Nasi Lemak - Malaysia's National Dish

Ingredients

• 2 cups jasmine rice, washed and drained
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup water
• 2 pandan leaves, knotted
• 1 lemongrass stalk, bruised
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 100g dried anchovies (ikan bilis), cleaned
• 1/2 cup roasted peanuts
• 1 cucumber, sliced
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, halved
• For the sambal: 15 dried chilies, 1 onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon belacan, 1 tablespoon tamarind juice, 1 tablespoon sugar, salt to taste

Instructions

1. 1

   Combine rice, coconut milk, water, pandan leaves, lemongrass, and salt in a rice cooker. Cook until done.

2. 2

   For the sambal, soak dried chilies in hot water until soft. Blend chilies, onion, garlic, and belacan into a paste.

3. 3

   Heat oil in a pan and sauté the paste until fragrant. Add tamarind juice, sugar, and salt. Cook until the oil separates.

4. 4

   In another pan, fry the anchovies until crispy. Drain on paper towels.

5. 5

   Serve the coconut rice with sambal, fried anchovies, roasted peanuts, cucumber slices, and hard-boiled eggs.