Nasi Uduk Jakarta: Rice Cooked in Fragrant Coconut Milk
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Nasi Uduk is a fragrant coconut milk rice dish that has become a breakfast staple across Indonesia. Rooted in Jakarta’s culinary traditions, it carries the rich, aromatic flavors that have made it a morning favorite for generations.
Nasi Uduk
Traditionally, it is enjoyed on happy occasions such as birthdays, graduations, etc. But it is also often a choice for breakfast.
This rice dish is similar to Nasi Lemak from Malaysia. And it is thought to be where the dish originated.
The difference is that Nasi Uduk uses lemongrass and salaam leaves for flavor and fragrance. As for Nasi Lemak, it uses pandan leaves (screwpine leaves).
Just like any other food, there are numerous recipes for Nasi Uduk. But I find that my mom’s way of cooking gives the best results.
Yes, I may be biased. So, please try it and tell me what you think.
Because this recipe has been tried and tested endlessly throughout the years. And the best thing about it is that her recipe is super simple.
The key is in the proportion of each ingredient.
So, here I’m sharing her secret with you.
And to make your venture into trying this recipe even better, I include a few different methods for cooking the rice. Because I understand that everyone has different situations, i.e., using a steamer and a rice cooker.
Because I understand that everyone has different situations. Hopefully, this way you’ll have more options that can help you choose what best fits your circumstances.
The Best Way to Enjoy
Mostly, people will eat this rice cooked in coconut milk with sprinkles of egg omelet slices, some prawn crackers, some cucumber slices, and a spoon or two of spicy peanuts sauce (sambal kacang).
You can try my quickest way to make sambal kacang: put 50 gr of roasted peanuts, 2 tablespoons of sriracha sauce, and ¼ cup (60 ml) of water in a blender. Give it a blitz until the nuts are crushed and blended with other ingredients, but not too smooth.
And often, Nasi Uduk is enjoyed with side dishes such as crispy Tempeh in soy sauce, spiced fried chicken (Ayam Goreng Bumbu), or fried chicken livers.
The Right Ingredients
To make nasi uduk, you only need rice, coconut milk, salt, lemongrass, and Indonesian Salam leaf.
As for the rice, you can use pretty much any type. But the real Jakartan Nasi Uduk doesn’t use the variety of rice that is high in starch, like Jasmine rice.
So the rice is not sticky, like long-grain rice or Thai Jasmine rice. In fact, it is like Basmati rice or easy-cook rice, where the grains don’t stick to each other when you cook.
Therefore, I personally suggest you use either Basmati rice or Easy Cook rice.
You can keep your Jasmine rice for making Nasi Kuning (yellow rice).
Now, depending on where you are, you may find it hard to get Salam Leaf. Because I do. Therefore, I always have to buy it online.
If you cannot find any Salam leaves, I suggest you substitute them with a mix of 3-4 curry leaves and 2 bay leaves. I find this combination has the closest similarity in fragrance to Salam leaf.
I understand that some people would replace it with bay leaves only. However, I don’t find bay leaves alone a good substitute.
How to Make Nasi Uduk
The simplest way to make this rice dish is by using a rice cooker. If you prefer, you can just put the pre-soaked rice, coconut milk, lemongrass, salam leaf, and salt into the rice cooker. Then set the rice cooker according to its manual to cook the rice.
Although this may sound easy and very practical, I personally don’t really do it. Because the rice’s texture is not the same. The rice will go soft for my liking, and somehow it doesn’t taste the same.
But of course, you can always do this the easy way.
Now, if you want to try the traditional, authentic way that doesn’t use a rice cooker, here is how.
Firstly, soak the washed and rinsed rice in plenty of water for at least an hour if you use Basmati rice. Soak longer (min 2 hours) if you use long-grain rice.
Secondly, you boil and simmer the coconut milk, water, lemongrass, and Salam leaf until the coconut milk looks shiny and slightly oily. It takes me about 25-30 minutes to do it.
Thirdly, steam the pre-soaked rice in a steamer for about 15 minutes, until half-cooked. You can try a few grains to taste. They should be a bit firm.
Fourthly, cook the steamed rice in the coconut milk. Add more water and add some salt. Cook further until all the liquid evaporates. Then turn the heat to the lowest setting and put the lid on the pan. Let it cook and steam.
Note: You can also put the rice back in the steamer after all the coconut milk and water have evaporated. This is the traditional way, and it works best with long-grain rice.
Tips to Make the Best Tasting Nasi Uduk
- Don’t skip soaking the rice in the water. This will help the grains keep their shape and texture.
- Make sure you cook the coconut milk until it is shiny, and you can see some oil separating from the edges.
Storing matter
You can keep your Nasi Uduk in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Make sure you put it in a tight-lidded food container.
If you want, you can also freeze the rice. It keeps well for about 2 months. Take the rice the night before you want to have/ serve it, and let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Then reheat the rice by steaming it. Though you can always use a microwave to reheat it, I find the best way is to steam it. So the rice won’t go dry and will stay fluffy.
More Street Food Recipes
Thank you for reading this Nasi Uduk recipe. I hope you are now planning to try it. When you do, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Before you move on, don’t forget to check out my other Jakarta street food recipes that you may love.
- Gado-gado Jakarta.
- Lontong Sayur Betawi.
- Pangsit Ayam – Indonesian chicken wontons.
- Ketoprak Jakarta.
- Sate Ayam – Indonesian chicken satay.
- Sate Kambing – Indonesian lamb satay.
Last but not least, please follow me on Facebook, Instagram and/or Pinterest. To sneak a peek at what’s cooking in my kitchen.
Take care and all the best.
Nasi Uduk Jakarta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups basmati rice.
- 1 ½ cups + 2 tablespoons canned coconut milk.
- ¾ cup water see the note.
- 1 lemongrass sliced diagonally.
- 1 Salam leaf see the note.
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt.
Instructions
- Wash and rinse the rice until the water is clear. Soak the rice in plenty of cold water for at least 1 hour.
- In a cooking pan, boil the coconut milk, ¼ cup of water, lemongrass and Salam leaf. Let it boil and simmer until the milk turns greasy and shiny. It takes approximately 25 minutes at low heat to simmer.
- Halfway of boiling the coconut milk, get your steamer ready. And steam the pre-soaked rice until the grains are half cooked. It takes about 10-15 minutes to cook at moderate heat.
- Then add the steamed rice into the coconut milk. Add ½ cup of water and salt in. Cook further until all the liquid evaporates then put the lid on. Wrap the pan cover with a kitchen towel before you put on the pan. Turn the heat to the lowest and let it cook until the steam comes out.
Notes
- If you use long grain rice, just put ¼ cup of water when you boil the rice with coconut milk.
- And if you use a rice cooker, for long-grain rice you only need to put ¼ cup (80 ml) water, and for Basmati rice you put ½ cup (120 ml) water.
- Slice the lemongrass diagonally to get the most of its fragrance.
- In case you don’t have Salam leaf, you could substitute with a mix of 3 curry leaves and 2 bay leaves for this recipe.
Nutrition
Devy founded So Yummy Recipes and Drizzling Flavor to share her love of food after exploring various cultures and cuisines for more than two decades. Her mission is to help others easily recreate traditional and non-traditional food with readily available ingredients. Her works have been featured in Reader’s Digest, Al Jazeera, MSN, Yahoo, Bon Appétit, and more.
