Coconut Rice, or Nasi Lemak, is a Malaysian dish served throughout the day. Nasi Lemak is so popular that it is considered the country’s national dish.

The rice is lightly flavored with ginger, coconut milk and pandan leaves. Pandan leaves are very common in Malaysian cooking and add a light floral note to the dish. You can find them in Asian markets, either fresh or frozen. But if you can’t find them just omit them from the recipe.

It is often served with sliced cucumbers, a hard-boiled egg, and fried anchovies, roasted peanuts and spicy Sambal Sauce (available in the Asian Food Section in most markets). Simple Sambal Sauces can be very basic, made with just hot chile peppers, vinegar and salt.

More complex versions of Sambal Sauce have other ingredients such as garlic, shrimp paste, and lemongrass. The simple version is fine for the purposes of this recipe.

While having Nasi Lemak as a complete meal with all of the accompaniments is delicious, the coconut rice by itself goes well with other Malaysian dishes, such as Spicy Prawn Sambal, Chicken Rendang or Ayam Masak Merah. Also, give it a try with other coconut milk based Asian dishes, such as Thai Green Curry or Massaman Curry.

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Note: Coconut Rice can also be made in an Instant Pot Pressure Cooker.

Additional Malaysian recipes you might enjoy

Ayam Masak Merah – Tomato Chicken Curry

Malaysian Curry Beef Noodle Soup – Laksa

Homemade Laksa Curry Paste

Nasi Tomato – Tomato Rice

Malaysian Prawn Sambal

Chicken Rendang – Malaysian Coconut Curry Chicken

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Yield: 4 Servings

Malaysian Coconut Rice - Nasi Lemak

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Malaysian Coconut Rice - Nasi Lemak. A traditional Malaysian rice preparation garnished with additional ingredients such as boile d eggs and peanuts. Coconut rice is also a wonderful alternative to plain rice because of it's rich creamy flavor.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 Cup (220 g) Long Grain Rice
• 1 Cup (237 ml) Water
• 1 1/2 Cups (355 ml) Coconut Milk
• 1 Pandan Leaf (available in Asian Markets) Omit if unable to find
• 2 Slices Fresh Ginger
• Roasted Peanuts, Fried Anchovies, Cucumber Slices, Hard Boiled Eggs, Sambal Sauce, as accompaniments.
• Salt and Pepper to Taste

Instructions

Add the water, coconut milk, rice and ginger to a sauce pan over and bring the pan to a boil. Tie the pandan leaf into a knot and add it the pan.



Reduce the heat to simmer and cover. Continue to cook until the rice has absorbed all of the liquid and is cooked through (approximately 20 minutes).

For traditional Malaysian Nasi Lemak, garnish with hard boiled eggs, fried anchovies and roasted peanuts. No Nasi Lemak would be complete, however, without some spicy Sambal Sauce on the side.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 163Total Fat 4gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 19mgSodium 317mgCarbohydrates 26gFiber 2gSugar 3gProtein 7g

Nutritional Values are Estimates Only