Nasi Goreng is the popular Indonesian fried rice which is traditionally served with a fried egg. I love the unique dark brown, caramelised colour of the rice! It’s a simple recipe, you won’t need to hunt down any unusual ingredients, and it’s one of my favourite Indonesian foods – and I’m betting you will love it too. 🙂
Nasi Goreng
Anyone who has been to Bali would be familiar with Nasi Goreng and probably had it almost every day because it’s everywhere and darn delicious!
So for those who have tried and love Nasi Goreng, you will be surprised how easy this is to make in your very own home.
And for those who haven’t tried it, I hope you do!
What is Nasi Goreng?
The literal translation of Nasi Goreng is “fried rice” in Indonesian and Malaysian – and that’s exactly what it is! It’s mainly rice with just a little bit of meat and just onion for the vegetables. The thing that distinguishes it from other Fried Rice dishes is the sauce which is made with kecap manis, a sweet soy sauce that stains the rice dark brown and caramelises the rice when it cooks.
Typically it’s served with a sunny side up egg (love how the yolk runs into the rice!) and a side of fresh cucumber and tomato (no dressing) to make a meal of it.
Shrimp Paste is optional!
As with almost every traditional dish, there are many versions of Nasi Goreng. Some are more complicated than others, calling for the use of dried shrimp (belacan) which, astonishingly, is now sold in large supermarkets in Australia as well as Asian stores.
I make it with, and I make it without. It’s tasty even without dried shrimp – and in fact, when I originally shared this Nasi Goreng recipe in 2016, I chose the version without shrimp paste because of that reason.
But it is tastier and more authentic with dried shrimp.
So I’ve compromised and taken the easy route by using shrimp paste rather than dried shrimp which requires more effort in the preparation process (crumble and toast before using).
Kecap Manis (sweet soy sauce)
A distinguishing feature of Nasi Goreng is the dark brown colour of the rice from the kecap manis / ketjap manis which is an Indonesian sweet soy sauce. It’s thicker and sweeter than normal soy sauce, with a consistency like syrup.
Don’t go running for the hills thinking it’s a hard-to-find-ingredient! Here in Australia, kecap manis is available in major supermarkets (see here for Woolworths).
And if you can’t find it at your supermarket, don’t worry! It is SO easy to make – just reduce soy sauce and brown sugar. Seriously. I’ve included directions in the recipe for you.
Cold, day old rice is not optional!
While shrimp paste is optional, the COLD cooked rice called for is not!
It’s simply not possible to make any fried rice with hot, freshly cooked rice – it gets kind of stickier when stir fried in sauce.
On the other hand, day old cold rice is drier and harder, so the rice can be stir fried in the sauce in a way that makes it become caramelised which gives Nasi Goreng the signature colour and flavour.
Speedy option: Cook the rice, spread out on tray then FREEZE for 1 – 2 hours, or refrigerate for 3 – 4 hours. It’s not just about cooling the rice, it’s also about making the surface of the rice dry out.
Super quick 20 minute recipe
The making part is very straightforward, no different to typical fried rice recipes. Garlic, chilli and onion first, then chicken, then rice, kecap manis and shrimp paste, if using.
Cook for a couple of minutes until the rice grains start to caramelise. Trust me – you will know when it’s ready, it smells amazing!
How to serve Nasi Goreng
Nasi Goreng is traditionally served with a fried egg and a side of fresh vegetables (commonly plain juicy wedges of tomato and cucumber).
Both these side options are very typical in various parts of Asia to add protein and vegetables to a plate to turn something carb-heavy into a meal.
Nasi Goreng is also a terrific Asian side dish option, something a little different that packs a bit of a flavour punch! Try it on the side of:
Asian Chilli Garlic Shrimp/Prawns – big punchy flavours, tastes like Thai Chilli jam!
Or have a browse of my Asian recipes collection for more ideas!
I do hope you try this. Super tasty, it’s probably one of the most flavour packed Asian fried rice dishes! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice)
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 tbsp oil
- 5 oz / 150g chicken breast , thinly sliced (or other protein)
- 1 tbsp kecap manis (sweet soy sauce, Note 1)
Rice
- 1.5 tbsp oil
- 2 garlic cloves , finely chopped
- 1 tsp red chilli , finely chopped (Note 2)
- 1 onion , small, diced
- 3 cups cooked white rice , day old, cold (Note 3)
- 2 tbsp kecap manis (sweet soy sauce, Note 1)
- 2 tsp shrimp paste , optional (Note 4)
Garnishes / side servings (optional)
- 4 eggs , fried to taste
- 1 green onion , sliced
- Tomatos and cucumbers, cut into wedges/chunks
- Fried shallots , store bought (optional) (Note 3)
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat.
- Add chilli and garlic, stir for 10 seconds.
- Add onion, cook for 1 minute.
- Add chicken, cook until it mostly turns white, then add 1 tbsp kecap manis and cook for a further 1 minute or until chicken is mostly cooked through and a bit caramelised.
- Add rice, 2 tbsp kecap manis and shrimp paste, if using. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes until sauce reduces down and rice grains start to caramelise (key for flavour!).
- Serve, garnished with garnishes of choice (green onions, red chilli, fried shallots).
Serving
- Serve as a side for Asian main dishes or as part of a large spread, Asian or not! 🙂 See in post for suggestions.
- Make it a meal – traditional Indonesian style!: Serve with a fried egg sunny side up (runny yolk!), tomato wedges and slices of cucumber on the side.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Nasi Goreng recipe originally shared March 2016. Updated June 2019 with new photos, new writing, brand new video, slight recipe improvement and most importantly, Life of Dozer added!
Life of Dozer
Annual check up – passed with flying colours! And he behaved pretty well too…. until he saw the needle….
…. but the teeny tiny little prick was soon forgotten as he launched himself onto the reception desk for treats. 🙄 The wonderful team at Mona Vale Vetinary Hospital spoil him!! (And you know I totally love it)
Nagi I ADORE this recipe and have been making it a few years but lost my copy of it and had to come searching again. Please tell me, I have *never* used fresh chilli and instead used, like, a Chili paste? I can’t remember what is called – but I can completely miffed as to why I would use it when recipe doesn’t call for it. Did your recent update remove it? Maybe I initially mashed together two recipes. I haven’t made it since moving to my new house and I’m desperate now but can’t figure out what / how I came to make it the way I did. Any thoughts ?
Hi Ashlea, you can definitely use Sambal ole here – whatever you have on hand is fine!!! N x
Sambal Oelek is what I was thinking of.
For making my own Kecap manis u used light or dark soya …
So good! So authentic! So easy🤤
Hi Amy, Ordinary soy (not dark or light) – N x
This is an amazing recipe Nagi! Thank you so much. We have spent a lot of time in Malaysia/Singapore and this tasted so genuine. Thank you for the mini ‘travel experience’ we can’t wait to make this again!
This is the only recipe site I use now.. I’ve made over 50 of Nagi’s recipes and they have all been divine! Easy to follow and super tasty.. when I cook something from here my family and friends always love it!! Waiting for a good beef korma recipe from Nagi… as I’ve tried countless others and always disappointed. Thanks so much Nagi for being my trusted good friend in my kitchen! 💕
Korma is on the cards Kay! I’ve bombarded people with curries lately so I thought I better take a break 😂 Korma and Goan Fish Curry are the next two on my list! N x
I Love nasi goreng! The minute i saw the recipe i had to try it! It is so awsome.
hi Nagi….can you post a fried rice recipe with the dried shrimp?
Hi Ian, pop a request on my recipe request page 🙂 N x
What is the best rice to use?
Hi Nikki, any medium or long grain rice will work well here. N x
This sounds delicious! I want to try it but am not sure what the chilli is. Does it mean a pepper from the fresh produce department, dried red chilli pepper flakes…? Could you please help me? I live in California. Perhaps something I could only find in an Asian market?
Hi Nancy, the chilli is a fresh chopped red chilli. N x
Made this for dinner tonight, thank you Nagi, so fast and so good. It’s a keeper…x
Hi Nagi, is it okay to make Nasi Goreng a head of time?
Yes it’s great to make in advance. Just reheat, covered in the microwave. N x
Hello!
Just wondering what veggies would be best in this Nasi goreng?
Thanks!
Mel
As a Forces child I was brought up on a couple of versions of nasi goreng – both very mild because of feeding small children, not to mention a chilli-fearful mother. This version is brilliant. I put pre-fried mushrooms and left over potatoes in it, as well as prawns and baby sweetcorn, and I cooked the egg omelette style, shredded it and folded in to the rice. Fabulous!
Loved the recipe! We missed Nasi Goreng so much… We made it vegetarian. Do check my blog post!
Just made this tonight was amazing.Just like I had in Bali. Used worcester sauce instead of shrimp paste as I couldnt get any.xx
Nailed it Jan!! N x
A huge family favorite Nagi. It does the trick every time. Thanks a lot!
I love this version of nasi goreng! wont be paying CAD13 for this simple recipe anymore!
Thanks Nagi once again for sharing with us your excellent recipes.
One of my favorites ever sice my trip to Bali few years back! You have some great recipes here. Thanks for sharing. ❤️ Dozer! 🤗
You’re so welcome Jarmila! N
Hi
I have some belacan! How much would you use?
Also, when you say ordinary soy sauce do you mean light or dark?
Thanks! Looking forward to cooking this tomorrow 😊
Hi Jo, just wondering how you went with the belacan and if you remembered how much you used? I too have some sitting in my cupboard I would like to try using it when I cook this recipe 😊
Thanks!
Hi
I’m afraid I wimped out a little and only used a couple of pinches as I was worried the flavour would be too strong! It tasted amazing though! I think next time I might use a little more but I guess it’s personal taste too.
Hi Jo, I haven’t tried with bellman, but you’d only need a tiny bit. Ordinary soy is regular soy – not dark or light (these are different again) N x
I love this easy recipe. We try to keep the carbs down so I use a frozen bag of cauliflower rice instead of the rice. Works really well!
Nagi, you have an amazing website! Every single one of the recipes I’ve tried has been amazing. This one is my favorite so far. I’m blown away! Thank you for sharing your recipes and teaching me to cook ❤️
That’s so good to hear Liz, thanks so much for letting me know ❤️
This is one of my fave recipes. Can I make it with prawns too? Would it be the same recipe?
Hi Aziza, you sure can! Cook the same way as you would the chicken in the recipe 🙂