Nasi Goreng

After eating my way through Indonesia recently, I had to try my hand at preparing an Indonesian dish back here at home. I took a great cooking class in Bali and here is the nasi goreng (nasi means rice, goreng is fried), a very traditional dish. As with most Indonesian dishes, it is based in rice.

There are some specialized ingredients, which I found easily at an Asian supermarket. Kecap manis is a thick and sweet soy sauce; you can try using soy sauce with some sugar or molasses dissolved in it (no promises though). The maggi sauce is a cross (very roughly) between soy sauce and Worchestire sauce. Just go to an Asian market and make life easy on yourself.

Ingredients

• 1 pound chicken breast, finely chopped
• Oil
• 8 tablespoons chopped shallots
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 4 red chillis, chopped
• 1 leek, white and light green parts only, chopped
• 2 cups of chopped bok choi
• 2 cups finely shredded cabbage
• 5 cups steamed rice
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste mixed with 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 6 tablespoons kecap manis
• 1.5 tsp fish sauce
• 3 tsp maggi sauce
• Sea salt and black peper to taste
  

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a wok over a medium-high flame.
2. Fry the chicken in the oil until it shrinks for, about two minutes. If there is too much water coming from the chicken, remove chicken and wash the wok. Add same amount of oil back and reheat oil with chicken.
3. Add the shallots and garlic. Toss for one minute.
   
4. Add the leek and chili and mix thoroughly.
5. Add the rice and vegetables. Add the sauces and mix well.
6. Keep tossing until vegetables are wilted.
7. Check seasonings and serve.
   

Serves 3-4. Eat up.