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Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice) Recipe

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★★★★★

4.8 from 58 reviews

Nasi Goreng is a traditional Indonesian fried rice dish known for its bold, savory, and slightly sweet flavors. This recipe uses day-old rice for the perfect texture, combined with a fragrant mixture of garlic, shallots, shrimp paste or fish sauce, kecap manis, and marinated chicken. Topped with a sunny side up egg and garnished with fresh cucumber, tomato, green onions, and crispy fried shallots, this one-pan meal is both comforting and packed with umami.

Ingredients

Scale

Main Ingredients

  • 3 cups day-old cold rice
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • oil (for frying, enough to coat the pan)
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2–3 small shallots, finely minced (or 1 small onion, approx. 1/3 cup)
  • 2½ teaspoons shrimp paste (or 3 tablespoons fish sauce)
  • 2½ tablespoons kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
  • 1–2 bird’s eye chilies, finely chopped (or 1 tablespoon sambal oelek hot sauce)
  • 1 stalk green onion, finely minced (separate white and green parts)
  • 2 boneless chicken thighs, cut into small cubes (skin on for more flavor)
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce (for chicken marinade)
  • 3 eggs (for frying sunny side up, 1 per serving)

Garnishes

  • Fried shallots or onions
  • Green parts of green onion
  • Tomato slices
  • Cucumber slices
  • Shrimp/prawn crackers (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preparation: Break up the cold leftover rice into small separate grains by hand to ensure even frying. Mince the shallots, garlic, and bird’s eye chilies finely. Slice the tomato and cucumber for garnish. Mince the green onion stalk, separating the white parts for chicken marinade and green parts for garnish.
  2. Marinate the Chicken: Dice the chicken thighs into small cubes, keeping the skin on for extra flavor. Combine the chicken with the white parts of the green onions and 1 tablespoon fish sauce. Set aside to marinate while preparing other ingredients.
  3. Fry the Eggs: In a pan, fry the eggs sunny side up, one egg per serving. Set aside for plating later.
  4. Cook the Chicken: Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add a generous amount of oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the marinated chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes until fully cooked and slightly browned.
  5. Sauté Aromatics: Add the minced shallots to the pan and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Then add minced garlic and toast for another 1 minute until fragrant.
  6. Add Shrimp Paste: Push the chicken and aromatics to the side, add shrimp paste to the pan and toast for about 1 minute until it darkens in color. If using fish sauce instead, skip this step and add fish sauce later with the kecap manis.
  7. Incorporate Rice: Add the rice to the pan, breaking up any lumps as you stir. Stir-fry for about 2-3 minutes to heat through evenly.
  8. Add Sauces: Pour in the kecap manis and turn heat to high, stir-frying the rice to caramelize the sugars for about 2 minutes. If using fish sauce instead of shrimp paste, add 3 tablespoons fish sauce now and mix well.
  9. Taste and Adjust: Taste the fried rice and adjust seasoning according to preference. Add more kecap manis for sweetness or extra rice to mellow strong flavors if needed.
  10. Finish with Green Onions: Stir in the green parts of the green onions, turn off the heat, and mix well.
  11. Plate and Garnish: Serve the nasi goreng on plates or bowls. Arrange sliced cucumber and tomato on the side. Optionally, add shrimp crackers. Generously sprinkle fried shallots for extra crunch and flavor.
  12. Top with Fried Eggs: Place a sunny side up egg on top of each serving of nasi goreng and enjoy immediately.

Notes

  • Use day-old rice for best texture; freshly cooked rice tends to be too soft and sticky.
  • Shrimp paste gives an authentic umami flavor, but fish sauce is a good substitute.
  • Adjust bird’s eye chili quantity based on your tolerance for heat or use sambal oelek as an alternative.
  • Keeping chicken skin on enhances flavor and texture but can be removed for a leaner dish.
  • Kecap manis is Indonesian sweet soy sauce, essential for the signature caramelized taste. Regular soy sauce will not replicate the flavor.
  • Fried shallots add crunch and aroma but can be omitted for a smoother texture.
  • For vegetarian version, omit chicken and shrimp paste, substitute with tofu and mushroom soy sauce.

Keywords: Nasi Goreng, Indonesian fried rice, chicken fried rice, kecap manis recipe, shrimp paste fried rice, Asian fried rice, spicy fried rice

Find it online: https://nayabaker.com/nasi-goreng-indonesian-fried-rice-recipe/