Presenting Zoitsa Homely Produces version of Nasi Goreng Spice Blend.
I love Nasi Goreng. I could live on the stuff. I could eat it every day if I could. It’s delicious and one of my all-time favourite foods. The flavours! The textures! Amazing.
So, I decided to play around in my spice cupboard a while back and started to mix herbs and spices and research the dish – Nasi Goreng, and I came up with this concept. I really like it and I hope you do too.
History lesson time…. Nasi Goreng is Indonesia’s all-time favourite dish. It is eaten in Indonesia for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And who can blame them??? It’s a cultural staple in Indonesia.
It is said that the original recipe was bought to Indonesia by Chinese migrants and over time it was adapted to the local taste. The term Nasi Goreng means fried rice in Indonesian and Malay languages. There is no single defined recipe for Nasi Goreng and its composition and preparation varies greatly from household to household and region to region.
Nasi Goreng can be traced back to Southern China where their version of it was likely developed as a way to avoid wasting rice. (I love that! No waste!)
The Indonesian Government officially recognised Nasi Goreng as one of its 5 national dishes. Can you blame them? It’s an amazing dish. I read about an Indonesian Culinary expert who stated that there ae 104 variations of Nasi Goreng throughout Indonesia! 104 variations!!! My idea of food heaven!!!
Traditionally, Nasi Goreng is usually cooked with meat, vegetables, rice and a fried egg on top. Nasi Goreng can be made with chicken, goat, mutton, beef, pork, egg, shrimp paste, prawns.
I’ve eaten it in Bali, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong and hands down Bali’s version was the best. I’m salivating just thinking about it!!!
Our version has coriander, turmeric, cumin, salt, garlic powder, Laos powder(galangal), ginger, chilli, lemongrass and cinnamon and it is amazing! We add NO Kecap Manis or Terasi (shrimp paste) and no fish sauce as I feel that they are condiments and sauces/paste that you can add whilst you’re cooking and tweak to your taste.
Our version has a distinct smoky aroma and a caramelised yet savoury undertones of flavours. As always, we try to accommodate everyone’s tastes and lifestyles, so our version is vegan, vegetarian, paleo, keto friendly and gluten free. No salts. No sugars. No preservatives. No nasties. No chemicals. Just a collection of herbs and spices.
Best way to use it would be to heat up your mince (even vegan mince) in a large pan or wok, add 1 teaspoon of our spice blend and allow to cook. Taste test, if you need more gradually add a teaspoon at a time and keep taste testing until it’s to your satisfaction. Then add the remaining ingredients and (vegetables, sauces etc) then add your pre-prepared rice and fried egg and you’re good to go.
I love this blend and I loved making it. I hope you enjoy it too.
Selamat Makan/Bon Appetit
