National Dish Indonesia: Nasi Goreng (Recipe)
In this article
Nasi Goreng needs day-old rice and a pan hotter than feels sensible. Fresh rice steams and clumps. The seasoning is kecap manis, the thick sweet soy sauce, plus sambal, and a fried egg goes on top with the yolk left runny.
About Nasi Goreng
Nasi goreng is Indonesia’s national dish and its most common one: a way of using yesterday’s rice that became a fixture in its own right. It is eaten for breakfast as often as dinner, sold from carts, and made in every household.
Kecap manis is what makes it Indonesian rather than generic fried rice. It is thick, dark and molasses-sweet, and it caramelises against the hot pan.
Ingredients (serves 1–2)
- 200 g cooked rice (ideally from the day before)
- 2 eggs
- 1–2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sambal oelek (or to taste)
- 1 small onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 carrot, diced
- 100 g peas (fresh or frozen)
- Fresh spring onions, chopped
- Oil for frying (such as peanut or vegetable oil)
- Optional: chicken, prawns or tofu for added protein
Shopping for the ingredients
Buy kecap manis rather than ordinary soy sauce; ABC and Bango are the common brands. Terasi, fermented shrimp paste, is the other authentic element and a small amount transforms the dish. Sambal oelek is fine, though a home-made sambal with shallot and garlic is better.
Preparing the dish
Cook the rice the day before and refrigerate it uncovered so it dries out. Break up any clumps with your fingers before it goes in the pan. Have everything chopped and to hand, since the whole thing takes five minutes once the pan is hot.
Step-by-step instructions
- Heat a little oil in a frying pan or wok over a medium heat.
- Add the chopped onion and garlic and fry until softened and translucent.
- Stir in the diced carrot and the peas and cook everything for about 3–4 minutes.
- Push the vegetables to the side of the pan, crack the eggs into the middle and scramble them.
- Add the cooked rice and toss everything together well so the rice heats through evenly.
- Pour in the soy sauce and sambal oelek, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Finally fold through the freshly chopped spring onions and serve.
Gluten-free / lactose-free version
The dish contains no dairy. Kecap manis and most soy sauces contain wheat, so use tamari or a gluten-free kecap manis. Check the sambal too.
Tips for vegans and vegetarians
Leave out the egg and use tofu or tempeh, and check that the sambal has no shrimp paste. Tempe bacem and gado-gado are the established Indonesian vegetarian dishes and both are excellent.
More tips and tricks
Use cold, day-old rice. This is the rule and there is no working around it. Get the pan properly hot and do not crowd it; cook in two batches rather than one if you are making a larger quantity. And put the fried egg on top rather than mixing it in, with the yolk soft.
Adapting the recipe to your taste
Nasi goreng kampung is the plainer village version. Nasi goreng kambing uses goat. Prawn crackers, sliced cucumber and tomato on the side are the standard garnish, and fried shallots over the top are close to mandatory.
Ingredient substitutions
Dark soy sauce with a spoonful of palm sugar approximates kecap manis. Any leftover rice works. Chicken, prawns, tempeh or nothing at all are all normal.
Drink pairing ideas
Es teh manis, sweet iced tea, is what Indonesians drink with it. Bintang lager works. Cendol is the dessert-drink option afterwards.
Serving and presentation ideas
Plate the rice, lay a fried egg on top, and arrange cucumber slices, tomato and prawn crackers around the edge. Fried shallots scattered over. Sambal on the side for people who want more heat.
A bit of history
Fried rice came to the archipelago with Chinese traders and was adapted with local seasonings, particularly kecap manis, which itself grew out of Chinese soy sauce meeting Javanese palm sugar. It is now eaten across the country in hundreds of local variations. It anchors Indonesian cuisine.
More recipe ideas
Summary: Nasi Goreng
Nasi goreng is day-old rice fried hard with kecap manis and sambal, topped with a fried egg. Use cold rice, get the pan very hot, and do not crowd it.
