Nasi goreng

Nasi Goreng

Nasi goreng is a traditional dish from Indonesia, a place in South East Asia. It is a style of fried rice. The name is Malay; nasi means "rice" and goreng means "fried or to fry". It is also popular for late-night supper sold from street vendors. It can be found almost anywhere in Indonesia. It is also popular in Malaysia and Singapore.

In 2011, CNN International announced that nasi goreng is the number two of their "World's 50 Most Delicious Foods" list.

Ingredients

There is no single recipe for nasi goreng, as there are various types. The basic ingredients generally include: cooked rice, kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), salt, garlic, chilli pepper, fried onions, carrot, egg and chicken. Slices of cucumber, tomato, and lettuce are included for garnishing. Eggs can be either mixed into fried rice in the beginning as scrambled eggs or served separately as fried eggs. In general, acar – pickle made from vinegar preserved cucumber, carrot, shallots, and small chilli pepper – and krupuk – deep fried prawn crackers – are provided as side dishs.

The flavor of nasi goreng can vary depending on the region. There are some variations, such as nasi goreng Bali which is cooked in Bali; nasi goreng seafood which includes shrimp, fish and squid, or nasi goreng satay which includes satay (seasoned and grilled skewered meat chunks with peanut sauce). When cooking it, one may put anything that can harmonize with the taste.

Even though any ingredient can be added in nasi goreng, what cannot be taken out is the kecap manis. Kecap manis is very crucial in the dish which gives the flavor to the nasi goreng. It is what makes the taste of nasi goreng different from other Asian styles of fried rice. Other sauces such as ikan asin (salted dried fish) and saus tiram (oyster sauce) can be added as well. The spiciness of nasi goreng is decided by the amount of sambal (chilli sauce). The sambal can be added during the cooking process or added individually while eating, depending on the preference.