Vegetarian nasi goreng, Indonesia

Name: Vegetarian nasi goreng
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Indonesia
Ingredients: 600 g cooked rice from the day before, thoroughly chilled; 200 g tempeh, in small dice; 4 shallots, sliced; 4 garlic cloves, chopped; 2 tbsp sambal oelek; 4 tbsp kecap manis; 1 tbsp soy sauce; 4 eggs; 1 carrot, finely diced; 100 g green beans, in short lengths; 4 tbsp neutral oil; 1 cucumber and 2 tomatoes, to serve

Method

Break up the cold rice with your fingers so every grain separates; this is what stops it clumping in the wok.
Fry the tempeh in 2 tbsp oil for 6 minutes until crisp and browned, then lift it out.
In the same wok, fry the shallots and garlic for 2 minutes, then add the carrot and green beans for 3 minutes.
Stir in the sambal and cook it for 1 minute, until the smell turns mellow.
Add the rice and turn the heat to maximum, pressing it against the sides of the wok for 4 minutes to heat and colour it.
Pour in the kecap manis and soy sauce, toss hard until every grain is brown and glossy, then return the tempeh.
Fry the eggs in the remaining oil with lacy edges and soft yolks, and set one on each plate with cucumber and tomato.

Day-old rice really is essential: fresh rice releases steam and turns the dish to a sticky mush. Kecap manis, the thick sweet soy sauce, contains wheat, so use tamari labelled wheat free mixed with palm sugar if you need to avoid it.

The techniques this recipe uses

Sweat the aromatics
Medium heat, no browning: the onion should turn translucent and sweet, not toasted.

Frequently asked questions

Why does the rice have to be from the day before?

Freshly cooked rice still holds a lot of water: it steams in the wok and gives sticky mush instead of separate grains. Rice chilled overnight has dried out and its grains come apart. Crumble it between your fingers before it goes into the wok.

Does kecap manis contain gluten?

Yes, this sweet syrupy soy sauce is wheat-based. For a gluten-free version, replace it with tamari labelled wheat free mixed with melted palm sugar in the same quantity, and use the same tamari in place of the soy sauce.

How do I make this nasi goreng vegan?

Leave out the fried egg and double the tempeh, which then supplies both the protein and the crunch. Everything else, the rice, sambal, kecap manis and vegetables, is free of animal products.

Cooking rice for the dish you actually want

Four methods cover almost every rice dish. Which grain to pick, whether to rinse, how much water, what heat, and why the resting time matters.

Vegetarian dinner in thirty minutes, from scratch

What actually saves time on a weeknight: a hot pan instead of an oven, rinsed tinned pulses, one loud aromatic, and a starch cooking while you work.

Vegetarian nasi goreng

Method

The techniques this recipe uses

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Nutrition per serving

Frequently asked questions

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