One of Malaysian famous traditional meals, this is Nasi Lemak with all its trimmings.
Nasi lemak is basically fluffy aromatic rice that is cooked with coconut milk, pandan leaves and some other herbs.
It is always accompanied with a sambal (spicy sauce with any protein source of your likings), spiced fried chicken, hard boiled eggs, slices of cucumber and some peanuts.
Although nasi lemak literally means "buttery rice", it's understood that it's a complete meal of rice and all its trimmings.
Oh yes, I'm drooling just thinking of it!
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Adapting To Making Nasi Lemak Outside Of Malaysia
If you're living in Malaysia then you won't cry over this. There are unlimited restaurants and stalls that sell nasi lemak. And you also have easy access to all the ingredients needed for you to make this meal at home.
For people like me, who are not living in Malaysia, well then it's another story isn't it? Asian ingredients are very limited and also difficult to find. At least where I live.
So this recipe is for all expats that are missing nasi lemak and want to make it themselves, wherever they are. This is also for those who've tried nasi lemak and want to give it a go at making it at home.
What Are Nasi Lemak's Components?
Nasi lemak's basic components are:
Rice - Fluffy rice that's cooked with coconut milk and some herbs.
Sambal - Spicy sauce that's made from dry chillies and is usually cooked together with a type of protein source. Anchovies are the most common, like you can see in the video. For the picture above, I used squids. I like my sambal super spicy.
Spiced fried chicken - Chicken pieces coated with spiced batter and then fried. Sounds great, eh?
Sides - hard boiled eggs, slices of cucumber and peanuts.
Ingredients And Substitutions
Some of the ingredients are basic but there are a few important key ingredients that are worth talking about.
For Rice
Rice - In the video I used basmati rice but jasmine rice also works beautifully. Just wash off the starch, no need to soak it. Refer to your packet's instructions on the liquid amount if you're using jasmine rice.
Lemongrass - You can find it mostly in the frozen section in Asian grocery stores. Ask around. If not, skip it.
Pandan leaves - Give the rice a wonderful aroma, totally fine to skip it if it's difficult to find.
Red onion and shallot - Just my preference when I have them, I've used Holland or red onion with no problems.
For Sambal
Dry chilies - Here in Spain I find out that they don't always come spicy. So to bring it to my acceptable level of spiciness, I like to combine the dry chillies with dry cayenne peppers. That spicy kick is awesome!
LESS SPICY OPTION: You can use red bell peppers like I did in my sweet and spicy sambal recipe.
Dry anchovies - So far I've been using the ones that my family sent me from Malaysia. Once I bought Japanese dry anchovies and although they're not the same but they still work for the sambal.
SUBSTITUTION: You can also use fresh prawns, squids, clams or even chicken. No need to fry them first, except for chicken (just season with salt and turmeric powder).
Shrimp paste - It lends a touch of seafood to the sambal. This shrimp paste is similar to the one that I use. Skip it if you want.
SUBSTITUTION: Use fish sauce instead.
Tamarind - This is to lend a touch of sourness to the sambal.
SUBSTITUTION: Use lime or lemon juice to taste.
For Spiced Fried Chicken
Spices - For the spiced fried chicken I use a combo of spices (fennel, coriander and cumin) but if you don't have them, just use 1 tablespoon of curry powder instead.
Chicken - Use whichever part you fancy, bone-in thighs, boneless or breasts.
How To Serve Nasi Lemak
Traditionally nasi lemak and all its sides and trimmings are served wrapped in a piece of banana leaf and folded into a pyramid shape. The heat from the food awakens the aromatic smell of the banana leaf and being wrapped with it, the leaf infuses the food with that heavenly smell.
Now these days, you just place a piece of banana leaf on top on your plate before serving. Simpler but works the same. Almost.
And yes, you serve everything into your plate. That's the iconic look of nasi lemak.
Hope you find this recipe useful. Let me know if you've tried nasi lemak before and what do you think about it!
Recipe Video
📖 Recipe
Coconut Milk Rice (Nasi Lemak)
Video
Ingredients
Ayam Goreng Berempah (Spiced Fried Chicken)
- 2 lemongrass , cut
- 4 garlic cloves
- ½ inch ginger
- 1 tablespoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground fennel
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 4 chicken legs/ thighs , or 2-3 breasts
- ¼ cup coconut milk (60 ml)
- 1 large egg , lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoon rice flour
Sambal Tumis Ikan Bilis (Anchovies Sambal)
- 3.5 oz dry anchovies (100 gr)
- 2 red onions , sliced
- 1.8 oz dry chilli, cut into small pieces and remove the seeds. (50 gr), place chilli in a bowl add hot water and leave to soak for 1 hour. Rinse and drain the chilli, set aside.
- 3 shallots , roughly cut
- 4 garlic cloves
- ½ inch ginger
- ½ inch shrimp paste
- water
- sunflower oil
- 1 teaspoon salt , hold back the salt as anchovies are already salty
- 3 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoon tamarind juice or use lemon/lime juice to taste
Nasi Lemak (Rice with coconut milk)
- 2 cups basmati rice (370 gr)
- 3 cups canned coconut milk (750 ml)
- 1 cup water (250 ml)
- 1 pandan leaf , knotted
- 1 shallot , thinly sliced
- 2 inch ginger , cut into matchsticks
- 4 garlic cloves , thinly sliced
- 1 lemongrass , cut into 2 inch length
- 2 teaspoon salt
- water for soaking rice
Side
- hard boiled eggs
- sliced cucumber
- peanuts
Instructions
Ayam Goreng Berempah (Spiced Fried Chicken)
- Blend/pound lemongrass, garlic and ginger into a paste. Set aside.
- In a bowl add in chicken, pounded paste and the rest of the ingredients except egg and rice flour. Mix everything well. Marinate overnight or at least 4 hours.
- Add egg and rice flour to marinated chicken, coating them well. Set aside.
- Heat a pot of oil on medium heat. Fry chicken until golden brown and fully cooked. Place paper towel to drain the excess oil.
Sambal Tumis Ikan Bilis (Anchovies Sambal)
- Blend chilli, shallots, garlic, shrimp paste and ginger with a splash of water ,into a paste. Set aside.
- Heat some oil in a pot and fry the anchovies until they are crispy. Place on paper towel, set aside. Then fry the onions until they are soft and golden brown at the edges. Place on a plate, set aside.
- Pour in the blended chilli and add in a splash of water to loosen it up a bit. Cook for 15-20 minutes until the sauce reduces and thickens (stir now and then).
- Season with salt, sugar and tamarind juice (a good sambal needs to be a bit sweet with a balance of sour and salty). Add in fried anchovies and onion. Turn the heat off and mix well. Sambal is ready.
Nasi Lemak (Rice with Coconut Milk)
- Soak basmati rice with water for 30 minutes. Drain right before using.
- Place the rest of the ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil, then add in rice. Bring it back to a simmer, cover pot with a lid and cook on low heat for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave it for another 10 minutes before fluffing up the rice and serve.
Notes
- Change the ratio (coconut milk : water) if you prefer the rice to be less buttery.
- For basmati rice 2 cup coconut milk:2 cup water or 1 cup coconut milk:3 cup water.
- For jasmine rice use 2 cup coconut milk:1 cup water or 1 cup coconut milk:2 cup water.
- Use any other protein source that you like for sambal (no need to fry first except chicken).
Nutrition Facts
The nutrition facts provided are an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Originally published on Aug 16, 2017. Updated with improved text, recipe and pictures on Jul 17, 2021.
Kainalu says
Hi I really don’t care for spicy things and would it be okay if I used a less spicy chilli or bell pepper in place and use pandas extract in place of leaves and my rice cooker has a built-in soak setting. Would it be OK to cook on the white rice setting
And the lastly would using miso paste in place of shrimp paste be okay
Bea & Marco says
Hi! For not spicy sambal, I'd recommend you making our sweet and spicy sambal recipe, omitting the cayenne pepper powder. For the rice, yes you can use some pandan extract (not too much as the flavor can be very strong). I'm not familiar with your rice cooker so I can't say which setting to use, sorry though. With my ancient rice cooker, I've always use it the same way I would cook any white rice, if that could give you some ideas. And lastly, fish sauce is a better substitute for the shrimp paste. If you don't have it also, just skip it, it's fine. Hope it helps!
Sandy says
A few years ago I visited Singapore and discovered Nasi Lemak and loved it! I was so excited when I found this recipe. I finally got brave enough to try it and it was WONDERFUL! My friends loved it too. Good spicy sambal! It was also helpful to have the video with the steps and visual. Thanks for taking me back to one of my favorite places!
Bea & Marco says
Yay! It warms my heart to hear that, thank you for sharing it with me, Sandy. This is how my family has been making Nasi lemak, which reminds me of home.
April says
I’m so excited to try this. I can’t find fresh or frozen pandan. Can I use dried? If so, how?
Bea says
Hi! Honestly, I haven't tried (nor seen 😅) dried pandan before so I can't really say. But you can omit it and although it would smell a tad less aromatic, it'll still be delicious. Hope it helps.
Ricos says
Oh mi god. Let me just say: thank you that you offered some substitutions for ingredients! I can't wait to try this.
Bea says
Happy that you find them useful, Ricos! I write ingredient substitutions in all of my recipes here, so that they're doable no matter where you are 😊.
Leo Dewilde says
Nasi Lemak, great recipe and very tasty.
Bea says
Thanks Leo!
Mike not Mikey says
Worth the sweat and effort of making this dish.
Thank you.
Khairul Ilyas says
This recipe has been my go to recipe whenever I miss nasi lemak. I'm a student studying abroad. Your detail instructions help me to make my own nasi lemak. Thank you so much.
Greeting,
Khairul
Bea says
I'm glad! Yes, we Malaysians can't separate with our Nasi Lemak 😂. Thanks Khairul!
Siti Azlin Bt Akmal says
Salam, Tq for sharing the delicious recipes. Awesome taste!
Bea says
Thank you! Sorry had to remove your link since we don't allow it.
Alex says
Hi Bea, was wondering if i could bake/grill the chicken instead of deep frying? Thanks
Bea says
Yes, you can. Just spray some oil on them before baking. Won't be the same as fried ones but hey, you win some you loose some. Have fun!
Brinacyl says
Greetings from a Pakistani Kitchen. I made this and it came out superb. I skipped shrimp paste as I am allergic them and did not use dry anchovies. Even then everything was delicious. Thank you!
Bea says
Awesome, I'm glad that you liked it. Thank you!
Dan says
Can you use tinned anchovies and cook them until crispy or do they need to bought dried?
Bea says
I'm not sure how's the canned anchovies at your place but mines always come soft. They "disappear" as you cook them. You can use fresh shrimps instead (no need to fry them though) if dry anchovies are hard to find. Hope it helps.
Gillian DidierSerre says
Hi El Mundo..we can not get belacan in Toronto Canada. .can I use dry shrimp plus Lee kum kee bottles shrimp paste need your advice to make the ikan bilis tks
Bea says
Hi Gillian! Yes, you can use any shrimp paste. Just adjust accordingly since every brand is different in taste and saltiness. I personally would not use dry shrimp in replacement of dry anchovies for the sambal. I'd just use fresh prawns or calamari instead (no pre-frying needed for these). Hope it helps and have fun!
Violet says
I’ve located Belacan in Toronto, at B&T Food Centre in Vaughan. Just an FYI.
Rusdi says
Bea, thank you for sharing this recipe. I'm also Malaysian, living in Netherlands. This nasi lemak makes me miss home and the gerai2 nasi lemak. Love your recipes, keep up the good work. Please share more Malaysian recipes.
Bea says
Happy to see a fellow Malaysian here! And yes you're right. The thought of nasi lemak really brings us Malaysians to missing home 😀 . I do have more Malaysian recipes, you can look for them in my recipe page. Thanks Rusdi!