History of Nasi Lemak & Nasi Uduk ● What is the Difference?

Is this nasi lemak or nasi uduk?

Malaysia's nasi lemak and Indonesia's nasi uduk are often considered the same dish. Nasi lemak is ubiquitous in Malaysia and Singapore, while nasi uduk is a staple in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Nasi lemak means "fatty rice" in Malay and nasi uduk means "mixed rice" in the Indonesian Batawi dialect. How are nasi lemak and nasi uduk related, and what does that relationship tell us about the history of Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore?

By the way, the photo above is a nasi uduk box set from Jakarta. Clockwise from top left - shredded fried chicken, coconut milk rice, shredded fried tempe, shredded fried egg, cucumber slices.

Nasi Uduk

Batavia 1920

Nasi uduk is often referred to nasi uduk Betawi as the dish is associated with the Betawi people or natives of Batavia. In 1619, the Dutch East India Company captured the city of Jayakarta and renamed it Batavia. Batavia remained under Dutch control until 1949. On independence, the name Batavia was reverted back to Jakarta.

During colonial rule, the Dutch brought in traders, servants and labourers from across Indonesia and from overseas which included Malays, Arabs, Indians and Chinese. The different ethnicities lived in their respective enclaves like the Malays in Kampung Malayu, Balinese in Kampung Bali, etc.

In the 1930 census, the Dutch categorised all Batavia residents under a single ethnic group known as Betawi which is a mixed ethnicity group with their own Betawi dialect with many loan words including Javanese, Malay, Hokkien, etc. The Betawi people have their own culture and cuisine, one of which is nasi uduk (mixed rice).

The coconut milk rice of nasi uduk is a complex blend of flavours and fragrances.

To make nasi uduk, blended garlic and shallot, lemongrass, and daun salam (Indonesian bay leaf) are sautéed till aromas are released. Coconut milk, kaffir lime leaf and pandan leaf as well as spices like cloves, cardamon, cinnamon and cassia bark 桂皮 are added. The concoction is boiled, then poured over rice in a pot. Left to boil till the rice is cooked. Alternatively, the rice is cooked by steaming.

The flavourful and aromatic rice is eaten with sambal kacang (spicy peanut sauce) which is a nutty, spicy hot, tangy relish made with peanut, red chili pepper, garlic and vinegar.

Nasi uduk is sometimes served wrapped in banana leaf. Nasi uduk is eaten with a variety of different side dishes which vary from place to place, stall to stall. Common sides are fried chicken, fried catfish (my favourite), tofu, tempe, etc.

Nasi uduk means mixed rice in Betawi dialect and could refer to the mix of spices in the rice, mix of side dishes or it could reflect the mixed ethnicities that make up the elements in the signature dish of Batavia.

Nasi Lemak

Nasi lemak

Compared to nasi uduk, nasi lemak uses no spice in cooking the rice, the heart of the dish - in its most basic form, it is just rice boiled or steamed with coconut milk, pandan leaf and salt. 

The other defining element in nasi lemak is sambal (chili relish) - without sambal, it is not nasi lemak. However, unlike nasi uduk, peanut is never used in the sambal for nasi lemak.

Like nasi uduk, nasi lemak side dishes can be simply a fried fish like ikan kuning or ikan selar, fried chicken or a whole elaborate buffet from sambal squid, sambal prawns, to various curries, etc. The versatile dish varies by ethnicities, place to place and even from stall to stall. For example, Chinese nasi lemak stalls can have curry pork, luncheon meat, fried pork, etc.

Did Nasi Lemak Come from Nasi Uduk?

There are three possible interpretations of the term uduk. It could mean "difficult" or "struggle" suggesting that nasi uduk is the staple of farmers and labourers.

Uduk could mean "mixed" referring to the spices and aromatics, and wide range of side dishes.

Sultan Agung

Uduk could be derived from the Arabic word "tawadhu" which means being humbled before God. According to Ustaz Salim A. Fillah's reading of Babad Tanah Jawi, The Chronicle of Java, Sultan Agung of Mataram created the dish and called it "wuduk".

Sultan Agung ruled the Mataram sultanate in Central Java from 1613 to 1645. At that time, Middle Eastern and Indian traders brought pilau and biryani (both spiced rice dishes) to Java and these became popular with locals. It was also one of Sultan Agung's favourite dishes. But, the basmati rice and some of the required spices had to be imported which made the dish expensive and inaccessible to the general public. To save on foreign exchange and to build pride in his kingdom, Sultan Agung created nasi wuduk which relied less on imported ingredients.

When Central Javanese moved to Batavia they brought nasi wuduk with them, which later became the nasi uduk we have today.

In the oft cited 1909 book Life and Customs: The Circumstances of Malay Life by British colonial officer Sir Richard Olof Winstedt, the rice is boiled with carraway seeds, cloves, mace, nutmeg, ginger, garlic, etc., and coconut milk.

Winstedt was describing life in Peninsula Malaya but did not refer to any specific location. He did not use the term "nasi lemak" but the description seem to fit "nasi uduk" better.

Since around the 1850s, Javanese were migrating in numbers to British Malaya to work as labourers, hawkers, petty traders, craftsmen, etc. This might explain the presence of the nasi uduk type dish in British Malaya as described by Winstedt.

Winstedt is often cited as evidence in articles propounding that nasi lemak originated in Malaya.

So, we need to explore further the possibility that nasi lemak might be derived from nasi uduk.

Did Nasi Uduk Come from Nasi Lemak?

There is another school of thought that nasi lemak originated from Malacca or along the western shoreline of Peninsula Malaya.

The urban legend of Mak Kuntum is often cited (though there is no documentary evidence of such a person). Mak Kuntum was a widow whose husband was killed by the Portuguese. So that puts her story in the 1500s as the Portuguese invaded in 1511.

To make a living, Mak Kuntum left home to work, leaving her daughter Seri at home alone. Seri would cook rice for Mak Kuntum and herself.

One day, Seri accidentally spilled coconut milk into the rice. The cooked rice turned out very fragrant. When Mak Kuntum came home, she asked Seri what was that fragrant dish?

Seri replied "Nasi, le Mak!". And, voila! Nasi lemak was born, so says the legend.

Historians such as Nadge Ariffin pointed out that the peninsula shoreline is rich with fish, coconut, rice and chili (first brought by the Portuguese). The abundance of ingredients for nasi lemak spawned the invention of the dish here. As nasi lemak is a balanced meal and rich in energy giving nutrients it is the staple of farmers (and fishermen, or just about everyone along the west coast).

Kampung Melayu, Batavia 1900

In 1511, the Malacca sultanate fell to the Portuguese. One theory has it that some Malays fled to Java and brought nasi lemak there. The Javanese added more spices to nasi lemak and it became nasi uduk. 

Alternatively in 1641, the Dutch drove the Portuguese out of Malacca. Now under Dutch rule, many Malaccans moved to Batavia bringing with them nasi lemak. Hence, according to these theories, nasi uduk is a derivative of nasi lemak thanks to Malays who migrated to Batavia / Java. The presence of Kampung Melayu in Batavia supports this hypothesis.

Turkish Pilau

A third possibility is the relationship between nasi lemak and nasi uduk is not between parent and child but siblings. Both types of coconut milk rice are derivatives of Middle Eastern pilau (like Sultan Agung's nasi wuduk). In nasi lemak, all the spices were left out. In nasi uduk, some of the spices remained.

(Pilau is a Middle Eastern rice dish where rice is cooked together with stock, spices, and sometimes with vegetables and meat together. Pilau spread around the globe and appears in various local adaptations including the familiar Spanish paella.)

Conclusion: It's Complicated

Pilau, Uzbekistan

The Middle Eastern pilau travelled east with traders to India, Indochina and Nusantara (Malay archipelago). The Middle Eastern rice dish was adapted into various local variations such as the Indian thengal paal sadam, Myanmese ohn htamin, Sri Lankan kiribath and in the Nusantara (today's Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore) it became nasi dagang, nasi gemuk, nasi lemak, nasi uduk, etc.

We have historical reference of the origin of nasi uduk based on the story of Sultan Agung of Mataram. There is no historical reference for nasi lemak. It might have been a direct descendant of pilau (like nasi uduk). Or, it could be a further derivative of other pilau derivatives like kiribath, nasi dagang, and of course nasi uduk.

Like so many dishes, the origin of nasi lemak is still undetermined. That provides talking points which add flavour to the dish for geek foodies. Meanwhile, we just eat lah! and enjoy ourselves. Think so much for what!

Written by Tony Boey on 21 Jan 2023

References:

Nasi uduk by Chinese hawker in Jakarta

Ustaz Salim A. Fillah on the origin of nasi uduk

Image of nasi uduk courtesy of Wikipedia, image of Batavia courtesy of Wikipedia, image of nasi lemak courtesy of Flickr, image of Sultan Agung courtesy of Garystockbridge, image of nasi lemak courtesy of Flickr, image of Kampung Melayu courtesy of Wikipedia, image of pilau courtesy of Flickr, image of A Formosa courtesy of Wikipedia, image of Turkish pilau courtesy of Wikipedia, image of nasi uduk courtesy of Wikipedia, Times Indonesia, Babad Tanah Jawi Chronical of Java, Life and Customs: The Circumstances of Malay Life.