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Nasi Lemak on a plate - coconut rice with dried shrimp, boiled eggs, sambal and peanuts, lemongrass grilled chicken and tomato and cucumber slices

Nasi Lemak with Lemongrass Chicken

Savour the ultimate Malaysian dish — Nasi Lemak and Lemongrass Chicken, a perfect blend of creamy coconut rice and zesty, flavourful chicken.
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Total Time 1 hour
Course Main Course
Cuisine Malaysian, Singaporean
Servings 2 servings
Calories 510 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 small non stick saucepan
  • oven or air fryer for grilling
  • 1 non stick frying pan

Ingredients
  

For the Coconut Rice

  • 1 cup jasmine rice or long grain rice
  • ½ cup coconut cream and 1 1/2 cups water or 1 cup light coconut milk and 1 cup water
  • 2 stalks of lemongrass pounded or roughly chopped into large slices
  • Pinch of salt

For the Chicken Marinade

  • 300 g chicken thighs or legs
  • 1 tablespoon lemongrass pounded or finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon black or white pepper powder
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper powder or paprika
  • 1 tablespoon cooking oil any variety

Accompaniments

  • ½ cup dried shrimp or anchovies
  • ½ cup whole peanuts skin on is preferred but you can use skinless
  • 2 tablespoons sambal oelek or sambal terasi or use the chefs special Indonesian Sambal recipe here 
  • 2 hard boiled eggs
  • ½ medium cucumber sliced
  • 1 medium tomato sliced

Instructions
 

Marinating the Chicken

  • Mix all the chicken marinade ingredients together (1 tablespoon lemongrass pounded or finely chopped, 1 teaspoon black or white pepper powder,1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon red pepper powder or paprika and 1 tablespoon cooking oil any variety)
  • Generously coat the chicken on all sides with the marinade and leave to marinate for at least half an hour.

Making the Coconut Rice

  • Rinse 1 cup of jasmine or long grain rice well until the water runs clear. Drain.
  • In a small saucepan add the rice and either ½ cup coconut cream and 1½ cups water OR 1 cup light coconut milk and 1 cup water.
  • Add 2 stalks of lemongrass pounded or roughly chopped into large slices and a pinch of salt and put on low heat. Cover completely and leave for around 25 minutes till you see all the water has been absorbed.
  • Turn the heat off and leave covered for another 15 minutes for the rice to steam through. Fluff with a fork.

Making the Lemongrass Chicken

  • While the rice is boiling, preheat the oven at 220℃ (430℉) for 5 minutes. Put the marinated chicken in for 20 minutes on the top shelf of the oven.
    At the end of 20 minutes check if it’s cooked through. If it’s done turn off the oven but leave the chicken in the oven for another 10 minutes.
  • If using an air fryer instead of the oven -
    Preheat the air fryer to 375°F (190°C). Marinate the chicken, then air fry for 12-15 minutes, flipping halfway, until the chicken is golden and cooked through

Preparing the Accompaniments and Plating

  • While the chicken is in the oven - In a frying pan dry roast ½ cup of dried shrimp on medium heat, keep stirring until it gets a bit of charred colour. Remove from heat and do the same with ½ cup of peanuts.
  • To serve pack a portion of the coconut rice in a small round bowl and invert the bowl on a plate for that characteristic dome.
    Serve with a generous helping of the roasted peanuts, shrimp or anchovies, lemongrass chicken and for each serving add 1 tablespoon of sambal oelek or sambal terasi or use the chefs special Indonesian Sambal recipe here  1 hard boiled egg, ¼ sliced medium cucumber and ½ medium tomato sliced.

Video

Notes

Get the Chef's special Indonesian sambal recipe here 
Keyword Coconut Rice, lemongrass chicken, Mains, Malaysian food, Nasi Lemak, Singaporean food