Homemade Nasi Lemak

Tadaaaa! That was my first attempt at making Nasi Lemak at home. The key to a good Nasi Lemak, as I've learnt, lies in the richness(lemak) of the rice and of course, the unifying factor, which is the sambal.

There's a simple trick to making good Nasi Lemak rice, and it is the ratio of 2 cups of rice to one cup of coconut milk. Add in water(usual measurement when mixed with the coconut milk). Other than that, chuck in some sliced ginger and some salt to taste. The salt will bring out the richness of the coconut milk and that's what you want. Some people say that the secret to good Nasi Lemak is to add pandan leaves but I found that it tastes just as good without. Perhaps you can argue that it's a matter of personal taste.

More often than not, Nasi Lemak would be served with one or half of a hard-boiled egg. However, some people(like me), love the taste of the runny yolk of an egg fried, sunny side up, to go with my rice. Again, I believe this is a matter of personal preference.

As for the sambal, I believe that it should have a good base of either dried shrimp or dried anchovies. If you're not a fan of that, I think a base of onions would be fine as well. I believe vegetarians use onions as a base. What I did here was, I blended garlic, roughly chopped fresh red chillies(my grandma would actually use dried red chilli, soaked in hot water and seeds removed), plenty of onions(for sweetness) and dried shrimp that I've soaked and drained. I then put some oil in a pot and fried the blended ingredients. Later, I added anchovy paste(traditionally, belacan would be used), salt and plenty of sugar as well as lemon juice for that twang! Ideally, tamarine should be used but I didn't have that. I have to confess that I did cheat by using a tiny bottle of Sambal Indonesia from the local Tesco to add a punch of chilli spiciness. I cooked it until the oil broke onto the surface and voila! Ready to serve.