Nasi Lemak/ Coconut Rice with Prawn Sambal

One food Malaysians can't live without is Nasi Lemak or Coconut Rice. Nasi Lemak is usually served with variety of dishes Chicken Sambal, Squid Sambal, Prawn Sambal, Anchovies Sambal, Hard Boiled Eggs, Fried Groundnuts, Fried Anchovies, Fried Eggs, Clams Rendang, Beef Rendang and many more to list down.

I have served my Nasi Lemak with prawn sambal, hard boiled eggs, fried groundnuts and fried chicken nuggets. Okay now let us look at how to prepare the rice for Nasi Lemak first;

Ingredients:

2 cups of rice (soaked and drained)
3 shallots finely diced
1 lemon grass sliced thinly
1 pc of ginger sliced thinly
1/2 cup of coconut milk
2 1/2 cup of water
5 pcs of cloves
1 tbsp of ghee
Salt to taste

I have used rice cooker to cook this. In a rice cooker, heat ghee and add all the aromatics (lemon grass, shallots, ginger, cloves) and fry for a minute. Add in rice, water and coconut milk with some salt to taste and cover until rice completely cooked. 

The rice should be fluffy and not too moist nor grainy. Let rice to cool and use chopstick or fork to separate the grains, let it cool down before using a spoon to serve the rice. Now our Nasi Lemak rice is ready to be served.

Prawn Sambal;

250g of prawns (soaked and drained)
3 large onions sliced
1 small piece of belacan/shrimp paste
30 pcs dried red chili (depending on preference)
1 tbsp of chili sauce
1 tsp of brown sugar
2 cups of water
Salt to taste
Oil to fry

Blend shrimp paste, dried red chili and 1 onion with 2 cups of water until fine and set aside. I'm making a watery chili paste so that I don't have to add water later while cooking the sambal.

In a pan, heat oil, add balance 2 onions and fry for until onions turn translucent, now add the chili paste and let it boil and water almost evaporates. Now add the prawns and let it simmer, finally add salt, brown sugar, chili sauce and let the sambal thickens.

I have added 30 pcs of dried red chili because I prefer it spicy, you can reduce if you can't consume very spicy sambal.

Now our prawn sambal is ready to be served with Nasi Lemak, garnish with hard boiled egg, fried groundnuts and what ever you prefer to go with Nasi Lemak..

Do try and let me know how it turned out!