I found out about this dish when I went to Bali, many years ago. I spent ten days there, and I’m not exaggerating when I tell you I ate it every day. Not that I was hesitant to try anything else of course, but there was something about this dish that I couldn’t get enough of. Nasi goreng is a very famous indonesian dish, but the Balinese cook it a bit differently. The Indonesian version is basically spiced, fried rice with eggs and dried prawns, but the balinese took it to a different level by adding chicken and fresh vegetables, plus a very fragrant spice mix. You can throw in any vegetable you fancy, like broccoli florets or peas. It’s fantastic served with crispy, fried onions.

Ingredients

• 2 cups long grain rice
• 3 Tbs sunflower oil
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 Tbs fresh ginger, finely chopped or grated
• 2 red chillies, chopped
• 200gr chicken breast, cut in strips
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 spring onion, chopped
• 1 carrot coarsely grated
• 100gr string beans ( I used fresh but frozen will do fine)
• 150gr peeled and cooked prawns
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbs soy sauce
• 1 Tbs fish sauce
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• 2 Tbs dark brown sugar
• 1 lime
• fresh coriander leaves to garnish

For the spice mix

• 1 tsp black pepper corns
• 1 heaped Tbs roasted peanuts, preferably unsalted
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1 small onion
• 5cm piece fresh ginger
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 red chilli peppers (no seeds)
• 1 stick lemongrass, bruised and roughly chopped (soft part only)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 Tbs sunflower oil
• a squeeze of lemon

Method

Rinse the rice with plenty of water until the water runs clear. Drain. In a large sauce pan, bring 6 cups of salted water to a boil. Add the rice, lower the heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes. The rice will be almost cooked at this stage. Drain rice and spread it in a baking pan to cool.

Make the spice mix by puting all ingredients in a blender and blitz until a paste forms.

In a small bowl mix together the soy sauce, fish sauce, tomato paste and brown sugar. In another bowl lightly whip the eggs.

Have all your ingredients near the stove and start making the Nasi Goreng. In a large pan or wok, heat the 3 Tbs sunflower oil over high heat. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli and stir fry for 1 minute. Add the chicken and cook for another minute. Add the onion and all of the spice mix paste. Cook stirring for 1-2 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Add the spring onion, carrot and green beans. Cook for another 30 seconds or so, then add the cooked rice and the prawns. Give it a stir and pour in the soy/fish sauce mixture. Mix everything together and leave to cook, for 2-3 minutes for the flavours to blend. Add the eggs and stir until they are cooked. Take pan off the heat and cover for 15 minutes. Serve with a squeeze of fresh lime and garnished with coriander leaves.