I have an indescribable affinity with fried rice, probably all kinds of fried rice. It’s one of the most inexpensive comfort food for me because frying rice always reminds me of my beloved Granny. And because of that, I always get this familiar feeling of kinship and love when I eat fried rice and no other food can make me experience the same.

Nasi Goreng literally means ‘fried rice’ in Malay and the only difference between this and other Chinese style fried rices is that kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) and sambal chilli are used to give it a darker colour and a tad more spice.

Nasi Goreng Recipe

Ingredients (serves 2-3)
3 cups cooked long grain rice (kept in fridge overnight)
12 medium-sized prawns, peeled, deveined & sliced half length-wise
300g deboned chicken leg, diced
1/2 head small cabbage, sliced thinly
1 carrot, julienned
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 eggs, beaten
4 tbsp kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp sambal chilli
1 tbsp fish sauce

Instructions
1. Heat a little oil in wok. Pan-fry chicken till meat is thoroughly cooked. Remove and set aside.
2. In the same wok, pan-fry prawns till they turn opaque. Remove and set aside.
3. Add a little more oil into wok and saute garlic till fragrant. Add cabbage & carrots and stir-fry till they are slightly soft.
4. Push the vegetables to the sides of the wok and pour the beaten eggs in the middle. Scramble quickly till cooked.
5. Add rice and use the spatula to break up lumps of rice if any.
6. Return chicken and prawns to the wok and add seasonings & chilli. Stir well to combine.
7. Serve with sliced tomatoes and cucumbers.

I love the use of kecap manis that gives a mild sweetness to the rice and the sambal chilli just adds on a little spice. You don’t need lavish ingredients for this dish, in fact, leftover meat and vegetables will work just fine. It’s a good way to recycle whatever’s already in the fridge so wastage is minimised. Enjoy this Nasi Goreng recipe!

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