Kebon Kacang Tradition · Coconut Milk Rice
Nasi Uduk
Photo: Gunawan Kartapranata / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Nasi uduk is the Betawi cousin of Malaysia's nasi lemak — both are rice cooked in coconut milk, but nasi uduk is usually more herbal, with lemongrass and salam leaves in the pot.
Rice is steamed in coconut milk with lemongrass, bay leaf, and kaffir lime leaf until fragrant and faintly savory, then served wrapped in a cone of banana leaf with fried shallots, tempeh, fried chicken or egg, and a spoon of sambal. Jakarta's Kebon Kacang neighborhood has sold it from streetside stalls for generations, often piled high before dawn for the morning rush.
Why it's made this way: Nasi uduk grew up as filling everyday food for Betawi farmers and laborers, and Kebon Kacang in Tanah Abang remains the neighborhood most closely identified with it, lined with long-running vendor stalls.
More from Indonesia
Es Cendol
Sate (Skewered Grilled Meat)
Gado-Gado (Vegetable Salad with Peanut Sauce)
Bakso
Martabak
Sate Padang
Part of World of Street Food — 3443 dishes from 118 countries.
Something wrong here? Tell us in the comments below.
Photo credits.