Fried rice (nasi goreng)

A quick version of the Indonesian favourite.

Nasi goreng, or fried rice, is well known in the Netherlands. But most of the time we see it as a side dish and not as a full meal. That is actually quite strange because in many countries in South East Asia they often eat variations of fried rice as a main course.

I adapted this version from a recipe from the Dutch Boodschappen magazine. Instead of shrimp I used tofu, and because of the way of preparation (an adaptation of this recipe) you no longer need extra eggs. That makes this dish completely plant-based and it is also filling because tofu is full of vegetable protein and unsaturated fat.

This nasi goreng is therefore slightly different from the versions you may be used to, but it is super tasty. With plenty of vegetables and a fresh taste of lime and ginger, this is a perfect weeknight meal. This is also a handy meal if you have some rice left over, just use the already cooked rice and skip steps 1 and 2.

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Fried rice (nasi goreng)

5 minutes preparation + 20 minutes cooking — serves 2 to 3

• 1 block of firm tofu (around 280 grams)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2cm fresh ginger
• 4 spring onions
• 2 carrots
• 160 grams of rice
• 250 grams frozen peas
• 125 grams bean sprouts
• 2 tablespoons kecap manis
• 0.5 tablespoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon turmeric (optional — mainly for colour)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 lime
• Soy drink (or milk if you don’t have soy drink, but note the dish will no longer be vegan)
• Oil
• Optional: sambal (chili sauce)

1. Boil a liter of water in a kettle.
2. Wash the rice and cook in a pot with the pre-boiled water for c. 15-19 minutes (longer/shorter depending on pack instructions). Drain and keep aside.
3. Peel the garlic and finely chop (or use a garlic press).
4. Peel the ginger and chop finely.
5. Wash the carrots and cut into thin cubes of about 0.5 cm.
6. Wash the spring onions and cut into thin rings.

7. Heat a large pan with some oil and crumble the tofu over the pan with clean hands.
8. Fry the tofu pieces in the pan until they start to brown.
9. Add a large splash of soy drink to the tofu and then the pepper and turmeric. Mix well.
10. Wait until the tofu has absorbed the soy drink or most of it has evaporated. Then add a small splash of soy drink and the salt and scoop the tofu out of the pan. Keep separate.
11. Heat some new oil in the pan and add the garlic, ginger, spring onion and carrot. Fry for c. 5-8 minutes until the carrot becomes soft.
12. Add the peas, cooked rice and soy sauce to the pan. Mix everything well.
13. Stir-fry for another 5 minutes to crisp up the rice and allow the flavours to absorb.
14. Add the bean sprouts and tofu to the nasi goreng and mix.

15. Cut the lime into wedges.
16. Serve the nasi goreng with the lime and sambal / chili sauce if using.

Enjoy your meal!

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Leave a comment below if you made this recipe, and let me know what you think. Tips and feedback to improve the recipe are always welcome too!