Dish · malaysian
Nasi Lemak
Rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf, served with fried anchovies, peanuts, cucumber, a hard-boiled egg, and a spoon of chili sambal, eaten on banana leaf or a plate.
Where it comes from
Considered Malaysia's national dish, it began as a farmer's breakfast, coconut rice was filling and cheap, and the sides around it grew more elaborate as it moved from home kitchens to street stalls.
What cooks argue about
Cooks argue over the rice's richness: coconut milk alone for a cleaner flavor, or coconut milk plus pandan and sometimes a knob of ginger, which some consider necessary and others call overpowering.
Nobody has published a nasi lemak recipe yet. The page stays out of search until one exists, which is the rule for every thin page here.