Nasi Kembuli Recipe

Nasi Kembuli Recipe

(Spiced Rice Recipe)

Bones from 3 chickens

750 ml (24 fl oz) water

180 ml (6 fl oz) cooking oil

20 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

15 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

5 cm (2 inches) ginger, peeled and cut into thin strips

450 g (1 lb) Thai or basmati rice, washed and drained

pinch of seasoning powder

½ teaspoon thick soy sauce

½ teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

Spice water:

2.5 cm (1 inch) cinnamon stick

35 g (1 oz) coriander (cilantro) seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

4 cloves

1 star anise

4 cardamoms

500 ml (16 fl oz) water

Garnish:

2 sprigs coriander (cilantro) leaves

2 hard-boiled eggs, shelled and quartered

Method:

Boil the chicken bones and water until the stock reduces to 500 ml.  Strain the stock.  Boil all the ingredients for spice water until the liquid reduces to 300 ml.  Strain the liquid.  Heat the cooking oil and fry shallots, garlic and ginger until crisp.  Drain and reserve the oil.  Combine the chicken stock, spice water, rice, seasoning powder, soy sauce, sugar and salt in an electric rice cooker and cook until the rice is done.  Add ½ tablespoon crisp-fried ingredients and the reserved oil to the rice.  Fluff the rice and cover for 10 minutes.  Sprinkle rice with the remaining crisp-fried ingredients.  Garnish with coriander leaves (cilantro) and egg before serving.

Note:  You can also garnish this rice with fried raisins.  Nasi Kembuli is normally served with Fried Spicy Chicken a'la Nyonya, Deep-Fried Sour Prawns (Shrimps), Udang Berampah (Spicy Prawns), Chicken Curry, Paceri Terung, Sambal Timun, Hu Peow Soup (Fish Maw Soup) and cut pineapple.