Nasi lemak

Nasi lemak (Jawi: ناسي لمق‎) is a dish originating in Malay cuisine that consists of rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf. It is commonly found in Malaysia, where it is considered the national dish. It is also a native dish in neighbouring areas with significant ethnic Malay populations, such as Singapore and Southern Thailand. In Indonesia, it can be found in parts of Sumatra, especially the Malay regions of Riau, Riau Islands, and Medan. It is considered an essential dish for a typical Malay-style breakfast.
Nasi lemak can also be found in the Bangsamoro region of Mindanao, prepared by Filipino Moros, as well as in Australia's external territories of Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.
Nasi lemak was mentioned as early as 1875 in a French–Malay dictionary compiled by Pierre-Etienne-Lazare Favre, a Roman Catholic missionary based on the Malay peninsula, and in a book titled The Circumstances of Malay Life, written by Richard Olaf Winstedt in 1909. With roots in Malay culture and cuisine, the name of the dish in Malay literally means "fat rice" but is taken in this context to mean "rich", or "creamy". This is derived from the cooking process, which involves soaking the rice in coconut cream and steaming the mixture. The addition of pandan leaves give the rice its distinct flavour.
Traditionally, nasi lemak is wrapped and served in banana leaves, together with a hot spicy sauce (sambal) and various garnishes, including fresh cucumber slices, fried anchovies (ikan bilis), roasted peanuts, and hard-boiled or fried eggs.
As a more substantial meal, nasi lemak may also be served with an additional protein dish such as ayam goreng (fried chicken), sambal sotong (cuttlefish in chili), small fried fish, cockles, and rendang daging (beef stewed in coconut milk and spices). Other accompaniments include stir-fried water convolvulus (kangkong) and spicy pickled vegetable salad (acar).
Nasi lemak is widely eaten in Malaysia and Singapore. Commonly consumed as breakfast in both countries, it is sold in hawker centres and roadside stalls.
In Indonesia, nasi lemak is also common breakfast fare, especially in Sumatra (Riau Islands, Riau, and Medan). In the Palembang and Jambi provinces, it is called nasi gemuk, since in Palembang Malay, gemuk is a synonym of lemak.
On 31 January 2019, Google released a Google Doodle celebrating nasi lemak.
In Malaysia and Singapore, nasi lemak comes in many variations, as it is prepared by different chefs from different cultures.
In northwestern Peninsular Malaysia, nasi lemak dishes typically incorporate curry into their recipe. The sambal served with the dish varies in spiciness, ranging from mild to very spicy.
Hawker centres usually wrap the dish in banana leaves to enhance its flavour. Roadside stalls sell it ready-packed, known as nasi lemak bungkus.
A traditional Malaysian nasi lemak calls for rice and a serving of sambal, anchovies, peanuts, and boiled egg.
While the dish is typically made using white rice, brown rice can also be used. Cooked with fresh coconut milk, with pandanus leaves thrown in, the dish is served on banana leaves.
Also known as nasi lemak kuning ("yellow nasi lemak"), or nasi lemak royale, this version is prevalent around parts of northern Kedah, especially in Alor Setar, as well as in the state of Perlis. The rice is yellow in colour and commonly eaten with curries.
As both variations of nasi lemak are widely available in northern Kedah and Perlis, locals commonly refer to the traditional dish as nasi lemak daun pisang ("banana leaf nasi lemak").
In the east-coast state of Terengganu, ikan aye/aya/tongkol ("mackerel tuna") is often added to the dish.
In Malacca, kangkung is usually served together with nasi lemak, a contrast from the cucumber that is commonly used in the standard version of the dish.
Although it is not common to see Chinese stalls and restaurants selling nasi lemak, there is a non-halal version that contains pork, sold in towns and cities such as Malacca, Penang, Perak, and certain parts of Kuala Lumpur.
The Malaysian Indian variation is similar to the original one. As many Malaysian Indians are Hindus, however, and thus do not eat beef, their variant of nasi lemak is often served with chicken curry, fish curry, or lamb curry, as well as with dishes like chicken masala or chicken varuval.
In certain parts of Malaysia and Singapore, hawkers and restaurants may offer vegetarian nasi lemak. In this version, the dried anchovies and the shrimp paste for sambal are replaced with vegetarian substitutes. Vegetarian nasi lemak can also be served with stir-fried vegetables and plant-based imitation fish or meat.
This variant is usually regarded as a unique Cameron Highlands specialty, where strawberries are commercially grown. The fruit is added to the sambal, and the rice is coloured dark pink.
Across the Malacca Strait, the Malay Indonesians of the Sumatran east coast share a common heritage and cuisine with their Malaysian counterparts. As a result, nasi lemak is also native to the provinces of Riau Islands and Riau.
In the Riau Archipelago, nasi lemak is considered a native Malay dish as well as a favourite breakfast food. Being an archipelagic region, seafood is usually added to nasi lemak, including ikan tamban (Sardinella longiceps), ikan selar kuning (Selaroides leptolepis), sotong, cumi-cumi (squid), or shrimp.
In Pekanbaru city, Riau province, locally caught freshwater river fishes are commonly used to accompany nasi lemak. These include ikan selais (Kryptopterus cryptopterus), ikan patin (Pangasius), and ikan lomek (Harpadon nehereus). The fish are usually cooked in Minang-style lado ijo (green chili pepper), minced and fried as perkedel ikan, or just plain fried.
Other than fried fish, Pekanbaru's nasi lemak might also be served with fried tempeh, beef prepared as gulai or rendang, and also stir-fried long beans, often cooked in spicy coconut milk.
The Medan Melayu Deli version of nasi lemak is usually served with a choice of side dishes, either rendang (beef or chicken) or balado (egg or shrimp in chili sauce). It may additionally include a sprinkle of crispy fried shallot, slices of omelette, kripik kentang balado (spicy potato chips), tempe orek (seasoned fried tempeh), perkedel (fried potato patties), sambal chili paste, and slightly bitter emping crackers.
Next to rendang and balado, the vegetable dish sayur masak lemak (vegetables including long beans, cabbage, and long green chilies in coconut milk) is also offered. It is a popular street food in Medan, sold in small warung, usually together with Lontong Medan.
Retaining the familiar aroma of pandan leaves, the Singaporean Chinese variation of nasi lemak comes with a variety of sides that include deep-fried chicken drumsticks, chicken franks, fish cake, curried vegetables, and tongsan luncheon meat.
Nasi lemak's closest analogue is probably the Sumatran nasi gemuk (lit. "fatty rice"), commonly found in the Indonesian cities of Jambi and Palembang. The two dishes are essentially the same, and they differ mainly in name, where lemak is synonymous with gemuk in Jambi and Palembang Malay.
Other, similar regional dishes that use rice cooked in coconut milk include nasi uduk from Jakarta, nasi gurih from Aceh, and the Javanese nasi liwet.
Nasi lemuni is a similar savoury rice dish traditionally found in northern Peninsular Malaysia. Its preparation is similar to that of nasi lemak, though the inclusion of lemuni leaf (Vitex trifolia) makes it distinctive.
Nasi katok is another similar dish, this one from Brunei Darussalam, which uses plain white rice rather than coconut rice.
In March 2016, nasi lemak was mentioned as one of the healthy international breakfast foods by Time magazine. However, a single, full-size serving of nasi lemak, with the addition of fried chicken, meat, or fish, can be between 800 and well over 1,000 calories. The coconut milk-infused rice also contains saturated fat, an ingredient connected to health issues such as diabetes.
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