~515 cal · 14g protein · 29g carbs · 44g fat (estimated, per serving)
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Coconut rice with sambal, anchovies, peanuts, and egg
🇲🇾 Penang
Nasi lemak is the national dish and quintessential breakfast of Malaysia: rice steamed in coconut milk and pandan, mounded with a dark, sweet-spicy sambal and the classic garnishes of crisp fried anchovies, roasted peanuts, cucumber, and a boiled or fried egg. Wrapped in banana leaf, it is morning happiness.
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Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
Ingredients
Serves 4 —
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2 cups rice steamed with coconut milk and pandan
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1 cup sambal (chili, onion, tamarind)
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1 cup dried anchovies (ikan bilis), fried
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1/2 cup roasted peanuts
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4 + 1 eggs, boiled, and cucumber
Instructions
1
Steam the rice with coconut milk and a knotted pandan leaf until fluffy.
2
Cook the sambal down until thick, dark, and sweet-spicy.
3
Fry the anchovies (or tempeh) and peanuts (or seeds) until crisp.
4
Boil the eggs (or ready the extra tempeh) and slice the cucumber.
5
Mound the coconut rice with the sambal and garnishes around it.
Penang tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination
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Penang. Hawker-stall capital of Southeast Asia, wok hei and all.
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Malaysia. Malay, Chinese, and Indian cooking sharing one table.
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Asia. From street-cart woks to slow monastery kitchens.
The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.
👩🍳
Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker
Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →
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