Nasi Goreng Kampung

Fried Rice Indonesian Style (Nasi Goreng)

Nasi Goreng is a flagship of Indonesian cuisine. It is to Indonesian food what burgers and fries to American food, or pork roast, sauerkraut and dumplings are to Czech food. There are as many varieties of Nasi Goreng as there are varieties of curries, chillies or goulashes.

As far as rice is concerned, Indonesian rice is grown mostly in the lowlands with plenty of heat and irrigation. Like in most of SE Asia, it belongs mainly to the Indica type. Its grains are long and tend to break easily. When cooked, the rice is fluffy and does not stick together the way Japonica rice does. Here is a recipe for Nasi Goreng Jawa (Javanese Fried Rice)

Ingredients:

• 600 g cooked rice
• 3-4 tbsp Indonesian soy sauce
• 5 tbs oil
• 30 g bean sprouts
• 5 shallots, finely chopped
• 2 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 3-5 red hot chile peppers, finely chopped
• 1/2 tbsp shrimp paste

• Slices of cucumber
• 6 egg, fried
• Shrimp crackers
• Fried onion
• Pickled cucumbers and carrots

Preparation:

1. Mix together the shallots, garlic, chiles and shrimp paste. Pound into a thick paste.
2. In a wok or a large frying pan, sauté the spice paste in the oil over medium heat until fragrant.
3. Add the rice and the soy sauce. Stir well.
4. When the rice is heated through, add the bean sprouts and continue to stir.
5. Add the seasonings and continue to stir for a minute.
6. Remove from heat, arrange on plates and garnish individually with fried eggs, cucumber slices, fried onion, pickled cucumbers and carrots, and shrimp crackers.
7. YIELD: 6 servings.