Fried rice, like many of the great dishes of the world, was invented by the Chinese as far back as 4000 B.C. Thrifty folk decided to do something creative with their leftover bits of ingredients and by frying them up together with yesterday’s rice, created one of the most popular comfort foods of all time.
The premise is simple: take cold leftover rice, chop up whatever bits of meat and vegetables that you have lying around in your pantry or fridge, and fry them up in a wok with whatever spices or herbs strike your fancy. What meat, vegetable, spice or herb that goes into your fried rice depends on where you are in the world and what sort of food you usually cook (which dictates what leftover ingredients you have).
We live right on the fried rice highway between China and Indonesia. So many varieties exist in this region but let us first talk about the famous Chinese fried rice that all other fried rice dishes originate from.
When most people think Chinese fried rice, they think simple and light fare. Saltiness that comes from fish sauce and soy sauce, body that comes from eggs and shrimps, freshness from green onions, and of course flavor and fat from Chinese sausage (lap cheong) – just these ingredients with rice would make the perfect quick lunch.
Hop over the oriental borders to Japan and you’ll get garlic fried rice, served at almost every Japanese restaurant in the world. Crispy garlic bits are essential to this, along with generous amounts of egg. In Korea, kimchi fried rice is a popular variety, which makes use of the delicious pickled cabbage and tinges the fried rice red.
Travel south to the Indochinese states and you get the super fresh fried rice dishes of Thailand and Vietnam. Vietnamese fried rice is a little more protein-heavy yet less oily than its Chinese cousin, using slices of cooked pork or beef with zing from freshly ground black pepper and herbs like scallions, coriander leaves and sometimes even mint. Thailand is where fried rice starts to get spicy, with prik nam pla (Thai chilies, fish sauce and garlic) as a standard accompaniment.
Then we come to our fair land of Malaysia and its ubiquitous nasi goreng kampung served at any self-respecting roadside stall. Its spicy hit is deep, and is tossed with belacan, ikan bilis, or salted fish for the savory flavors and kangkung or spinach for the vegetable component. Drizzle some soy sauce over right before eating for an authentic kampung experience. We also have the nasi goreng pattaya, which is usually a simple fried rice enveloped in an omelette. Variations of this dish exist in Japan as omuraisu and in Indonesia as nasi goreng amplop.
Speaking of Indonesia, this is where nasi goreng gets the heaviest and most extravagant. There’s the fried rice itself, which is very similar to Malaysian fried rice, but cooked with kecap manis, a thick and sweet soy sauce. What makes it, however, is its accompaniments. A sunny side up egg on top, with kerupuk or fish/prawn crackers on the side, along with a generous scattering of fried shallots and a tiny bowl of pickled chilies. Sometimes you can even get satay on the side! Eating this from a push-cart vendor is one of the best food experiences one can have in Indonesia.
For our recipe offering, however, we return to Malaysia and give you a simple yet tasty recipe for nasi goreng kampung. It’s always been a favorite with us, and we hope it will be for you too.
Nasi Goreng Kampung (serves 2)
Ingredients
2 cups cooked rice
12 green bird’s eye chilies
3 cloves of garlic
6 shallots or small red onions
Handful of ikan bilis
Half a bunch of kangkung, leaves picked and stalks halved lengthwise
3 tbs cooking oil
Salt to taste
Method
- In a blender or mortar and pestle, grind the chilies, garlic and onions together into a rough paste.
- Heat the oil in a wok over medium flame. Fry the ground ingredients until fragrant, then add the ikan bilis.
- Once the ikan bilis starts to look a little crispy, add the cooked rice with the kangkung stalks and stir well.
- Add salt to taste, along with the kangkung leaves and stir well again.
- As soon as the kangkung leaves begin to wilt, turn off the flame and give it one last mix.
- Serve and enjoy!
Hunt for the Best Chinese Restaurant in Klang Valley
Discover the Best Indonesian Restaurants in Klang Valley
Same Thing, Different Wok: A regional guide to fried rice
2011-11-11
Fried rice, like many of the great dishes of the world, was invented by the Chinese as far back as 4000 B.C. Thrifty folk decided to do something creative with their leftover bits of ingredients and by frying them up together with yesterday’s rice, created one of the most popular comfort foods of all time.
The premise is simple: take cold leftover rice, chop up whatever bits of meat and vegetables that you have lying around in your pantry or fridge, and fry them up in a wok with whatever spices or herbs strike your fancy. What meat, vegetable, spice or herb that goes into your fried rice depends on where you are in the world and what sort of food you usually cook (which dictates what leftover ingredients you have).
We live right on the fried rice highway between China and Indonesia. So many varieties exist in this region but let us first talk about the famous Chinese fried rice that all other fried rice dishes originate from.
When most people think Chinese fried rice, they think simple and light fare. Saltiness that comes from fish sauce and soy sauce, body that comes from eggs and shrimps, freshness from green onions, and of course flavor and fat from Chinese sausage (lap cheong) – just these ingredients with rice would make the perfect quick lunch.
Hop over the oriental borders to Japan and you’ll get garlic fried rice, served at almost every Japanese restaurant in the world. Crispy garlic bits are essential to this, along with generous amounts of egg. In Korea, kimchi fried rice is a popular variety, which makes use of the delicious pickled cabbage and tinges the fried rice red.
Travel south to the Indochinese states and you get the super fresh fried rice dishes of Thailand and Vietnam. Vietnamese fried rice is a little more protein-heavy yet less oily than its Chinese cousin, using slices of cooked pork or beef with zing from freshly ground black pepper and herbs like scallions, coriander leaves and sometimes even mint. Thailand is where fried rice starts to get spicy, with prik nam pla (Thai chilies, fish sauce and garlic) as a standard accompaniment.
Then we come to our fair land of Malaysia and its ubiquitous nasi goreng kampung served at any self-respecting roadside stall. Its spicy hit is deep, and is tossed with belacan, ikan bilis, or salted fish for the savory flavors and kangkung or spinach for the vegetable component. Drizzle some soy sauce over right before eating for an authentic kampung experience. We also have the nasi goreng pattaya, which is usually a simple fried rice enveloped in an omelette. Variations of this dish exist in Japan as omuraisu and in Indonesia as nasi goreng amplop.
Speaking of Indonesia, this is where nasi goreng gets the heaviest and most extravagant. There’s the fried rice itself, which is very similar to Malaysian fried rice, but cooked with kecap manis, a thick and sweet soy sauce. What makes it, however, is its accompaniments. A sunny side up egg on top, with kerupuk or fish/prawn crackers on the side, along with a generous scattering of fried shallots and a tiny bowl of pickled chilies. Sometimes you can even get satay on the side! Eating this from a push-cart vendor is one of the best food experiences one can have in Indonesia.
For our recipe offering, however, we return to Malaysia and give you a simple yet tasty recipe for nasi goreng kampung. It’s always been a favorite with us, and we hope it will be for you too.
Nasi Goreng Kampung (serves 2)
Ingredients
2 cups cooked rice
12 green bird’s eye chilies
3 cloves of garlic
6 shallots or small red onions
Handful of ikan bilis
Half a bunch of kangkung, leaves picked and stalks halved lengthwise
3 tbs cooking oil
Salt to taste
Method
- In a blender or mortar and pestle, grind the chilies, garlic and onions together into a rough paste.
- Heat the oil in a wok over medium flame. Fry the ground ingredients until fragrant, then add the ikan bilis.
- Once the ikan bilis starts to look a little crispy, add the cooked rice with the kangkung stalks and stir well.
- Add salt to taste, along with the kangkung leaves and stir well again.
- As soon as the kangkung leaves begin to wilt, turn off the flame and give it one last mix.
- Serve and enjoy!
Hunt for the Best Chinese Restaurant in Klang Valley
Discover the Best Indonesian Restaurants in Klang Valley
Keyword
fried rice
nasi goreng
recipe
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