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History of Nasi Goreng. Fried Rice - National Dish & Metaphor of Indonesia's Motto "Unity in Diversity"


Nasi goreng or fried rice is one of Indonesia's official national dishes (along with gado gado, soto, rendang and satay). In Indonesia, nasi goreng is everywhere from pushcart stalls to 5-star hotels and often cooked at home. Nasi goreng is pervasive in Malay communities in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei while the Chinese and Indians also have their own versions. (Other forms of fried rice are found throughout the world.)


The earliest known record of fried rice was in a book of 52 dishes by the head chef of emperor Yang Guang of Sui dynasty (581 - 618) in China. It was a dish to rescue leftover cooked rice and meat / vegetables by stir frying them with oil and condiments like soy sauce. It was the medieval Chinese way of preserving food, long before the invention of refrigeration.

So, right from the start, fried rice doesn't have a fixed recipe - it was more a technique of preserving whatever cooked leftovers by stir frying in oil and condiments in an open wok. It was not clear exactly where in China the technique was invented but since the Sui dynasty, fried rice lasted through the centuries and spread throughout the Middle Kingdom.


Over time various versions of fried rice emerged. One of the most famous is Yangzhou fried rice created by Yi Bingshou (1654 - 1718) who was a magistrate in the city of Yangzhou during the Qing dynasty (1644 - 1912).

In its most basic form, Yangzhou fried rice is egg floss and cooked rice stir fried with oil (and / or lard). Egg floss is made by frying beaten eggs in sizzling oil. Additional ingredients can be added e.g. diced ham, scallop, shrimp, chicken, long beans, carrot, etc. Many Chinese restaurants around the world today have a version of Yangzhou fried rice on their menu.


Long before the invention of fried rice in China, Chinese traders had been plying the trade routes between China and Indonesia, drawn by the archipelago's lakawood (to make incense), hornbill casque (to make hornbill ivory carvings), and spices, etc. Trade reached its height in the 1400s during the Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644).

In the days of sail, a round trip between China and Indonesia took months as they had to wait for the wind to change. While waiting for the wind to change, traders settled at the Indonesian ports and mingled with locals. The technique of cooking fried rice likely transferred to Indonesians under these conditions but there is no record of when or where this happened in Indonesia. 


Chinese fried rice is stir fried with oil and soy sauce while the Indonesian version is stir fried with kicap manis (which is soy sauce sweetened with palm sugar).


Other condiments usually seen in Indonesian nasi goreng include b
awang goreng (topping of crispy fried shallot), kerupuk (fried fish or prawn crackers at the side), acar (vegetables pickled in vinegar), telur (egg, usually sunny side up or crepe) and sambal (pounded / grounded chilli sauce / paste).

A good plate of nasi goreng have rice grains that are slightly nutty, light, fluffy and separate easily. The fried rice grains taste subtly sweet and have a savoury-sweet overlay from kicap manis. There is also a slight toasty smokey taste known in Chinese as wok hei from caramelisation of sugars in the kicap manis and rice grains. There's also infusion of flavours and aromas released from shallot and garlic stir fried in oil.


Indonesian academic Fadly Rahman from Padjajaran University (Bandung) theorised that nasi goreng was inspired by the Middle Eastern rice dish,
pilaf. Pilaf is prepared by boiling uncooked rice in spice seasoned broth with ingredients like lamb and beef in a sealed container (instead of stir frying cooked rice in an open wok).


One variant of Indonesian fried rice known as nasi goreng kambing uses mutton or goat meat, spices and minyak samin (ghee) similar to Middle Eastern pilaf but is made by stir frying cooked rice in an open wok.


And that's the thing about fried rice - it was invented as a technique to rescue leftover cooked food, hence there is no fixed recipe - whatever leftovers goes. Therefore, the dish is supremely adaptable and is able to absorb all kinds of influences and flavours.


The only defining characteristics of nasi goreng are leftover cooked rice, stir frying and an open wok. On top of that, anything goes - so, there are at least sixty varieties of nasi goreng in Indonesia.


There's nasi goreng Sunda which uses more turmeric, nasi goreng Bali which uses herbs and spices but no
kicap manis (sweet soy sauce), nasi goreng Makassar which uses tomato ketchup, nasi goreng teri Medan which features anchovies, etc.

Coat of Arms of Indonesia Garuda Pancasila.svg


Nasi goreng is like a metaphor of Indonesia's motto of "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika or Unity in Diversity". There may be many versions of fried rice in Indonesia - black (squid ink), dark brown (kicap manis), yellow (turmeric), red (with ketchup), etc., but they are all nasi goreng Indonesia.
     
       
                     
             
             
               
               
             
           
           
           
                                                                                                                                                                         
           
             
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            A post shared by Tony Boey Johor Kaki (@johorkaki)          

       
     
         
 
Written by Tony Boey on 9 Aug 2021

Image of pilaf courtesy of Wikipedia. Image of nasi goreng kambing courtesy of Wikipedia. Image of Sui dynasty emperor Yang Guang courtesy of Wikipedia. Image of Chinese junk model courtesy of Wikipedia. Image of nasi goreng solo courtesy of Wikipedia. Image of nasi goreng kampung courtesy of flickr. Crest of Indonesia courtesy of Wikipedia. Nasi goreng Makassar courtesy of Wikipedia. Image of nasi goreng laut courtesy of Wikipedia.


Cooking pilaf in Afghanistan


Cooking nasi goreng in Bandung, Indonesia

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