Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Nasi lemak: What is the Malaysian dish and why is it being celebrated?

Fried fish, anchovies, sliced cucumber, a hard-boiled egg, water spinach and crispy peanuts all feature

Clémence Michallon
New York
Thursday 31 January 2019 14:27 GMT
Comments
Google Doodle celebrates Nasi Lemak

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

Nasi lemak, a celebrated national dish in Malaysia, has been paid the tribute of a Google Doodle.

Traditionally eaten for breakfast, it consists primarily of rice cooked in coconut milk (santan) and infused with pandan leaves.

Toppings such as fried fish, anchovies, sliced cucumber, a hard-boiled egg, water spinach and crispy peanuts are then added.

A key ingredient is sambal (hot sauce), "the soul of the dish" that "brings together all the various toppings", according to the Rasa Malaysia food blog.

Sambal is considered as essential to the making of nasi lemak as coconut milk and pandan leaves, without which "a nasi lemak will not be authentic", the blog notes.

Nasi lemak is typically served in a banana leaf in which the rice and all accompaniments can be encased and kept warm.

The dish remains one the cheapest offerings in street markets and food courts, according to the National Library Board of Singapore, and it is considered Malaysia's national meal.

The rice going into nasi lemak is usually steamed rather than heated directly, in order to keep the coconut milk from burning.

Some aficionados employ a rice cooker, swapping the water for milk.

Other tactics include cooking the rice at night, then adding pandan leaves and coconut milk the following morning.

Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

Cooks have been tweaking the original recipe with renewed creativity since the 1980s, experimenting with more condiments beyond the traditional combination of anchovies, cucumber, and hot sauce.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in