Nasi Goreng and Gordon Ramsay-Inspired Fried Rice
[Photo credit: Alex Paternostro]
by Seth Paternostro
October 20, 2021
Like many others in the 21st-century, I enjoy watching YouTube. I often use it as a resource to see how other people cook, learn new techniques, and pick up interesting flavor combinations. Nasi Goreng is an Indonesian fried rice that Gordon Ramsay made his iteration of in a tropical field while shooting “on location.” While I didn’t cook this up outside, I took advantage of yet another convenience that our modern Western nation offers: the mass-produced stove. This meant that I was able to enjoy the ease of cooking atop a wood-burning fire since all of the knobs to adjust the burners broke off years ago.
Makes 2
Total time
30 minutes
Equipment:
cutting board, chef’s knife or cleaver, small mixing bowls, spoons, chopsticks, tasting spoon, wok shovel, clean towels or paper towels, measuring cups and spoons, large well-seasoned carbon steel wok, wok stand (if needed), “grease gutter” (small pan to pour off used oil), squirt bottle (for fresh oil)
Tableware:
bowls and utensils
Ingredients
½ large shallot
2 cloves garlic
½ thai bird chile
4 garlic chive blossoms
2 large eggs
½ tsp fish sauce
1 tsp sambal oelek, or more if you like the heat
½ tsp shrimp paste
2 tsps oyster sauce
1 tsp sweet soy sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 cups cold rice
Salt, as needed
Peanut oil, as needed
Cilantro leaves, for garnish
1 lime, for serving
Carrot Daikon Pickles, for serving
Instructions
Set out all equipment, tableware, and ingredients. Prepare Carrot Daikon Pickles. Rinse the chile, chive blossoms, cilantro, and lime.
Peel the shallot and garlic. Cut the shallot half in half, then slice ¼-inch thick pieces. Thinly slice the garlic. De-stem, de-seed, and thinly slice the chile. Quarter the lime. Roughly chop the cilantro. Cut the chive blossoms into 2-inch lengths.
Whisk the eggs with ½ tsp fish sauce and a pinch of salt.
Mix the oyster sauce, light soy sauce, and sweet soy sauce together.
Break the rice into individual grains with your fingers.
Preheat the wok over high heat until smoking, swirl in a small amount of oil to coat, and pour out excess in the “grease-gutter,” which can be placed at the center-back region of the stove.
When beginning to smoke again, pour in 3 tbsp peanut oil, and swirl to heat.
Add the shallots and a pinch of salt, then cook until beginning to brown.
When the shallots have softened and begun to brown, add the garlic slices and chile, and cook until beginning to brown. Keep them moving constantly. Move to the next step if the shallots are getting too dark.
Stir in the sambal oelek and shrimp paste until the color changes and the splattering slows down. The oil will definitely splatter, so keep your face back.
Pour in the eggs, and stir vigorously until they have absorbed the aromatics and oil. Add the chive blossoms, and keep stirring.
When the eggs have fully coagulated, add the rice, breaking it up if needed, and stir-fry until very hot. If the rice sticks to the sides of the wok, add a little more oil, and make sure the heat is as high as possible. The rice should sizzle and crackle when hot enough.
Drizzle the sauce mixture down the sides of the wok, and immediately toss to coat the rice. Cook until the sauce begins lightly caramelizing on the surface of the rice and the mixture does not look wet.
Taste, adjust salt, toss, and plate.
Sprinkle over the cilantro, and serve with lime and Carrot Daikon Pickles on the side.
A shallot, a bird chile, and garlic chive blossoms await chopping as the sauces stand guard [Photo credit: Alex Paternostro]
NUTRITION FACTS:
Calories 400 Total Fat 12.2g (16%) Saturated Fat 2.8g (14%) Cholesterol 186mg (62%) Sodium 721mg (31%) Total Carbohydrate 60.5g (22%) Dietary Fiber 1g (4%) Total Sugars 1.1g Protein 12g Vitamin D 18mcg (88%) Calcium 50mg (4%) Iron 4mg (23%) Potassium 208mg (4%) - Note: Please read our Nutrition Disclaimer.
The tip of the Nasi Goreng and Gordon Ramsay-Inspired Fried Rice boat leads the meal onwards [Photo credit: Alex Paternostro]
A lime at the back of the Nasi Goreng and Gordon Ramsay-Inspired Fried Rice boat relaxes with bits of egg and cilantro [Photo credit: Alex Paternostro]
Seth Paternostro is a writer and recipe developer based in Chicago. He is a co-founder of Our American Cuisine and graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University with an A.B. in East Asian Studies. You can learn more about him here.
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