Nasi lemak

Nasi lemak is a rice dish cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf and served with sambal and side dishes. It is considered the national dish of Malaysia and a staple breakfast across much of the Malay world.

History

The dish comes from Malay cuisine and is documented in sources from the nineteenth century. It appears in 1875 in a French–Malay dictionary compiled by Pierre-Étienne-Lazare Favre, a Catholic missionary on the Malay Peninsula, and in 1909 in a book by Richard Olaf Winstedt on Malay life.

The Malay name literally means "fat rice", which in this context is understood as "rich" or "creamy". The name describes the method: rice is soaked in coconut milk and then steamed. Pandan leaves give it its distinctive fragrance. Traditionally it is wrapped and served on banana leaves with sambal, cucumber, peanuts, fried anchovies and a boiled or fried egg.

It spread to Singapore, southern Thailand, Riau, the Riau Islands and Medan in Sumatra, as well as to the Philippines and to Australia's external territories of Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. In 2024 Malaysia nominated the dish for UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage List, and it was subsequently inscribed.

Culture

In Malaysia and Singapore, nasi lemak is mostly eaten at breakfast and sold in hawker centres and roadside stalls. Regional versions vary: in the northwest of the peninsula it often comes with curry; in Alor Setar the rice is yellow; in Terengganu mackerel tuna is added; in Malacca it is served with kangkung; and in Cameron Highlands the sambal includes strawberries.

Malaysian Indians, many of whom are Hindu, often replace beef with chicken, fish or lamb curry. Vegetarian versions use plant-based substitutes for anchovies and shrimp paste. In Indonesia, Riau and Medan serve it with fried fish, rendang or balado, while in Palembang and Jambi it is known as nasi gemuk.