Coconut Milk Rice / Nasi Lemak

https://youtu.be/V4BLyFuLSOk

Malaysian Food – Coconut Milk Rice/ Nasi Lemak

Nasi Lemak is the traditional dish of Malaysia. I remember growing up in Johore, it was a breakfast dish and traditionally it’s eaten with boiled egg, sliced cucumber, fried peanuts and anchovies and topped with hot, spicy sambal.

When I moved to Kuala Lumpur in my teens, I found that Nasi Lemak is eaten with anything – fried chicken, Rendang, squid sambal etc. and eaten anytime of the day.

The recipe in this video is the traditional way of cooking Nasi Lemak in Johore, the southern state of Malaysia. We throw in about a spoonful of fenugreek to give that hint of a delicious aroma. 

Coconut Milk Rice / Nasi Lemak 

RECIPE

For 4 servings

Ingredients

2 ½ cups rice – cleaned and drained the water

3 shallots – sliced

1 garlic – sliced

2 cm. ginger – julienned

1 lemon grass – bruised

2 ½ cups coconut milk (use ½ a coconut – grated)

Directions

1. Place the rice in the rice cooker. Add in sliced shallots, garlic, ginger and lemon grass
2. Pour in the coconut milk, add in the fenugreek, and salt to taste. Stir well.
3. Switch on the rice cooker. Fluff up the rice when cooked

 How to wrap the rice in banana leaves

1. Clean the banana leaves then pass the leaves over the flame several times for a second to make them pliable and easy to fold
2. Place a bowl of rice in the middle of the leaf
3. Garnish with boiled egg, slices of cucumber, fried anchovies and peanuts; and topped it off with a spoonful of sambal
4. Bring both sides towards the middle, make sure they overlap
5. Quickly and carefully fold the end 
6. Repeat for the other end