Nasi Goreng Seafood: Indonesian Seafood Fried Rice Recipe

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 literally means fried rice – is actually an influence of Chinese Indonesians. As we know, fried rice is quite big among the Chinese cuisines.

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.

Originally, the idea of fried rice was to enjoy the leftover rice quickly. Because 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 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. And 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. And often people 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 assorted seafood of prawns, mussels, and cuttlefish. Feel free to use whichever seafood you love.

As for the spices, you need 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. 

Regarding chilies, I suggest you use homemade Sambal Goreng Terasi. But if time and convenience do not allow you to make your own Sambal Goreng Terasi, you can get a ready-made one like this one. And if either is impossible, 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 this rice 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.

Heat the oil in a large wok/ frying pan when all the ingredients are prepared. 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 put the seafood in. 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

Suppose 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, Vegetable Pilau Rice, or Mexican rice recipe.

Thank you for reading this post. I hope you’re now ready to try this recipe out. When you do, it would be great if you could share what you think about it in the comments below.

Lastly, please follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. To sneak a look at what’s cooking in my kitchen. 

Take care and all the best.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!

5 from 38 votes

Nasi Goreng Seafood: Indonesian Seafood Fried Rice Recipe

Indonesian Nasi Goreng seafood is what you want to make when you are craving a seafood dish that feels light to enjoy. And this recipe helps you put the ingredients together without spending too much time yet results in a deliciously satisfying dish.

Author: Devy Dar

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast & Brunch

Cuisine: Indonesian

Servings: 4

Equipment

• Saucepan
• Microwave
• Frying pan or
• Large wok

1x2x3x

Cook ModeKeep your screen on

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

• ▢ 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

Serving: 1g | Calories: 486kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 156mg | Sodium: 1511mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g

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.