I can remember the end of a hot summer's day, more than 15 years ago. I had worked all day and driven 150 miles back home in the searing heat. Overlooking the river, enjoying the last of the sunshine I got a big plate of Nasi Goreng. It tasted so good I can remember it to this day.
Heavily inspired by Indonesian cuisine Nasi Goreng is not a typical Dutch dish. It is an inheritance of Holland's colonial past that went on to become a tradtional Dutch dish.
Ingredients serves 2-3
300 gram rice 5 dl water 1 teaspoon salt
25 grams butter or 2 tablespoons oil 250 grams of pork, finely diced 2 onions, cut in small pieces
4 garlic cloves, cut in small pieces 150 - 200 grams of leek, finely cut
2 - 3 teaspoons grounded cumin 3 teaspoons grounded coriander
2 teaspoons curry spices (mild) 1 red pepper, diced
2 tablespoons soya sauce 3 tablespoons of chopped celery leaves or grated celery root
10 gram butter 4 small eggs 4 pickled cucumbers
Boil the rice in the water and salt and leave to cool.
Heat, in a big saucepan with a thick bottom, the butter or oil and stir fry the meat until browned. (If you are using an oil try to use peanut oil it adds a real nice taste to the dish.) Add the onions, garlic and leek and fry till lightly coloured.
Reduce the heat and add the spices, herbs and red pepper. Let it cook for about 5 minutes. Put in the rice and cook for a few minutes while gently stirring. Add the soya sauce and celery leaves or root just before serving and serve the Nasi in a wide dish.
Fry the 4 eggs slowly over a low heat in the butter and put these on the nasi.
You can decorate the nasi with the pickled cucumbers or simply put these in a small dish.
For the spicy eaters put a little sambal on the table and some extra soya sauce to add according to taste.
In Holland this dish is traditonally served with a peanut sauce.
PS The taste gets better if the dish had a chance to stand for a few hours. So this is a perfect dish to make ahead. It is even better if you can keep it in the refrigerator for the next day. It can be frozen as well.