I n this episode of Around the World in 80 Dishes, Chef Hubert Martini, of The Culinary Institute of America, shows us how to make nasi goreng, Indonesian fried rice.
Hailing from the island of Java, nasi goreng is one of the best-known Indonesian dishes. The main reason is that Java was ruled for centuries by the Dutch, who brought back the recipe to Europe. (Satay, another well-known Indonesian dish, is also a Javanese specialty.) In the Netherlands and in Indonesian restaurants around the world, stir-fried rice is often the centerpiece of an elaborate multipart buffet known as a rijsttafel.
Back in its home country, nasi goreng is typically more of a breakfast dish: Rice from the previous night's dinner is stir-fried with Indonesian seasonings such as kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) and terasi (fermented shrimp pastein our recipe this is replaced by the more readily available Asian fish sauce), and often with nothing else. In Jakarta's teeming street stalls, the stripped-down homemade version is expanded upon by adding various meats, shellfish, and/or vegetables and serving a fried egg on top. It is these pumped-up versions that inspired our recipe.
There are several ingredients that are essential to creating nasi goreng's authentic flavor: The rice should be long-grain jasmine, cooked ahead and cooled, to avoid mushiness. Kecap manis, a syrupy mix of soy sauce and palm sugar, is available in Asian grocery stores. Krupuk, Indonesian shrimp crackers, are pale disks that, when fried, puff up into light-as-air, crunchy snacks. In his book Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, James Oseland recommends seeking out an Indonesian brand of krupuk, such as Nyonya Siok, rather than the artificially colored Vietnamese or Chinese versions. However, in a pinch, any Asian brand will do.Text by Sarah Kagan, illustrations by Matthew Brennan, photo by CIA/Keith Ferris