Nasi Lemak Kukus
twice-steamed coconut rice, made the traditional way!
by now, you’re probably bored of seeing Chef Azfar make Nasi Lemak for the 1092839th time on our videos, but STOPPPP - we promise you it’s different this time!
for the recipe below, we explored making a more complexed but superior way of this coconut rice dish. yes, this is INTERMEDIATE level OG Nasi Lemak where the rice gets steamed twice on a steamer rack instead of it being cooked in a rice cooker. why the hassle, you may ask? not only does this method of cooking nasi lemak make produce a fluffier texture with the grains separated, it guarantees even cooking of the rice without resulting in a batch having parts which are undercooked/under-hydrated and other parts being too mushy.
some say that this is the traditional procedure of making Nasi Lemak, but please don’t quote us on this (we ain’t food historians lol).
while the processes may sound intimidating and lengthy, it is actually simple to follow! done right, this might be the best Nasi Lemak you’ll ever make at home!
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
Nasi Lemak Kukus (twice-steamed Nasi Lemak)
coconut rice:
3 cups jasmine rice, soaked for 1 hour and drained
water, for steaming
600ml fresh coconut milk
6 pandan leaves, knotted
8 shallots, thinly sliced
2 tsp fenugreek seeds
30g ginger, sliced
1-2 tsp salt
ayam goreng berempah (spiced fried chicken):
1 kg chicken legs
1/2 cup tapioca flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
salt, to taste
oil, for deep-frying
10 dried red chillies, soaked in hot water to soften
3 cloves garlic, peeled
6 shallots, peeled
2 sticks lemongrass
20g ginger, peeled
30g galangal, peeled
1 tbsp coriander powder
2 tsp cumin powder
1 tbsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp meat curry powder
1/2 cup water
sambal tumis:
150g dried red chillies, soaked in hot water to soften
10 shallots, peeled
20g garlic, peeled
3 candlenuts, soaked in hot water to soften
10g belachan (shrimp paste)
2 cups oil
1 tbsp tamarind pulp (asam jawa)
1 tbsp brown sugar / gula Melaka
water, as needed
salt, to taste
other accompaniments:
1 cup fried ikan bilis (anchovies)
1 cup fried peanuts
1 cucumber, sliced
omelette
banana leaf, optional
directions:
making the rice
place the drained rice into a steaming tray / on a cheesecloth. place onto a steamer rack on top of boiling water and makes sure to spread out to ensure even cooking. cover the steamer pot and steam the rice for 10-12 minutes or until rice is 60%-70% done.
while rice is steaming, combine all the other ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. turn down heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
transfer the HOT, partially cooked rice with the HOT coconut milk mixture into a bowl & stir well. cover the bowl with cling wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes to let the rice absorb all the liquid. it is IMPORTANT that the components or not, if not, the rice will not absorb the coconut milk well.
place the rice mixture back onto the steamer rack and continue to steam until fully cooked.
preparing ayam goreng
in a blender, puree all the ingredients in bold into a thick paste. transfer to a bowl and combine the egg, flours, baking powder and salt. whisk until fully combined.
introduce the chicken legs and coat the pieces well with the batter. let marinade in the fridge for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
take out from the fridge and let it come up to room temperature. heat oil in a pot. drop in the chicken legs and fry until golden and crispy. check the interior to ensure it is fully cooked. drain on a paper towel and cut the chicken to smaller pieces.
cooking the sambal
in a blender, puree all the ingredients in bold until smooth. heat oil in a pot and sauté the blended paste for 15-20 minutes or until the the oil separates.
season with salt, sugar, tamarind. adjust consistency with water, as desired.
to assemble nasi lemak kukus, arrange the warm rice on a banana leaf. place the chicken, sambal, cucumber, ikan bilis, peanuts and omelette all around. enjoy!
if you are looking for the easier version, check it out over here:
Nasi Lemak Under $2??
With Singapore’s cost of living constantly on a rise, even a simple Nasi Lemak that was once $2.50, can now go up to a whopping $20! So sometimes turning back to our kitchen and cooking up a meal for ourselves might just save us from breaking our banks in the long run.
alternatively, we’d recommend this mee goreng mamak which turned out stunning 🥹
Mee Goreng Mamak - perfect for the supper cravings!
Singaporeans and Malaysians may fiercely argue on what 'Hokkien Mee’ should be. however, when it comes to noodles, we can all agree on one thing; and that is Mee Goreng Mamak is the ultimate supper food we have all come to love.
So that's how you make coconut rice. I decided to use my brain once as wasn't bothered researching and added a table spoon of coconut milk to the water during cooking in the rice cooker but got nothing.