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When anyone talks about Malaysian dishes, the first thing that comes to mind is undoubtedly the Nasi Lemak. It’s simply a must try while in Malaysia!
Nasi Lemak is usually served for breakfast, but can be consumed at any time of day (including late night supper at the many nasi lemak stalls, and for lunch perhaps those leftover nasi lemak packets from the morning) for its filling and flavourful taste. We’ve listed some interesting facts about the Nasi Lemak below!
The Nasi Lemak is actually regular rice, but is cooked with coconut milk and a some pandan leaves mixed together. This coconut rice (with a little tinge of pandan) is usually wrapped in banana leaf and served with condiments including hard boiled egg, cucumber slices, peanuts, fried anchovies and most importantly, the spicy sambal (a type of sweet chili paste)!
The sambal is considered the most important condiment, and only great sambal makes a great Nasi Lemak!
Besides these condiments, Nasi Lemak can also be had with a variety of local Malay dishes. Some side dishes that complement the Nasi Lemak include fried chicken, chicken rendang, beef rendang, squid and prawn chili.
A bit on origin of the Nasi Lemak, according to heritage historian Ahmad Najib “Nadge” Ariffin, the Nasi Lemak originated from the west coast of peninsular Malaysia. He also states that back then, the villagers used to eat Nasi Lemak for breakfast before going to work at the paddy fields.
The main reason for this is that Nasi Lemak has all the food groups covered and is highly nutritious. Calories for each serving of Nasi Lemak are 242 calories of White Rice, short grain, cooked, (1 cup), 240 calories of Palm Oil, (2 tbsp), 126 calories of Anchovy (anchovies), (15 anchovies), 78 calories of Hard Boiled Egg, (1 large), 16 calories of Coconut Milk (Silk), (3 tbsp), 13 calories of the Chilli Factory - Mild Chilli Satay Sauce (10ml), (0.50 serving), 6 calories of Cucumber (peeled), (7 slice), 5 calories of Ginger Root, (3 slices (1" dia).
The literal translation for “Nasi Lemak” means “fatty rice”. Fat in this context is actually the smooth and rich taste to the Nasi Lemak.
Let’s all try and enjoy the Nasi Lemak!
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