Nasi Lemak
National Dish of Malaysia
What is ‘Nasi Lemak’?
Nasi lemak is a Malay cuisine made of fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaves. It is considered the national dish of Malaysia. It is directly translated as “fat rice”, which refers to its rich and creamy texture. It gets its distinct flavour from the pandan leaves.
Traditionally, it is wrapped in banana leaves and served with sambal, ikan bilis, cucumber, peanuts and eggs. When wrapped, it is called ‘nasi lemak bungkus’.
Ingredients served together with Nasi Lemak include slices of fresh cucumber, ikan bilis (fried dried anchovies), roasted peanuts, hard-boiled egg and sambal (chilli paste) to enhance the taste and flavours of the national dish.
Sambal
Sambal Tumis is a type of sambal served together with Nasi Lemak. It entails gently frying a mixture of dried and fresh chillies combined with other aromatic ingredients like shallots, garlic, galangal, lemongrass, fresh turmeric root, and toasted belacan in heated oil.
Whereas sweet sambal is made from dried or fresh chillies, belacan and gula Melaka (palm sugar).
Dining etiquette
Culturally, one uses their right hand when eating, as the left hand is thought to be used for taking care of dirty and other ‘unclean’ bodily functions.
