Nasi Lemak (Q♣)

Nasi lemak is a dish that comprises rice made fragrant with coconut cream and pandan leaves. A light meal that is believed to be Malay in origin, it is traditionally accompanied by fried anchovies, sliced cucumbers, fried fish known as ikan selar, and a sweet chili sauce. Modern-day variations on the dish now offer an extensive array of other side dishes.

Nasi lemak is Malay for “rice in cream”, a reference to the rice being cooked in coconut milk, or “richly flavoured rice”. The rice is lightly salted and made fragrant with a knot of pandan leaves added while the rice is still cooking. It is the ordinary man’s breakfast, traditionally served with fried fish known in Malay as ikan selar kuning, ikan bilis (anchovies), kangkong (water spinach) and a dollop of sambal (a type of chilli paste). The fish is fried so crisp that it can be eaten whole. Nowadays, the anchovies are fried with salted peanuts, the dish topped with thin slices of cucumber and a fried or boiled egg. The rice and all its condiments and side dishes are kept warm in a banana leaf folded into a conical pocket.

The sambal is the dish’s signature condiment. Malays prefer their rice with sambal ikan bilis (chilli paste made of local anchovies), while Peranakans prefer sambal belacan (shrimp-paste chilli). The sambal is a combination of dried chillis, shallots, garlic and belacan (shrimp paste), sometimes with sliced lemongrass added. Sugar and tamarind give the chilli sauce a sweet and tangy taste.

The rice is traditionally steamed, because if it is cooked over a hot fire, the coconut milk can easily burn. Modern cooks use a rice cooker and replace water with the coconut milk instead. Some secrets to making good nasi lemak include cooking the rice halfway the night before, then adding the coconut milk and pandan leaves the following morning before completing the cooking process.

The dish remains one of the cheapest meals offered in local food courts and hawker centres. While many stalls sell the dish as a set meal with the basic accompaniments, others offer a wide variety of side dishes that can be added on.

椰浆饭

椰浆饭，佐料是鱼糕、小凤尾鱼、鸡蛋与鸡肉。椰浆饭（Nasi Lemak）是在汶莱、马来西亚与新加坡很常见到的一道美食。事实上，它是马来西亚的非正式国肴。在登嘉楼与吉兰丹东海岸，「搭冈饭」非常普通。在印度尼西亚也有类似这样的美食，称作「乌督饭」。

在马来文化根基裡，椰浆饭的马来文拼音是Nasi Lemak，Nasi 是饭，Lemak 是脂肪，指的是椰浆。这个饭的名称来自它的烹饪过程，那就是把饭浸泡在浓椰浆裡后再把饭与椰浆的混合物拿去蒸。有时候，会在蒸煮过程中把打了个结的班兰叶放入饭裡，以增加它的香味。必要时，也可加入其他的香料如黄薑与香茅，以增加香味。

传统上，一盘椰浆饭裡要有黄瓜切片、小凤尾鱼、已烤了的花生、已搅炸过的蕹菜、全熟蛋、印度式腌菜与热辣酱料（马来话称作Sambal，參峇醬）。椰浆饭也可以有别的佐料，如鸡肉、章魚或乌贼、鸟蚌、牛肉咖哩（把牛肉焖在椰浆与香料的混和物）或“巴鲁”（牛肺）。传统上，大多数的佐料是热辣性质的。

椰浆饭传统上是被用来当早餐吃的，而它也在清晨开始就在马来西亚的路边档口贩卖。它通常是被报纸、麻浆纸或香蕉叶包住卖的。无论如何，也有些餐厅把它盛在盘上当午餐或晚餐吃，让它有机会被认为是一大佳肴。