Fried rice—indonesian style
Recipe by Amanda Wastrom
Here’s one of the quintessential dishes that I learned to cook in Indonesia. Makes a great use of leftovers whether it’s the rice or vegetables. I make this for breakfast, lunch or dinner! Traditional indonesian fried rice uses sambal (a sort of garlic/chili paste) and kecap manis or sweetened soy sauce. You can use normal soy sauce and can leave off the chili if you do not want the spicy heat. The ginger is my addition, not in the traditional way that I learned, but it just tastes so good (I think it might make up for the MSG that I don't use). There’s a lot of flexibility in this dish. This recipe uses eggs but you can also add shrimp, chicken, or tofu. Can easily be modified to be vegetarian.
- 1 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
- 2 eggs, beaten lightly
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 medium onion, minced or 2 shallots, minced
- 1 tsp chile paste or 1 thai chile, minced (both optional, if you like it spicy)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp (or more) grated fresh ginger (store bought stuff in a jar works too)
- 1 tbsp kecap manis or soy sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup of veggies, chopped (anything will work: broccoli, mushrooms, peppers, asparagus, eggplant, celery, carrots)
- 2 cups cooked white rice (can also do a mix of 1 cup white rice, 1 cup brown rice)
- salt, pepper to taste
Toppings (optional)
- chopped scallions
- crushed peanuts or cashews
- chopped cilantro
Prep. Time → 20 min
Cook Time → 10 min
1. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok on medium high heat (better low than high) until shimmering. Add eggs until cooked. Remove eggs and set them aside.
2. Add garlic and onions or shallots and cook until fragrant and onions are softened, about 3-5 minutes. Be careful not to burn the garlic and onions – you only want them to sweat. If you are using any vegetables that require a longer cooking time (i.e. carrots) add them at the same time.
3. Add chili paste or chili (if using), ginger and garlic powder and any additional vegetables. Cook until vegetables are just softened (almost cooked), stirring frequently.
4. Add rice and mix thoroughly. Rice should absorb the oil and any juices released from the veggies.
5. Add soy sauce and stir to combine. Remove from heat. Rice should be uniformly light brown in color. Sauced lightly but not drowning in sauce – the dish is actually quite dry. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Serve in bowls and add toppings, if using. Enak sekali!
main courses, eggs, fried rice, indonesia October 21, 2011 13:09
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