Name: Clarissa’s 15-minute Nasi Goreng will put your takeaway to shame
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1/4 cup vegetable oil; 50g fried anchovies (dried), plus extra to serve; 150g chicken breast or thigh fillets, thinly sliced; Salt, to season; 4 cups cold cooked rice; 3 Tbsp soy sauce; 2 Tbsp sweet soy sauce (kecap manis); 1 cup mixed frozen vegetables (peas, carrots, corn); Fried eggs, sliced cucumber, tomato wedges, fried anchovies and lime cheeks, to serve; SPICE PASTE (SAMBAL); 6 small shallots or 1 medium red onion, chopped; 4 cloves garlic; 5–7 dried red chillies, soaked in hot water until soft; 2 medium red chillies (optional); 2 tsp belacan (shrimp paste), toasted (see Cook’s Tips); 1–2 Tbsp water

Fragrant, fiery and full of flavour, Clarissa’s Nasi Goreng recipe is a classic Indonesian fried rice with a personal twist. Packed with punchy aromatics, a hint of spice and that irresistible ‘just-one-more-bite’ depth, it’s the perfect balance of comfort food and street-food excitement. Quick to whip up and endlessly adaptable, this is the dish that proves fried rice is anything but ordinary.

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Ingredients

1/4 cup vegetable oil

50g fried anchovies (dried), plus extra to serve

150g chicken breast or thigh fillets, thinly sliced

Salt, to season

4 cups cold cooked rice

3 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)

1 cup mixed frozen vegetables (peas, carrots, corn)

Fried eggs, sliced cucumber, tomato wedges, fried anchovies and lime cheeks, to serve

SPICE PASTE (SAMBAL)

6 small shallots or 1 medium red onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic

5–7 dried red chillies, soaked in hot water until soft

2 medium red chillies (optional)

2 tsp belacan (shrimp paste), toasted (see Cook’s Tips)

1–2 Tbsp water

Method

Step 1

For the spice paste, process shallots or onions, garlic, chillies, belacan and water in a small food processor until finely chopped. Set aside.

Step 2

Heat oil in a wok on medium. Shallow-fry anchovies until crisp and golden. Using a slotted spoon, remove anchovies and drain on paper towel.
In the same pan, heat wok on high and add spice paste. Stir-fry for 4 minutes or until oil separates.

Step 3

Add chicken and season with salt. Stir-fry for 2 minutes or until just cooked. Add rice and stir-fry to break up clumps. Add sauces and frozen vegetables. Stir-fry until rice is hot.

Step 4

To serve, spoon rice into small bowls and pack down with the back of
a spoon. Invert onto plates, top with fried egg. Serve with extra anchovies, cucumber, tomato and lime wedges.

Cook’s tips

For a milder spice paste, remove the seeds from the chillies.
You can find belacan (shrimp paste) in the Asian section of most supermarkets. To toast, thinly slice and heat on a piece of foil in a frying pan, turning regularly, until fragrant. If unavailable, add 2 tsp fish sauce to the spice paste instead.
Fried anchovies can be replaced with fried shallots if you like.

*(Credit: (Photography: Phil Castleton, styling Michele Cranston))*

Clarissa Feildel Chef

As an accomplished cook, author and television presenter Clarissa Feildel has always had food at the heart of everything she does. Clarissa’s Nyonya/Chinese and Sri Lankan background has given her a melting pot of dishes in her repertoire, which she uses every day when feeding her family.