Nyonya Nasi Lemak

It is my regret that I did not take down my grandma’s Nyonya nasi lemak recipe.

I knew I had to test this recipe out to preserve my Nyonya heritage – this recipe was taken from the Astro TV Cooking show called Comfort Food Recipes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQgcM41Ua5M). Thanks Astro and Nyonya Su Pei! Nasi Lemak Lover also tried it out here: http://nasilemaklover.blogspot.my/2016/06/nyonya-nasi-lemak.html.

There are a few components to Nyonya Nasi Lemak:

1. Nasi Lemak
2. Sambal Belacan
3. Sambal Ikan Bilis
4. Peanuts
5. Hard boiled egg
6. Cucumber
7. Some households level up their Nasi Lemak with other side dishes such as Asam Fried Fish, Fried Chicken, Prawn Sambal or even good ol’ Fried Baby Ikan Bilis
8. If wrapping or serving on banana leaf, run banana leaf over an open flame so that it softens and can be folded easily.

1. Nasi Lemak

1. Soak 2 cups of rice for 30 minutes after washing.
2. Drain water. Add pandan leaves and 2 slices of old ginger to rice in a steaming tray. Steam for 30 minutes.
3. Add some salt into 200g santan (coconut milk) and 100g water. Pour 1/3 santan mixture over rice. Mix rice and santan with chopsticks (spoon will break the perfect grain of the rice). Steam for 3 – 5 minutes or until santan is absorbed by rice.
4. Repeat Step 3 for 2 more times.
5. Keep rice warm.

*We can alternatively cook rice in the rice cooker with water and add coconut oil onto rice after cooking. Mix will with a pair of chopsticks.

2. Sambal Belacan

1. Toast belacan in wok. Use spatula to flatten it. End result should be a fragrant (borderline bakar smell) powder form belacan. Set aside.
2. Slice fresh red chilis. (Optional) Add cili padi (bird’s eye chili) for heat. Pound halfway.
3. Add toasted belacan from Step 1 into pounded chili mix and pound. Add bit by bit and taste as you go (do several taste tests).
4. (Optional) Add in lime juice.
5. Serve.

3. Sambal Ikan Bilis

1. Wash and sun dry ikan bilis (anchovies) *alternatively, can toast in oven. If sundrying, put a moat of water around it to avoid ants.
2. Pound: Shallots, sliced lemongrass. Then add and pound: dried chili paste, belacan and a little turmeric powder.
3. Heat oil in wok and deep fry ikan bilis from Step 1. Drain and set ikan bilis aside.
4. Use ikan bilis oil to fry pounded chili paste.
5. Add 1 daun limau purut (kaffir lime leaf) and some asam ko juice (tamarind).
6. Add sugar to taste.
7. Add ikan bilis from Step 3 and fry to incorporate all ingredients.
8. Serve.

4. Peanuts

1. Wash and sun dry peanuts *alternatively, can toast in oven.
2. Toast in pan over low heat till aromatic.

5. Hard boiled eggs

1. Place room temperature eggs in pot. Add salt and water (water level = cover eggs completely).
2. Boil water on medium/high heat until rapid boil (large bubbles).
3. Switch off heat and let eggs stand for 10 minutes in the pot of water.
4. Peel eggs and cut into desired size (half, quarters, etc)

6. Cucumber

1. Wash cucumber and slice cucumber. Serve.