Another Favourite Meal
Our Vegan Nasi Goreng
I've often tried to incorporate a risotto-type meal into our family repertoire, with varying
degrees of success. My first attempt was Ottolenghi's lovely multi-vegetable paella
recipe featured in a treasured pamphlet that came free with the Guardian one
Saturday. I loved the way you left it to rest for 10 mins under foil before you served it.
Everybody ate it, but there was something that prevented it being one of those "mmmmm"
dishes, so I stopped cooking it for a while.
Recently, I was tempted to invest in an enormous bag of Basmati rice. We usually cook
curry every weekend & chili in the week and I thought I would seek out another rice based
dish to justify the outlay. When I came across a Rick Stein recipe for Nasi Goreng, I
remembered the dish from a packet of Cauldron marinated tofu, so I decided to adapt his
fish based version by using tofu.
I looked up the dish to discover that Nasi goreng means "fried rice" in Indonesian.
Apparently, it's popular and ubiquitous across that country, to the extent it's been called
their national dish. It can be a simple meal of pre-cooked rice fried, spiced with sweet soy
sauce, onion, garlic, tamarind & chilli. A variety of other ingredients can be added such as
egg, chicken & prawns to make it the dish everyone (but me ) recognises as Nasi Goreng.
An online poll by CNN International in 2011 declared Nasi Goreng as the number 2 of the
World's 50 most delicious foods. Number 1 was Rending which is, apparently, a Thai curry.
Therin awaits another delight to discover and adapt !
There are 3 elements to this dish : The rice
The spicy sauce
The tofu
Garnish
THE RICE
You can use left-over rice kept covered in the fridge or cook some fresh. If you cook extra,
this can be saved in the fridge for a couple of days as long as you take the extra portion(s)
out as soon as it's cooked, let it cool for about 15 mins then put, covered with a small plate
or tin foil in the fridge.
I'm using up my white basmati rice but there are some lovely thai rices to be had.
Sometimes I do half and half brown and white basmati. When I do this, I add the white
basmati to the brown after the brown has been simmering for about 15 mins then cook
them together for another 10 mins. If I'm not going to save any, I usually throw in a small
cup -ful of frozen peas about 5 mins before the rice is finished. I'm not sure about saving
rice with peas in it !
THE SPICY SAUCE OR BASE GEDE
All the ingredients should be prepared and set aside in a dish :
3/4 teaspoon black peppercorns - grind
15 grammes cashew or pine nuts - grind to a powder. Pine nuts are oily so they're easier
to grind if you toast them lightly first - spread them
on a baking tray and pop in the oven at 180 for
5/10 mins
1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds
15 grams fresh ginger - grate finely
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 garlic cloves - crushed with salt
1/2 red chill - remove seeds and chop finely
1/2 green chill - remove seeds & chop finely
1/2 lime - juice only
1 tablespoon soy sauce - I like Meridian Tamari soy sauce
3 or 4 tablespoonfuls of tomato sauce - I take this from a tin of plum tomatoes
THE TOFU
1 Packet Cauldron marinated tofu
1 onion - chop finely
1 garlic - chop finely then crush with salt, either sea salt or iodised salt
GARNISH
A few chopped coriander leaves
A handful of toasted cashew or pine nuts
A quartered fresh tomato
TO MAKE
Prepare the 4 component parts.
Taking the chopped onion from the tofu part, fry in about a tablespoonful / tablespoon & a
half of oil until just about turning golden, then add the garlic.
Continue to fry until garlic is about to turn light golden.
Add the marinated tofu & fry for about 3 mins, stirring all the time.
Carefully add the spicy sauce, taking care it doesn't spit out at you and stirring the
ingredients as you trickle it in. Alternatively, you could turn the heat off and add it slowly,
stirring after you add some.
When it's added, continue to stir and cook gently for a couple of mins.
Now add the rice, stirring all the time.
Mix thoroughly and if you're using re-heated rice, ensure you cook it long enough so that
it's "piping" hot !
Put into a large serving dish, garnish and serve with soy sauce.
Enjoy !!!!!
