Fried rice is a perennial favourite in Malaysia, and you’re unlikely to find two recipes that are exactly the same as you go from restaurant to restaurant, village to village, and house to house.
Whether mild or maddeningly spicy, light or dark, topped with fried anchovies or shallots, with beef, chicken or prawns, plenty of veggies or hardly any… there’s no right or wrong recipe – as long as it tastes good, everybody will enjoy it!
With Raya right around the corner, here’s a simple recipe for a classic dish that’s perfect for the festive season – village-style fried rice, also known as nasi goreng kampung.
Ingredients
- 7 cups cold cooked rice
- 200g sliced beef
- 1 cup petai, halved
- 4 tbsp sweet soya sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 eggs
- 8 tbsp cooking oil
- 12 shallots
- 12 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp cili boh
Method
- Using a food processor, blend and mix the shallots, garlic and cili boh into a fine aromatic mixture.
- Heat and season your wok by wiping it with a thin layer of oil using a paper towel. You will know the wok is hot enough when the oil has dried up and the wok seems to glow.
- Add three tablespoons cooking oil, then add the aromatic mixture and fry until it has darkened and the oil has separated and risen to the top.
- Add the beef and petai. Stir until the meat is cooked.
- Turn the heat to low and add the cooked rice, sweet soy sauce and salt. Using two ladles, mix thoroughly to coat the rice and distribute the ingredients evenly, but don’t toss or flip the rice yet.
- Turn the heat back up to high and fry the rice thoroughly, stirring and flipping the rice as you go, for about three minutes.
- Transfer the rice to a serving dish.
- Next, cook the eggs one by one. Using a clean wok, add five tablespoons of cooking oil once the wok is sufficiently hot.
- Break an egg into a bowl and slide it into the hot oil to fry. As it cooks, flip some hot oil over it to get it to cook evenly. Remove the egg once it has reached your preferred doneness.
- Serve the kampung fried rice with a fried egg and your favourite sambal on the side.
Tip
- Separate the cold cooked rice before cooking by using your fingers to break down any clumps.
This article first appeared in butterkicap.com, a food and culture platform and community that enables anyone to experience Malaysia through stories of its people, food and places.