garlic 

1 red onion, sliced into rings (half to be blended) 

1 large tomato, sliced into small chunks 

8 dried chillies, rehydrated and drained 

3 squid tubes , sliced into rings & tentacles 

1 tsp light brown sugar 

2 1 ⁄2 ginger, grated 

1 Tbsp Buenas sauteed shrimp paste

1 tsp tamarind concentrate, dissolved in 50 ml of warm water

Oil, for cooking 

Salt, season to taste

Side dishes

2 large hard-boiled eggs, halved

1 ⁄2 small cucumber, sliced 

1 ⁄2 cup of dried anchovies, rehydrated and drained

1 ⁄2 cup of red-skinned peanuts, rehydrated and drained 

coriander leaves, to garnish

METHOD:

1) Wash and rinse the rice a few times until the water runs clear, before cooking in rice cooker;

2) Add the coconut milk, salt and water as required until it reaches the line of 2 cups in the rice cooker; 

3) Tie the pandan (screwpine) leaves into a knot each and add this to the rice, making sure that they are fully submerged under the liquid. Cook for the required time of 25-30 minutes and keep warm; 

4) Blend the garlic, half of the onion and dried chillies into a paste. Add 1-2 Tbsps of water if required so it can loosen up and blend more easily; 

5) Saute the sliced onion rings gently in 4 Tbsps of oil with a little salt until they are soft but not browned, for about 2 minutes. 

6) Add the blended paste and cook until the paste separates from the oil or until it is fragrant before adding the squid, grated ginger and tomatoes. Let it cook and simmer gently on low heat for 3-4 minutes until the squid is no longer transparent; 

7) Add the sauted shrimp paste, tamarind water, sugar and salt as required to taste;

8) For the hard boiled eggs, add the eggs when the water comes to a boil and cook them for approximately 10-11 minutes. Drain and immersed the eggs in cold water to cool completely before removing the shells;

9) Lightly fry the anchovies in some oil and season with some salt, until they are crispy; 

10) Roast the peanuts in the oven or toss them in a cast iron pan on medium heat, turning them frequently to avoid burning until they are crispy; 

11) Once all the side dishes are ready, dish up a bowl of coconut rice on a plate and served up with the sambal squid, a few slices of cucumber, roast peanuts, crispy anchovies and egg. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve.  Enjoy!!