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The "Essential" Nasi Lemak
The "Essential" Nasi Lemak
Heat up the oil in the wok. I will normally use the leftover oil from frying the ikan bilis. Add the
blended onions, anchovy paste and sweat it for in low flame for 10 minutes. This releases the sugar in
the onion and also removes the sulphuric fumes.
Then add the chili paste and simmer for about 15 minutes more.
Towards the end, adjust the taste with more salt (if needed), sugar and tamarind. Add the large
onion slices and simmer for about 5 minutes. This adds texture to the sambal.
Another variation is to add fried ikan bills in. If you are doing this, fry it first and set aside. Use the
oil to make the sambal chilli and add the fried ikan bilis after the sambal is done. Remember that
ikan bills or belachan will add saltiness to your sambal chilli.
Serve it at room temperature.
As for ikan bilis and peanuts, just fry in low flame. Fry it in small batches if you are unsure or
cooking a certain type of ikan bilis for the first time.This should be a no-brainer.
If you are squeeze a fresh grated coconut yourself, use 1coconut to 1 kg of rice. Squeeze with a
cloth or using a strainer, and the first bowl is the "pure coconut milk" or "cream," as it is
often called. Then add some water to the coconut flesh and squeeze again. This is a second
pass and it is called the coconut "milk"- very confusing, I can understand.
2. You use the watery "milk" to cook the rice, along with 2 tsps of table salt and pandan leaves.
The volume of the watery milk used should be the same as the rice in volume.
3. Switch on your rice cooker. After the rice reaches the warming stage (the button will pop up),
add the cream and stir the rice. Close the lid pot, switch on to cook and when it goes to
'warm', leave it there for another 10 minutes or so.
4. Fluff up the rice and serve it hot.
Now, unless someone can enlighten me, I think there is a limit with what you can do with an electric
rice cooker. If you add in all the milk/cream right at the start, the oil in the coconut cream will
prevent the rice from cooking properly. To cook large quantities, it is not easy to ensure evenness on
texture and flavour throughout the batch of rice. Note that sufficient salt is important. If you use
coconut milk packs like Kara, note that the 200 ml pack contains the cream of one coconut. You can
try using just 50 ml of it and add water to it to cook the rice during the first stage. Then add the rest
later.
But the traditional way of steaming the rice is still best. Since I discovered the kukus way of cooking,
all my Nasi Lemak is now cooked that way. It is easier, I don't have to bother about water ratios, it is
easy to control the cooking process and the texture turns out perfect every time. I have explained in a
posthere on how to use the steaming method.
Fried Ikan Kuning or Nasi Lemak Fish: Start with the head...crunch!!
As for the fried ikan kuning, buy them all cleaned up from the wet market. A kilo can feed 6-8
people. Marinate for half an hour with some salt, tumeric powder and pepper. Keep in the fridge
before you cook.
How do you get the crispiness? For home cooking, and unless you are using a big wok with very hot
oil, the best is to double fry. Fry for about 5-8 minutes per batch. The oil must be hot enough and
you should hear a nice sizzling sound (when I get round to using a thermometer, I will tell you the
degree one day). Let it cool. Then just before you serve, fry again in high heat for about a minute. The
first run removes the moisture, which is the usual enemy of crispiness. The second fry in high flame
will do the job perfectly. Alternatively, find a way to dehydrate or dry up your fish. Before you
marinate, drain out the water and dry pat the fish. Then, adding the marinade ingredients of tumeric
powder, pepper and salt. This actually is almost equivalent to 'salting the fish', a popular technique
used to dehydrate meat (osmosis). Leave it in the fridge for a few hours, uncovered if possible. With
this, frying it once will do the job. But if all this is too much of a bother, just double fry.
Eggs: Hard boiled please. Don't omelet it. I know that this preference has to do with my Malaysian
roots. But have you seen how beautiful the two-tone color of a sliced hard boiled egg is? When you
bite into it, the texture moves from the gelatin white to the crumbly yoke. Mixed with coconut rice
and sambal chili, it is a perfect combi. Egg can be done in a variety of ways but cook it in a way which
suits the dish. Commercially, the convenience needed for cooking or the use of liquid egg may justify
a square piece of a one-colored miserable dark yellow thing. It can be a chore to peel the egg, but for
home cooking, leave the parts of the egg as they are in the way God has created them.
Ok, to make the 'perfect' hard boiled eggs, do this. Pour in the water into the pot. Add the eggs. Then
switch on the flame (or induction cooker). When it reaches boiling point, cover the pot and swith off
the flame and let it cook for another 15 minutes.
It is easier to peel the egg when it is warm. Only slice the egg (use a strong or sharp knife) when it has
cooled to ensure that the yolk is sliced smoothly. If you want to keep the yolk at the centre of the egg
for better presentation, stir the pot occasionally when the egg is cooking.
Oh well, that is saying a lot for the humble hard-boiled eggs. Just being fussy. I love them, esp in
Nasi Lemak.
Cucumber: Use the local variety, not the Jap ones. I don't bother about rubbing salt in. Cut off both
ends and peel. If you have a good peeler, it can be done very quickly. Then slice. YOu don;t need to
remove the seeds. You can quickly create lines by running the fork down the length.(Eh..why am I
telling you how to cut a cucumber?)
Ok, the "essential" Nasi Lemak is done: Coconut rice, fried ikan bilis, fried ikan kuning, peanuts, egg,
cucumber and sambal chili.
The next time you eat it, imagine the Malay kampung at the seaside..you sitting under the coconut
tree and enjoying your nasi lemak, the tree swaying with the sea breeze and coconuts dropping left
and right but missing you because you are indeed blessed, with this nostalgic song humming in the
background...