Nasi Uduk

Nasi Uduk (Betawi Coconut Rice)

A classic Betawi breakfast staple from Jakarta: rice gently simmered in coconut milk with lemongrass, bay leaf and ginger until fragrant and savoury. Served with fried shallots, egg and sambal.

Prep

15 min

Cook

45 min

Total

60 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •400 g (14 oz) long-grain white rice, or jasmine rice, washed until water runs clear
• •500 ml (2 cups) thin coconut milk, from about 200 g grated coconut, or use canned coconut milk thinned with 150 ml water
• •150 ml (⅔ cup) water, for rinsing/adjusting liquid
• •2 stalks lemongrass, bruised, white part only
• •3 leaves Indonesian bay leaf (daun salam), substitute 1 dried bay leaf if unavailable
• •3 cm (1¼ in) ginger, bruised, unpeeled
• •2 leaves kaffir lime leaf, optional, remove central rib
• •1½ tsp fine salt, or to taste
• •2 tbsp coconut oil or vegetable oil, for frying shallots
• •60 g (2 oz) shallots, thinly sliced, for fried shallot topping
• •2 tbsp fried shallots, store-bought, for garnish
• •2 eggs eggs, for omelette or fried eggs, optional
• •4 tbsp sambal oelek, or sambal terasi, to serve

Steps

1. 1 Wash the rice in several changes of water until the water runs mostly clear. Drain well and place in a heavy-bottomed pot or rice cooker bowl.
2. 2 Add the coconut milk, water, bruised lemongrass, bay leaves, bruised ginger, kaffir lime leaves (if using) and salt. Stir to combine.
3. 3 If using a stovetop: bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally so the coconut milk does not catch. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes without lifting the lid.
4. 4 After 15 minutes, stir the rice once from the bottom, re-cover, and continue cooking on the lowest heat for another 15–20 minutes, until the liquid is fully absorbed and the rice is tender with a slight coconut richness. Do not let the base scorch; add a splash of water if it dries out too early.
5. 5 If using a rice cooker: combine all ingredients, close the lid and run one standard white-rice cycle. When it switches to 'warm', let the rice steam, covered, for 10 minutes before fluffing.
6. 6 Remove and discard the lemongrass, ginger, bay leaves and lime leaves. Fluff the rice gently with a fork and taste for salt.
7. 7 Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small frying pan over medium heat and fry the sliced shallots, stirring, for 5–7 minutes until deep golden and crisp. Drain on paper towel. (Or use store-bought fried shallots.)
8. 8 If serving with egg: beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and cook as a thin omelette, then slice into strips, or fry to your preferred doneness. Eggs must reach an internal temperature of 71 °C / 160 °F; cook until the whites are fully set and the yolk is no longer runny if serving vulnerable diners.
9. 9 Serve the nasi uduk warm, topped with fried shallots, egg strips or a fried egg, and a spoonful of sambal on the side. Traditionally it is also good with fried tempeh or fried chicken.