NASI GORENG ANAR
Recipe by Jahan Rezakhanlou
This recipe is a tribute to my Indonesian–Iranian sharehouse, with my Iranian take on the ‘Indonesian national dish’, Nasi Goreng (fried rice)—mixing classic ingredients typical to both countries’ palates. As the pomegranate molasses is the star of the show, playing the same role as kecap manis (one of the most important ingredients in Indonesian cooking) due to its strong sweet taste, its dark colouring and syrupy texture, I’ve dubbed this ‘Nasi Goreng Anar’—Anar being the Farsi word for pomegranate.
Ingredients
Serves 4–6
Chicken marinade
1 onion
3 garlic cloves
1 cup roughly chopped parsley
2 tablespoons lemon/lime juice
Pomegranate molasses (to your taste)
300 grams chicken thigh (or breast)
Paste
2 shallots
6 garlic cloves
2–8 birdseye chillies
3 tablespoons pul biber (Aleppo pepper)
Nasi Goreng
4 cups (800 grams) saffron-cooked jasmine rice (turmeric or saffron colouring is fine)
1 spring onion
4 tablespoons neutral cooking oil (such as vegetable or sunflower oil)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons kecap manis
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
Fried eggs (number to preference)
Method
Use a food processor to blend the marinade ingredients (except the chicken) and marinate the chicken for 4+ hours.
Make the paste by combining all the ingredients, using either a food processor or mortar and pestle.
Heat oil in the wok (or large saucepan) on medium–high heat and stir-fry the chilli until fragrant.
Add the chicken and spring onions.
When chicken is almost fully cooked, add the rice and lower to medium heat.
Add kecap manis, pomegranate molasses and tomato paste to the wok. Toss continuously.
To serve, fill individual bowls with the rice and flip it onto a plate to get that nasi goreng shape.
Fry the eggs (sunny side up) to accompany the rice. Typically the egg is placed on the top of the rice but this is not obligatory.
Garnish to preference. Garnishes are usually placed next to the main dish in a decorative way.
Garnishes: Sliced cucumber, fresh tomato wedges, caramelised barberries, pomegranate seeds, fried shallots, roasted walnuts, sambal, kerupuk udang (prawn crackers), turmeric fried potato slices, lime wedges.
