Nasi Goreng Cabai Hijau Kemangi Recipe (Indonesian Green Chili Fried Rice with Lemon Basil) » Indonesia Eats

Nasi goreng (fried rice) is a kind of signature dish in Indonesia. You can name many different variants. I bet you have seen some ready-to-use nasi goreng spices at grocery stores. To be honest, I only used that spices package of nasi goreng once.

I created Nasi Goreng Cabai Hijau Kemangi about 5 days ago when I harvested my green chilies and lemon basil from my pots in the balcony last week. I got the inspiration from Sambal Lado Mudo (or known as Sambal Cabai Hijau) that is a popular sambal from Minang (West Sumatra) region.

Green chili or cabai hijau is as important as long red cayenne pepper and bird chil for making Indonesian sambals. In order to make Sambal Lado Mudo, you need green chilies to add. If you go to any Padang (Minang) restaurants or warungs in Indonesia, you will find this sambal to accompany the food.

Other ingredients to make sambal lado mudo are shallots, green tomatoes, tiny anchovies. However, to get green tomatoes in Canada is not that easy. So, I have been substituting for others such as frozen bilimbi, tomatillos. Last summer, my husband’s coworker gave me bunch of green tomatoes from her garden. I have kept them frozen until this summer, so I can make a real sambal lado mudo and this nasi goreng. 🙂

Speaking about lemon basil, it is the only variety of basils that is much used in Indonesian cuisine. We enjoy them raw as lalapan (vegetables to company sambal), add into Indonesian curries, grill, steam soup and stew dishes.

I don’t take any measurements for food that I can make it almost once a week (or whenever I have leftover cooked rice). But, I’ll try my best to do approximately measurements.

PS. Thanks to everyone who greets me with Ramadan blessing through the previous post.

Nasi Goreng Cabai Hijau Kemangi
– Indonesian Green Chili Fried Rice with Lemon Basil –
recipe by me

Ingredients:
500 g cold cooked rice (leftover from the night is better)
3 shallots
8 green chilies (you add less or more chilies as your hot suitable palate)
1 green tomato
1/2 tsp terasi (dried shrimp paste), roasted
1/2 cup dry anchovies
lemon basil, chopped
2 tbsp frying oil

Directions:
1. Grind shallots, tomato, chillies and shrimp paste until smooth

2. In a wok, heat oil at medium high, add anchovies and saute about 1 minute.

3. Add ground spices, stir fry until fragrant.

4. Add rice and mix them well. Combine chopped lemon basils. Remove from heat.

Enjoy nasi goreng with kerupuk.