#AceRecipeNews says this is Rick Stein‘s recipe that is serves up tasty Indonesian fried rice – ideal for barbecues, or for using up leftover cooked meat and veg.
For this recipe you will need 8-16 bamboo skewers (18cm/7in long), soaked in cold water for 1 hour.
Ingredients for the barbecued chicken
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp crushed white peppercorns
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp Thai fish sauce
1 lime, juice only
500g/1lb 2oz skinned boneless chicken thighs, each cut into 2.5cm/1in strips
For the spice paste
2 tbsp vegetable oil
4 fat garlic cloves, roughly chopped
50g/2oz shallots, roughly chopped
25g/1oz roasted salted peanuts
6 medium-hot red chillies, roughly chopped
1 tsp blachan (shrimp paste)
1 tsp salt
For the nasi goreng
300g/10½oz long-grain rice
sunflower oil, for frying
6 large shallots, thinly sliced
2 large free-range eggs
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp ketjap manis
1 tbsp light soy sauce
5cm/2in piece cucumber, cut into quarters lengthways, sliced
8 spring onions, trimmed, thinly sliced on the diagonal
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation method
- For the barbecued chicken, mix the crushed garlic, crushed white peppercorns, sugar, fish sauce and lime juice together in a bowl. Add the chicken pieces and place in the fridge to marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- To cook the chicken, thread the marinated chicken pieces onto parallel pairs of the soaked bamboo skewers (this helps to stop the pieces from spinning around as you turn them).
- Preheat the grill to its highest setting (or prepare the barbecue).
- Grill the chicken skewers for 6-7 minutes, turning regularly, until golden-brown and caramelised on the outside and cooked through (no trace of pink should remain).
- Slide the barbecued chicken off the skewers, cut into chunks and set aside.
- For the spice paste, blend all of the spice paste ingredients in a food processor to a smooth paste.
- For the nasi goreng, cook the rice in boiling, salted water for 12-15 minutes, or according to packet instructions, until just tender. Drain, rinse well with boiling hot water from the kettle, and drain well again.
- Spread the rice out onto a large baking tray and set aside until cold (but do not refrigerate).
- Heat 1cm/½in of the sunflower oil in a large, deep-sided frying pan until a breadcrumb sizzles and turns golden-brown when dropped into it. (Caution: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.) Add the sliced shallots and shallow fry, stirring now and then, until crisp and richly golden-brown. Remove the onions from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on plenty of kitchen paper. Sprinkle lightly with salt and set aside until cold and crisp.
- Beat the eggs in a bowl with some salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Heat a couple of tablespoons of the sunflower oil in a small frying pan over a medium-high heat, pour in one-third of the beaten egg and cook until it has set on top.
- Flip the egg over, fry it for a few more seconds then turn it out onto a chopping board or plate, roll it up tightly and set aside until cold. Repeat the process twice more with the remaining egg.
- When the egg rolls are cold, slice them into thin strips.
- Heat a wok over a high heat until smoking hot. Add two tablespoons of the oil left over from frying the shallots, then add the nasi goreng paste and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant.
- Add the tomato purée and ketjap manis and stir-fry for a few seconds, then add the cold cooked rice and stir-fry for a further 2-3 minutes, or until heated through.
- Add the barbecued chicken pieces, fried shallots and strips of omelette and stir-fry for another minute.
- Add the soy sauce, cucumber and most of the spring onions and mix well.
- To serve, spoon the nasi goreng onto a large warmed platter. Sprinkle over the remaining spring onions and allow people to help themselves.
Related articles