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Nasi lemak, a rice dish made with coconut milk, and fried squid (sambal sotong)

Nasi lemak, coconut rice with squid sambal

Main dishes

Nasi lemak, rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaves, served with a sweet and savory squid sambal, enhanced with dried chili peppers and grilled bela…

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At a glance: serves 6 people, 1 hr 20 min total (30 min prep and 50 min cook time), difficulty: medium, about $2.81 per person.

Recipe from Rulwarih, Resepiasia, Chongkian, adapted by Recette de cuisine ·

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Nasi lemak is the national dish of Malaysia: fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaves, served with a sambal. In this version, the sambal is made with squid.

Ingredients and directions

  • Prep time30 min
  • Cook time50 min
  • Total1 hr 20 min
  • DifficultyMedium
  • CostBudget
  • Cooking methodCooked in an electric cooker, then sautéed.
  • Estimated cost$16.83 $2.81 / serving Estimated price; varies by store. Converted from euros at the ECB rate of October 16, 2026.
  • Gluten-free

Ingredients

6 people
  • $2.91
  • $1.44
  • $0.52
  • $0.45
  • $0.33
  • $0.02
  • $6.73
  • $0.56
  • $0.06
  • $0.25
  • $2.56
  • $0.82
  • $0.18

Prices from US supermarkets for 8 of 13 ingredients; Belgian prices for the rest.

Directions

  1. Peel the onions and ginger, then finely chop them. ≈ 8 min
  2. Rinse the rice 2 to 3 times and then place it in the cooking pot. ≈ 2 min
  3. Add the water, coconut milk, lemongrass, ginger, shallots, pepper, pandan leaves, and salt. ≈ 3 min
  4. Gently mix the rice and cook it as usual in an electric rice cooker.
  5. Clean the squid, rinse them thoroughly, and drain them well. ≈ 8 min
  6. Heat the oil and cook the ground ingredients (dried chili peppers, shallots, garlic, and grilled belacan) until they are fragrant.
  7. Add the sugar, tamarind, and salt, then stir the sambal until it appears dry and the oil separates. ≈ 4 min
  8. Add the chopped squid and large onions, and stir until everything is well combined. ≈ 4 min
  9. Turn off the fire. ≈ 3 min

The bill

Nasi lemak, coconut rice with squid sambal

  • 4 cups of rice$2.91
  • 1 cup of thick coconut milk$1.44
  • 1 large stalk of lemongrass, crushed$0.52
  • 3 cm of ginger, finely chopped$0.45
  • 2 shallots, chopped$0.33
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt$0.02
  • 1 kg of squid$6.73
  • 2 large onions, finely chopped$0.56
  • 3 tablespoons of sugar$0.06
  • cooking oil$0.25
  • 10 dried hot peppers$2.56
  • 5 shallots$0.82
  • 2 cloves of garlic$0.18

Total$16.83

that's $2.81 per person

Estimated price; varies by store.

Equipment

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Before you start

Ingredients

  • 4 cups of rice
  • 4 cups of water
  • 1 cup of thick coconut milk
  • 1 large stalk of lemongrass, crushed
  • 3 cm of ginger, finely chopped
  • 2 shallots, chopped
  • 10 black peppercorns
  • 3 pandan leaves, tied together
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 kg of squid
  • 2 large onions, finely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons of sugar
  • salt and tamarind juice, to taste
  • cooking oil
  • 10 dried hot peppers
  • 5 shallots
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 2 cm of grilled belacan

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