Nasi Lemak

★★★★4.9· 876 ratings

·Serves 4

About this Dish

Malaysia's national dish — fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf, served with sambal, crispy anchovies, roasted peanuts, cucumber and a hard-boiled egg. The combination of creamy rice, fiery sambal and crunchy accompaniments creates a perfect balance. Eaten at any time of day, most commonly breakfast.

IngredientsServes 4

🍚Jasmine rice, 2 cups washed and drained

🥥Coconut milk, 400ml (one can)

🌿Pandan leaves, 3 knotted together

🐟Dried anchovies (ikan bilis), 100g

🥜Raw peanuts, 100g

🥚Eggs, 4 hard-boiled and peeled

🥒Cucumber, 1 sliced into rounds

🌶️Ready-made sambal or sambal oelek, 4 tablespoons (or make your own by blending 10 dried chillies, 1 onion, 3 garlic cloves, tamarind paste, and sugar, then frying in oil until dark and fragrant)

🧂Salt, 1 teaspoon

🫙Neutral oil (vegetable or sunflower), for frying

Method

Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, then place it in a pot with the coconut milk, knotted pandan leaves, half a teaspoon of salt, and enough water to reach about 2cm above the rice (roughly 1 cup). Stir gently, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting, cover tightly, and cook for 18 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it steam undisturbed for a further 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork.

While the rice cooks, dry-fry the raw peanuts in a wok or frying pan over medium heat, stirring constantly for about 8–10 minutes until golden and the skins start to split. Set aside to cool — they will crisp up as they rest.

In the same pan, heat 3 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat and fry the dried anchovies in batches for 3–4 minutes, stirring often, until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towels and season lightly with salt. Keep a close eye on them as they can burn quickly.

If making sambal from scratch, blend the dried chillies (soaked in hot water for 10 minutes), onion, and garlic into a paste. Fry the paste in 3 tablespoons of oil over medium heat for 10–12 minutes, stirring frequently, until the oil separates and the sambal turns a deep brick-red colour. Season with sugar, salt, and a squeeze of tamarind paste to taste.

To serve, use a rice mould or a small bowl to shape a mound of coconut rice onto each plate. Arrange the crispy anchovies, roasted peanuts, sliced cucumber, and a halved hard-boiled egg around the rice. Spoon a generous dollop of sambal on the side and serve immediately while the rice is warm.

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