Indonesian Chicken Fried Rice (Nasi Goreng Ayam)

Nasi goreng (which translates to fried rice in Indonesian and Malay) is one of my all time favourites, a real comfort dish of fried rice with a mix of meat, vegetables and seasonings. This chicken nasi goreng recipe from Lara Lee’s Indonesian cookbook, Coconut & Sambal, combines rice, chicken and green beans with aromatic garlic, galangal or ginger, shallots, plus turmeric, soy sauce, kecap manis and fish sauce, to create a filling dish with lots of flavour.

Garnished with a fried egg, fresh chilli, and fried shallots, Lee also serves it with prawn crackers for extra crunch.

If you want to know more about this lovely cookbook, check out my recent review of Lara Lee’s Coconut & Sambal, and enjoy the other two recipes we’ve shared from the book, Lee’s Tomato Sambal and her Spiced Corn Fritters.

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5 from 1 vote

Indonesian Chicken Fried Rice (Nasi Goreng Ayam)

I’ve been eating chicken fried rice for as long as I can recall and it’s a dish of which I never tire. This version of nasi goreng is my absolute favourite. The galangal and white pepper give it a good amount of heat, which is balanced by the sweetness of the kecap manis and the saltiness of the soy and fish sauce. The fried duck egg with a runny yolk on top is sheer luxury. With the added crunch of green beans, fried shallots and kerupuk or prawn crackers, this dish hits all the right spots and is my favourite choice for a Friday night in. Chilli heat Mild

Servings 2 as a large main or 4 as a side

Author Lara Lee

Ingredients

• 2 skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into small, bite-sized cubes
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
• 8 cm piece of galangal or ginger (about 40 g), peeled and woody stem removed, finely chopped
• 1 small banana shallot or 2 Thai shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
• Handful of green beans, chopped into small chunks 2 spring onions, chopped into large chunks
• ¼ tsp ground turmeric
• 95 g jasmine or basmati rice, cooked and cooled (240 g cooked weight)
• 2 tbsp kecap manis
• 1½ tsp fish sauce
• 2 tsp light soy sauce
• Sea salt and white pepper to taste
• Coconut oil or sunflower oil, for frying

To serve

• 2 duck or hen eggs
• 1 tbsp Fried shallots (recipe in book)
• ½ long red chilli thinly sliced
• Kerupuk (recipe in book) or prawn crackers

Notes

Sambal suggestion Peanut sauce (recipe in book)

Instructions

• Season the chicken pieces with salt and white pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan or wok over a high heat and fry the chicken until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
• Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan, add the garlic, galangal or ginger and shallots and cook over a medium-high heat until fragrant. Add the green beans, spring onions and turmeric and cook for 1 minute.
• Add the rice to the pan, breaking up any clumps with a wooden spoon. Ensure all the ingredients are well combined and the rice is warmed through. Return the chicken to the pan. Season with the kecap manis, fish sauce, light soy sauce and a large pinch of white pepper, and extra salt if needed.
• Meanwhile, fry the eggs. Place a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Once shimmering, crack the eggs directly into the oil. Cook for 2–3 minutes until the whites are partially cooked. Tilt the pan and spoon the hot oil over the egg whites until they are fully cooked (I like my yolk runny, but cook yours to your liking). Season with salt.
• Divide the fried rice between two serving plates and garnish with the fried shallots, sliced chilli and fried eggs on top. Serve with crackers.

Don’t forget to look at our other two recipes from Coconut & Sambal:

• Indonesian Tomato Sambal
• Indonesian Spiced Corn Fritters

If you decide to buy this book after reading our content, please consider clicking through our affiliate link, located within the post and in the footnote at the end.

Kavey Eats received a review copy of Coconut & Sambal: Recipes from My Indonesian Kitchen by Lara Lee from publishers Bloomsbury. Book photography by Louise Hagger, other images by Kavita Favelle.