Nasi Goreng - Worldfoods Nasi Goreng Paste Review

I am a member of the Wordfoods Fusion Taste Team and this weeks challenge was to make Nasi Goreng. 

Nasi Goreng translates as "fried rice" in Indonesian and Malay, and is considered to be the national dish of Indonesia. It traces its origins from Chinese fried rice possibly brought to Indonesia by immigrants in the 15th Century. It is considered taboo in Chinese culture to throw away uneaten food, and as a result the previous day's leftover rice was often recooked the next day.  Leftover rice is in fact more suitable for making nasi goreng, as freshly cooked rice can be too soft and moist, so it may be a good idea to pre-cook your rice. Cook it then cool it down by running it under the tap (a great tip from a previous Fusion Taste Team-er) before you dry it off a bit and fry it (or put it in the fridge to use it the next day - even better).

Indonesian Nasi Goreng is typically stir-fried rice with sweet soy sauce (kecap manis), shallots, garlic, tamarind and chilli and accompanied with other ingredients such as egg, chicken and prawns. There is great flexibility in the recipe and it can use a large variety of ingredients - so pick and choose to create your ideal dish.

Here's the recipe we were given for Nasi Goreng

Serves 2-4

4 tablespoons WORLDFOODS INDONESIAN NASI GORENG PASTE

2 eggs

3 tablespoons cooking oil

200g boneless chicken breast, cut into strips (optional)

100g raw prawns, shelled and deveined

300g cooked rice, cooked as per pack instructions (preferably pre-cooked and left to cool; ideally the day before)

Make an omelette with 2 eggs. Cool and shred it thinly.

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a wok or frying pan and add 4 tablespoons of WORLDFOODS INDONESIAN NASI GORENG PASTE and cook for 1 minute until aromatic.

Add in chicken and prawns and fry for approximately 5 minutes.

Stir in rice and cook for a further 3-5 minutes or until heated through.

Garnish with shredded omelette

Here are some variations on the Nasi Goreng recipe that you might like to try:

• Nasi goreng ayam: the most common nasi goreng with chicken, spices and sweet soy sauce, the color is golden brown

• Nasi goreng istimewa: special nasi goreng, usually refers to nasi goreng ayam with addition of fried egg topping

• Nasi goreng sapi: nasi goreng with beef

• Nasi goreng sea food: nasi goreng with seafood such as cuttlefish, prawns, shellfish and fish

• Nasi goreng amplop: nasi goreng "enveloped" in thin omelette

• Nasi goreng santri: means priest's nasi goreng, refer to a meatless vegetarian nasi goreng

• Nasi goreng sosis: nasi goreng with sausages

• Nasi goreng Hawaii or also called nasi goreng nanas: nasi goreng with pineapple

• Addition of onions, ginger or extra garlic

Additions for garnish:

• Prawn crackers

• Sambal: traditional chilli sauce

• Slices of fresh vegetables: usually cucumber, tomato, lettuce and cabbage

• Spring onions

• Soy sauce

How we got on:

I used strips of omelette with our Nasi Goreng and didn't use chicken breasts as we didn't have any in the house.  I also only used 2 tablespoons of the Nasi Goreng paste to make it milder for my daughters tastes. I also added extra vegetables to the dish.  The recipe was really straight forward, versatile and fab for using up leftovers - what more could you want?

Here's a pic of our delicious dinner:

It was a really quick and easy dinner on a night when one was needed.  Great flavours, versatile and filling - totally recommend that you give it a go.

Don't forget you can follow Worldfoods Fusion Taste Team on Twitter @fusiontasteteam and don't forget to check out the Wordfoods Facebook Page.