Fragrant rice steamed in coconut milk with lemongrass, pandan leaves, and bay leaves, served with fried chicken, tempeh, sambal, cucumber, and a crispy fried egg — Jakarta's breakfast of champions.
Ingredients
3 cups long-grain rice, washed
400ml coconut milk
200ml water
2 pandan leaves, knotted
1 stalk lemongrass, bruised
2 bay leaves
1 tsp salt
Accompaniments: fried chicken
Fried tempeh slices
2 hard-boiled eggs
Sambal kacang (peanut sambal)
Fried shallots
Cucumber slices
Kerupuk
Instructions
1Combine washed rice, coconut milk, water, pandan leaves, lemongrass, bay leaves, and salt in a rice cooker.
2Cook until rice is fluffy and fragrant. Remove aromatics and fluff with a fork.
4Mound coconut rice on a plate (or banana leaf for authenticity).
5Arrange fried chicken, tempeh, hard-boiled egg, cucumber, and kerupuk around the rice.
6Top with fried shallots and serve with sambal kacang on the side.
Did You Know?
In Jakarta, nasi uduk vendors start cooking at 3 AM so their fragrant rice is ready for the city's early risers, and the best stalls sell out before 8 AM.