Seafood Fried Rice (Nasi Goreng Seafood)
Nasi Goreng the National Dish
Nasi Goreng (pronounced as naa – see – go – rang) has officially been acknowledged as one of Indonesia’s 5 national dishes besides Soto, Rendang, Sate, and Gado-Gado.
The dish – which means fried rice – is an influence of Chinese Indonesians. As we know, fried rice is quite a big part of Chinese cuisine.
Likewise, the dish has become very popular throughout the Indonesian archipelago; wherever you go, you will always come across the local version of Nasi Goreng.
Initially, the idea of fried rice was to enjoy the leftover rice quickly. In the olden days, microwaves didn’t exist, and if you wanted to reheat the rice properly, you had to re-steam it.
History of Fried Rice
The problem was that sometimes the leftover portion was not big enough to justify the hassle of re-steaming. As a shortcut, people used a wok to reheat the rice. As they went along with it, more ideas came to mind to make the rice more delicious.
Hence, egg fried rice was born. Then, other types of fried rice were created according to the situation of those people and what was available to them.
But the basic idea was the same. It was to enjoy the leftover rice. People often eat Nasi Goreng for breakfast.
As time went by, this humble dish won people’s hearts nationwide. Therefore, there are countless recipes of Nasi Goreng in Indonesia.
Versatile Dish With Forgiving Ingredients
But the essence of this Indonesian fried rice is the same. It uses cooked rice, spices, and sweet soy sauce. You can add other protein ingredients according to what you like or have, such as eggs, tofu, chicken, tuna, etc.
And for this seafood version, I used mixed seafood of prawns, mussels, and cuttlefish. Feel free to use whichever seafood you love.
The spices are onion, garlic, and chilies. These three ingredients are a must. Other than these, they are just an addition when people try tweaking fried rice recipes.
When it comes to chilies, I suggest you use homemade Sambal. But if time and convenience do not allow you to make your own, you can get a ready-made one like this one. And if neither is possible, you can swap the sambal with ordinary chilies like fresh bird’s eye chilies, dried chili flakes, or even red chili powder.
This Nasi Goreng Seafood recipe is quite forgiving, and you can always tweak it according to your taste and available ingredients.
However, when it comes to sweet soy sauce, I highly recommend using Indonesia’s sweet soy sauce. My favorite brand is this brand, but I often use it as it’s more available in many places.
The reason is to get the flavor as close as the authentic Nasi Goreng. Did you know that sweet soy sauce was originally from Indonesia? So, let’s stick to the origin.
How to Make the Best Nasi Goreng Seafood
Firstly, you get all the ingredients ready. Wash, rinse, and cook your rice. I use Basmati rice more often than not because it is the main staple in our households. Let your rice completely cool down before using it for the fried rice.
Then, prepare the scrambled eggs and cook the carrots and green beans. This is followed by getting the chopped onion and minced garlic ready.
When all the ingredients are prepared, heat the oil in a large wok or frying pan. Fry the onion and garlic until the onion becomes translucent and both release a nice aroma.
Next, stir the sambal (if using) and chilies, then add the seafood. Cook until the seafood is fully cooked.
Add the carrots, green beans, salt, fish sauce, and sweet soy sauce. Keep stirring after each addition. Further cooking until all is cooked through.
Lastly, sprinkle the sliced scallion/ spring onion.
This Nasi Goreng Seafood is best enjoyed with sliced cucumber, tomatoes, prawn crackers/ Kerupuk, and a spoon or two of Sambal on the side.
More Rice Recipes
If you need more ideas for rice recipes, try this Nasi Uduk (rice cooked in coconut milk), Nasi Kuning (yellow rice), Nasi Goreng Tuna (tuna fried rice), Biryani Rice, Chicken Pilau Rice, or Vegetable Pilau Rice.
Thank you for reading this post. I hope you’re ready to try this recipe. When you do, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Lastly, please follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest to see what’s cooking in my kitchen.
Nasi Goreng Seafood: Indonesian Seafood Fried Rice Recipe
Equipment
- Microwave
- Frying pan or
- Large wok
Ingredients
- 2 cups rice I use basmati rice.
- 12.35 ounces assorted seafood mix see the note.
- 2 eggs scrambled.
- 1 medium brown/ yellow onion chopped.
- 5 garlic cloves finely minced.
- 2 teaspoons sambal terasi optional, or
- 2 teaspoons dried chilli flakes see the note.
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce.
- 4 tablespoons cooking oil.
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste.
- ¼ cup Indonesian sweet soy sauce.
- 2 spring onions/ scallions sliced.
- 1 medium carrot chopped.
- ½ cup green beans cut into small pieces (see the note).
Instructions
- Make the scrambled eggs, set them aside.
- Peel, wash and chop the carrot. Steam or boil until they are cooked. I microwave by putting the carrot in a small microwave-proof bowl with 2 tablespoons of water and cook at high power for about 3-4 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Trim, wash and cut the green beans into small pieces. Place them in a microwave-proof bowl with 2 tablespoons of water and cook at high power for about 3-4 minutes. Once cooked, drain and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan/ a wok then fry the onion until it becomes translucent and fragrant.
- Add the minced garlic and chilli flakes. Fry further for about 2 minutes until they release the aroma.
- Put the seafood in the onion mix, give it a stir and cook for about 5 minutes at high heat. If you use raw seafood, you cook longer (about 10-12 minutes or until the seafood is cooked).
- Then add the carrots, green beans and salt. Stir well and keep mixing as you continue cooking at high heat for about 2 minutes.
- Add the rice and sweet soy sauce. Mix well and keep stirring as you cook. It takes approximately 5-7 minutes. Taste the flavour. You may want to add salt or sweet soy sauce to your taste. Once everything is mixed and hot, your nasi goreng seafood is ready.
Notes
- I recommend Basmati rice or long-grain rice as they have a nice texture for this nasi goreng. The grains are not sticky.
- I use the frozen cooked seafood mix from the supermarket so I fully thaw the seafood before cooking. You can use raw seafood mix, or just use any type of seafood you like. Prawns, mussels, and cuttlefish can be the options.
- Sambal Goreng Terasi gives a depth flavour to your Nasi Goreng. But you can substitute it with the following chilli options.
- You can use dried chilli flakes, red chilli powder or fresh bird’s eye chillies. If you use the latter, 2 chillies should be more than enough unless you prefer spicier and mince the chillies into a paste.
- If you want, you can replace the green beans with green peas.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Nutritional info in this recipe is only estimate using online calculator. You should refer to it as a guide only. Please verify with your own data if you seek an accurate info.
This is such a delicious and easy recipe to make.
Thank you. I’m glad you like it.
this looks like the best comfort food! I love recipes like this for a ‘take out’ feel dinner when I want to cook at home!
Yes definitely. Sometimes you do want to recreate the take out feel in the comfort of your house 🙂
Love reading about the origin of dishes! And preparing traditional foods. Thanks!
You’re most welcome. Nice to know you enjoyed the post.
I’ve only had this in restaurants, so it’s great that I can now make it myself at home, and in just 40 minutes too!
Yup. You can treat yourself more often now as it’s easy to make as well :-).
This brings back memories of Singapore where we first had this dish. I love it. Cannot wait to give this version a try!
Awww. Hope you like this version.