Nasi Goreng is Indonesian fried rice. This variation is quite simple, with the main flavouring ingredients being only bacon, onion, mushroom, and a few basic spices. Despite that, it is quite delicious and filling, and quick to prepare.

• Serves: 4
• Preparation time: 10 minutes
• Cooking time: 20 minutes

Nasi Goreng is an Indonesian dish, with “nasi” meaning “rice” and “goreng” meaning “fried”. The recipe here has fewer ingredients than is traditional¹, making it simpler and more-economical, as well as faster to prepare. I have always loved this one as a kid, as it is very moreish, with excellent flavour and aroma. It’s a good base for adding many other things that may take your fancy, too.

Ingredients

• Main recipe:
  • 2 large onions
  • 6 rashers of middle bacon
  • 8 medium mushrooms
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 1½ tsp curry powder
  • 1½ tsp paprika
  • ½ tsp chilli flakes
  • 4 tsp vegetable stock powder
• Rice:
  • 3 cups basmati rice
  • 3 cups water

Method

1. Dice the onions and bacon.
2. Dice the mushrooms into a separate bowl.
3. Melt the butter in a frying pan on high heat.
4. Gradually fry all of the onion and bacon, until it is just starting to brown. This will take about 10 minutes.
5. While frying the onion and bacon, start steaming the rice. With a typical rice cooker, 3 cups of water is enough to ensure the rice doesn’t go mushy.
6. Stir in the diced mushroom.
7. Add all of the spices and vegetable stock to the frying pan, stirring it around thoroughly as it cooks. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, keep dislodging ingredients that congeal and stick to the frying pan.
8. After about 5 minutes, the contents of the frying pan should be a deep golden-brown colour. The fragrance of the spices should now be more blended.
9. When the rice is cooked, stir it in to the frying pan, and set it to medium-low heat.
10. Keep stirring it around for another 5 minutes as the mixture combines, turning the rice an even yellow-golden colour.
11. Serve!

Variations

The definition of “Nasi Goreng” is very broad, so you can add just about anything you like to it. Here are some suggestions for how to mix up the recipe a bit:

• For a more-lean variant, replace the butter with an oil, such as a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.
• Try using less bacon, and more chicken. Dice the chicken and cook it with the onions and bacon from the start, or marinade chicken tenderloins and cook them alongside the main recipe, adding them in at the end.
• Substitute ziti, penne, or macaroni pasta for the rice. This was also a favourite of mine, as a kid.
• If you’re looking to cook a larger quantity, you may find it easier to stir in the rice if you started preparing the dish in a wok or electric frying pan.
• Try the more-traditional ingredients and garnishes. For example, check out this Nasi Goreng recipe.

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