nasi goreng

This is one of those simple home foods that brings me such delight. It's great for breakfast and makes a really easy dinner, and you can usually just use up leftovers (rice and random vegies and things) and if you've got a bit of curry, that's great to go on the side, too.



Nasi Goreng

The secret to a good nasi goreng is a hot wok and a flat metal wok spatula (it looks like this) and everything being prepared and ready to go. Nothing worse than half your ingredients in the wok and realising you've left something on the bench, and you've forgotten to chop it.

ingredients:
pre-cooked (and cooled) rice (two or three cups worth is a nice amount)
a carrot (julienned)
cup of peas
quarter of a head of chinese cabbage, chopped
tablespoon of dark soy
tablespoon of light soy
50g or so of soft tofu, chopped loosely

method:

If you're using frozen peas, prepare them in advance by adding them to some warm water. This unfreezes them, it's essential that they're soft and warm-ish (or at least not frozen) when you're using them.

Add a dash or three of oil (preferably peanut) to the wok. Swirl it around until the oil is thinly coating the wok base and sides. Add the carrots, fry until soft. Use the wok spatula to toss the carrots occasionally. After the carrots begin to soften, add the cabbage and a dash or two of water. This will allow the cabbage to steam slightly. After the cabbage begins to wilt, and the water has evaporated, add the rice. Pour the soy into the rice, and break the rice up using the spatula. Drain the peas and add. Toss the rice into the other ingredients. Your rice will have clumped as it cooled or was stored, so you will have to press the clumps down with the underside of the spatula. Toss and press until the rice has taken in all of the soy. You may require more or less soy, depending on your taste and the amount of rice you have used.

At the last, add the tofu, mix it in and let it break up. It gives a gooey sort of consistency, a bit like adding egg traditionally does, and is a great, though optional, addition to the nasi goreng.

The tofu and the mixture of vegetables are just what you have handy, but are usually peas, carrots, Chinese cabbage and corn kernels, which I tend to omit because D dislikes them so.