Nasi goreng
Indonesian fried rice stained with kecap manis, seasoned with shrimp paste and chilli, and finished with a fried egg.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Rest
- None
- Total
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- Medium heat
- Cost
- Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Nasi goreng is Indonesian fried rice, and the point is the kecap manis: thick sweet soy that caramelises on the wok and stains the rice brown. Start with cold cooked rice, a day old if you have it. Pound shallot, garlic, chilli and a little shrimp paste into a rough paste, fry it hard, then add the rice and break it up over high heat. Kecap manis goes in near the end so it glazes rather than burns. Top each plate with a fried egg with a crisp edge, sliced cucumber and tomato, and a scatter of fried shallots. Prawn crackers on the side if you have them.
What you'll need
14 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
Ingredients
- Rice, cooked and chilled, from about 250 g raw jasmine rice600 g
- Kecap manis44 ml
- Shrimp paste, toasted in foil4.9 ml
- Shallot, roughly chopped4
- Garlic3 clove
- Fresh chilli, red, deseeded if you want it milder2
Choose one
Chicken, thigh, diced small200 g- Egg, one per plate, fried4
- Soy sauce15 ml
- Neutral oil59 ml
- Cucumber, sliced, to serve½
- Tomato, sliced, to serve1
- Spring onion, sliced2
- Salt2½ ml
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Pound shallot, garlic, chilli and the toasted shrimp paste to a coarse paste with a pinch of salt. A small blender works if you add a spoon of oil.
5 min
Step 2
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok until it shimmers. Fry the chicken until it takes colour, 3 minutes, and push it to the side.
3 min
Step 3
Add the paste to the centre and fry, stirring, until it smells cooked and the oil separates, about 2 minutes.
2 min
Tip: The raw shrimp-paste smell should fade. If it still smells like the harbour, keep frying.
Step 4
Add the cold rice. Break the clumps with the back of the spatula and toss over the highest heat until every grain is hot and coated, 4 minutes.
4 min
Step 5
Pour the kecap manis and soy sauce around the edge of the wok so they hit hot metal, then toss through. Taste for salt. Add spring onion.
2 min
Watch: Kecap manis burns fast. Keep the rice moving.
Step 6
Fry the eggs in the remaining oil until the whites are crisp at the edges and the yolks still soft. Plate the rice, add an egg, and arrange cucumber and tomato on the side.
4 min
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 542 kcal
- Protein
- 28.6 g
- Carbs
- 60.8 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Saturated fat
- 3.5 g
- Fibre
- 2.1 g
- Sugar
- 13 g
- Sodium
- 1095 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Shellfish
- Soy
- Wheat
- Eggs
- Dairy-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.
Substitutions
Kecap manis → 2 tbsp dark soy sauce plus 1 tbsp brown sugar
Close in colour and sweetness, thinner in body.
Shrimp paste → 1 tbsp fish sauce
Less depth but keeps the savoury floor. Omit both for a vegetarian plate.
Tips
- Rice straight from the cooker steams instead of fries. Spread fresh rice on a tray and chill it for an hour at minimum.
- Fried shallots from a tub are standard in Indonesia, not a cheat. Scatter them on at the end.
- A spoon of sambal on the side lets each eater set their own heat.
History & culture
Breakfast, lunch, late supper. Nasi goreng is sold from push carts after dark, fried in hotel buffets at dawn and made at home from whatever was left in last night's rice cooker. Every household has a version: with chicken, with prawns, with leftover satay, with a lot of chilli or almost none. The fried egg on top is close to compulsory.
Frying leftover rice is a Chinese technique that arrived with traders and settlers centuries ago. Indonesia made it its own with shrimp paste, chilli and kecap manis, the sweet soy that Chinese-Indonesian producers developed from Javanese palm sugar. It became the unofficial national dish in the twentieth century.
Traditional
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Nasi goreng take?
30 min all in — 15 min prep, 15 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 plates. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Easy.
How spicy is it?
Medium heat.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Shellfish, Soy, Wheat, Eggs. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Dairy-free.
8 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Wok, Mortar and pestle, Frying pan.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at ½ tsp.
How much soy sauce?
1 tbsp of Soy sauce.
What can I use instead?
Kecap manis → 2 tbsp dark soy sauce plus 1 tbsp brown sugar. Close in colour and sweetness, thinner in body. Shrimp paste → 1 tbsp fish sauce. Less depth but keeps the savoury floor. Omit both for a vegetarian plate.
What should I watch for?
Kecap manis burns fast. Keep the rice moving.
Any tips from this recipe?
Rice straight from the cooker steams instead of fries. Spread fresh rice on a tray and chill it for an hour at minimum. Fried shallots from a tub are standard in Indonesia, not a cheat. Scatter them on at the end. A spoon of sambal on the side lets each eater set their own heat.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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