Nasi Lemak with Sambal Ikan Bilis

Nasi Lemak is the national dish of Malaysia. It's eaten any time. If you are a citizen of Malaysia, you'll eat Nasi Lemak at breakfast, lunch, dinner...... Any time of the day! It's cooked in coconut milk, with pandan leaves and even ginger or a stalk of lemon grass. Nasi Lemak is available on almost every street corner and in almost every local-themed restaurant, served with everything from chicken to beef to cuttlefish.

Sambal Ikan Bilis ingredients:

• 3 big onions, cut into half & sliced
• 1 cup of anchovies (ikan bilis), washed & dry with kitchen towel
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste, add 1/4 cup of water & squeeze for juice
• 11/2 cups of cooking oil
• 1 cup of water

Blend together:

• 10 dried chillies, soaked till soft
• 5-6 shallots
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp prawn paste (belacan), optional
• salt & sugar to taste

Method:

Heat the cooking oil. Fry the ikan bilis until crisp and put aside.

Using the same oil, fry the grounded ingredients until fragrant. Add in the slice onions and stir well to coat. Add in the tamarind juice, salt, sugar and water.

Cook stirring occasionally until the gravy is thickens. Add in half of the ikan bilis and mix well. Reserve the other half of the ikan bilis for garnishing.

Serve with steaming hot Nasi Lemak.

Nasi Lemak Ingredients:

• 2 cups of rice
• 2 pandan leaves (screw pine leaves)
• salt to taste
• 2 cups of coconut milk
• 1 cup of water

Method:

Clean the rice and drain.

Put the rice in a rice cooker. Add in the coconut milk, water, pandan leaves. Finally add in salt.

If desire, you can also add in some sliced ginger.

Serve with hard-boiled eggs, cucumber, sambal ikan bilis and some peanuts.