Recipe
🥙 LUNCH
Nasi Kandar
Fragrant rice with an aromatic chicken curry, dhal, and okra, flooded with mixed curry gravy the banjir way, Penang's Tamil-Muslim classic.
Malaysian · medium · serves 4
prep 25 min · cook 40 min
~1030 cal · 66g protein · 129g carbs · 26g fat · 13g fiber · 8g sugars · 5g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Nasi kandar is Penang's own, a plate of steamed rice served with an array of curries and side dishes and, above all, a generous flooding of mixed curry gravy the locals call banjir. It was carried into being by the Indian Muslim traders who came to Penang in the early 1900s, who blended their spice knowledge with local tastes and sold rice and curry to the dock workers of Weld Quay.
The name is the giveaway to how it began. Kandar is the Malay word for carrying a load slung from a pole across the shoulder, which is exactly how the first vendors worked, a pot of rice hanging from one end of the bamboo and pots of curry from the other, set down under a shady tree at the jetty. Hameediyah, still open in George Town, traces its start to a stall under a tree in 1907.
The original curries were built on spice and gravy rather than , and the joy of the plate is in the mixing: fried or curried chicken, a soft lentil dhal, and fried , all brought together under ladles of different gravies until the rice is soaked through.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, egg-, nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
2 cups basmati rice
1.5 lb chicken, bone-in pieces
3 tbsp meat curry powder
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp chili powder
2 onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 in piece ginger, grated
2 tomato, chopped
2 sprigs
1 of each whole spices (cinnamon stick, star anise, )
1 cup red lentils, for the dhal
2 cups (ladies fingers)
1/4 cup cooking oil
to taste salt
Instructions
1
Rinse the basmati rice until the water runs clear, then cook it with water and a little salt until fluffy.
2
Brown the whole spices and curry leaves in the oil, add the onion, garlic, and ginger, and cook until soft and fragrant.
3
Stir in the curry powder, turmeric, and chili powder, then add the chicken (or the chickpeas and potato) and coat well in the spices.
4
Add the chopped tomato and enough water to make a gravy, then simmer until the chicken is tender and the sauce has thickened.
✎ Chef’s note
The original nasi kandar curries lean on spice and gravy rather than coconut milk, which keeps the plate light enough to layer several curries at once.
5
Simmer the red lentils separately into a soft dhal, and fry the okra until just tender.
6
Mound the rice on a plate, top with the chicken curry, dhal, and okra, and flood it with the mixed gravy, the banjir way.
Penang Tamil-Muslim tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Penang. Nasi kandar really did begin here, sold by Tamil Muslim vendors who carried rice and curries slung from a shoulder pole, which is what kandar describes. Penang assam laksa is the other local signature and contains no coconut milk at all, being a sour broth of mackerel and tamarind rather than a curry.
🗺️
Malaysia. Malaysian food is a delicious crossroads of Malay, Chinese, and Indian cuisines, from coconut nasi lemak to laksa noodle soups and char kway teow. Sambal, pandan, and rich curries define its multicultural, hawker-driven table.
🌍
Asia. A grain line runs across the continent. Rice dominates the wet south and east, wheat the drier north and west, and the tools follow it: the wok and the steamer where rice is milled, the tandoor and the griddle where wheat is ground. Tea travels the other way, drunk green, black, salted, buttered or with milk depending how far it got from China.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Malaysia
Char Kway TeowFlat rice noodles seared in a screaming wok with prawns, egg, chives, and dark soy, Penang’s hawker crown.
Nasi LemakFragrant coconut rice with spicy sambal, fried anchovies, peanuts, cucumber, and egg, Malaysia's national breakfast.
Penang Asam LaksaA tart, spicy mackerel-and-tamarind noodle soup topped with pineapple, mint, and ginger flower, Penang's iconic bowl.
Browse all Malaysia recipes →
Good to know
Storing it: Cool leftover rice quickly and refrigerate within an hour. Keep up to 2 days and reheat until piping hot all the way through.
Make it a Malaysia meal
Teh TarikDrink
Kuih Seri MukaDessert
Char Kway TeowDinner
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Frequently asked questions
What is Nasi Kandar?
Fragrant rice with an aromatic chicken curry, dhal, and okra, flooded with mixed curry gravy the banjir way, Penang's Tamil-Muslim classic.
Where does Nasi Kandar come from?
Nasi Kandar is a Malaysian dish from Penang, Malaysia.
Can Nasi Kandar be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Nasi Kandar recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Nasi Kandar safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Nasi Kandar take to make?
About 65 minutes total (25 minutes prep, 40 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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