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Surinamese Nasi with cucumber and egg on a white plate
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Surinamese Nasi (Basic Recipe)

Surinamese Nasi is a fried rice dish from Suriname which was brought over by Indonesians. The fragrant rice dish is a popular dish in Suriname.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Surinamese
Keyword surinamese food, surinamese fried rice, surinamese recipe
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 928kcal
Author Rachel (RootzRecipes)

Ingredients

Rice (option 1: when using leftover or precooked rice)

  • Precooked or leftover rice based on 3 cups of uncooked rice

Rice (option 2: when using uncooked rice)

  • 3 cups uncooked rice 500 gram
  • 1 bouillon/stock cube
  • 1 tablespoon kecap manis sweet soy sauce
  • 1 clove garlic

Chicken

  • 1 pound chicken fillet 500 gram (cleaned to personal preference)
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 piece ginger (about the size of a thumb)
  • 1 tablespoon kecap manis sweet soy sauce
  • 1 bouillon/stock cube
  • 1 twig flat leaf parsley
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon butter 20 gram
  • 1 cup water 200 ml (more or less as needed)

Frying Nasi

  • 3 teaspoons vegetable oil
  • 1 onion - finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon shrimp paste (trassi)
  • 2 cloves crushed garlic
  • 1 teaspoon ginger - finely chopped
  • Prepared chicked from the ingredients above
  • Prepared rice from the ingredients above
  • 1/2 teaspoon kencur powder optional
  • 1 piece lemon grass or 1 teaspoon lemon grass powder
  • 1 teaspoon galangal (laos) - finely chopped
  • salt to taste
  • 2 tablespoons kecap manis sweet soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce salty soy sauce
  • 1 handful flat leaf parsley - finely chopped

Side dishes (optional)

  • 5 eggs fried omelet to taste, cut in strips
  • fried plantains
  • pickled cucumber

Instructions

Rice (option 1: precooked rice)

  • Take your leftover or day old prepared rice out of the fridge.

Rice (option 2: uncooked rice)

  • Prepare the rice as instructed on the packet but include the boillion/stock cube, kecap, garlic and ginger. When the rice is done, remove the garlic.
    You can use the rice straight away to prepare the nasi or refrigerate it overnight so the rice dries out a bit and it's easier to handle.

Chicken

  • Add all the ingredients (except water) to a pan with a thick bottom.
  • Add the water till the chicken is just covered, add more or less of of the water as needed depending on your pan.
  • Bring the water to a boil and cook the chicken on a medium heat till its done.
  • Take the chicken out of the pan and leave the chicken to cool. Once cooled pull apart the chicken with two forks to get finely thin strips of chicken fillet.
  • Boil down the leftover broth of the chicken till it starts to thicken, add the pulled chicken strips and mix till all the moisture is absorbed.

Frying Nasi

  • Add oil to a skillet or hot pan and heat it up.
  • Add onion and fry till it starts to get translucent. Add the shrimp paste and press it to break down and stir with the onions.
  • Add garlic and finely chopped ginger and stir to fry.
  • Add bruised lemon grass and stir fry
  • Add chicken and stir fry
  • Add galangal and kencur and stir fry
  • Add rice and stir fry
  • Add kecap and soy sauce.
  • Stir fry till all is thoroughly combined and has a nice light brown color.
  • Remove the big pieces of lemon grass.
  • Finish with salt and pepper to taste
  • Sprinkle with finely chopped flat leaf parsley
  • Serve with a side dish of your choice (fried egg omelet, fried plantains, pickled cucumbers, roasted chicken etc)

Notes

Leftover Rice
  • The best rice to use for Nasi is day old rice that has been refrigerated overnight. 
  • TIP: If you have leftover rice from another dish, put it in a Ziploc bag and put it in the freezer. When you want to make Nasi simply take the rice out of the freeze and let it thaw before using it.
Kecap Manis, Kencur & Shrimp Paste
  • Kecap Manis (or Ketjap Manis) is an Indonesian sweet soy sauce. It has a syrupy consistency and a molasses-like flavor. It is a vastly used sauce in Indonesian cuisine.
  • Kencur/Kenchur or Kaempferia galanga is similar to ginger and galangal. It is slightly smaller, but richer in flavor. If you can't find kencur powder you can leave it out, you won't have to substitute it with anything.
  • Shrimp paste adds an extra dimension and depth of flavor to the dish. However, if you can't find any shrimp paste you can leave it out. Just adjust your seasoning or use a tablespoon of fish sauce to give some more depth to the dish.
Extra Herbs & Spices
  • This recipe is a very basic recipe using a minimum of herbs and spices. However, most Surinamese households will add extra herbs and spices to create their own signature Nasi. Some of the spices I use as well are Ketoembar (ground coriander seeds), Laos (Galangal root). Feel free to add more herbs and spices to your taste.
Storage
  • You can keep Nasi in the fridge for about 2 days, just warm it up in the microwave. If the rice seems a bit dry just sprinkle a bit of water on it before putting it in the microwave. 
  • Nasi freezes really well. It'll keep for about 3 months in the freezer
Serving
  • Serve with roasted chicken or Moksi Meti (mix of roasted meat), bakabana (fried plantain) and pickled cucumber
  • This recipe servers 4-6 people depending how large the portions are served.
Please Note:
  • Please note that the cup measurements in this recipe are approximate. Cup measurements have been added for those that prefer using cups. The recipe is most accurate using weights measurements.
  • The Nutrition facts in this recipe are based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in the recipe and are based on statistical averages. The exact nutritional values may vary depending on the ingredients used etc. Nutritional facts exclude side dishes.

Nutrition

Calories: 928kcal | Carbohydrates: 134g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 137mg | Sodium: 1737mg | Potassium: 470mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 325IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 3mg