Nasi Goreng - Indonesian Fried Rice Recipe (2024)

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by Mike Hultquist · May 13, 2022 · 31 Comments · Jump to Recipe

This Nasi Goreng recipe is a traditional Indonesian fried rice that is sweet and salty, perfectly savory, an excellent side dish. Combine it with your favorite meat, seafood or a fried egg to serve as a full meal. It's so easy to make!

Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice Recipe)

If you've never tried Nasi Goreng, my spicy food loving friends, I believe this may become your new favorite fried rice recipe. Nasi Goreng is a signature dish of Indonesian widely eaten by locals and tourists alike.

Just about every country has their own version of fried rice made with local ingredients and preferred flavors. What sets Nasi Goreng apart from other fried rice recipes is the combination of umami, salty and sweet, achieved by incorporating Kecap Manis, a sweet soy sauce, and shrimp paste, though some recipes leave it out.

Don't worry if you can't find kecap manis. I have a workaround for you in the Recipe Tips & Notes section below.

Nasi Goreng is also a touch spicy if want it that way, by incorporating spicy bird's eye peppers, which are completely optional. I, of course, enjoy a slightly spicy version, though it's offset by the sweetness. It is easy to adjust to your own heat level preferences.

This famous Indonesian fried rice recipe is a perfect side dish or small meal, though you'll often find Nasi Goreng served with a fried egg to make it more of a meal. It's also popularly combined with chicken or seafood and served as a main dish.

It's definitely one of my new favorite recipes. I believe you will love it, too.

Let's talk about how to make Nasi Goreng, shall we?

Nasi Goreng - Indonesian Fried Rice Recipe (2)

Nasi Goreng Ingredients

Vegetable Oil. For cooking.
Chili Peppers. Birds eye peppers or Thai peppers are more commonly used, but you can use any spicy red chili peppers to your preference. Omit for a milder version.
Vegetables. Shallot, garlic, green onion or spring onion.
Eggs. These will be scrambled into the fried rice.
Cooked Rice. You can use rice you've just cooked, but day old rice will fry up better, as it is dried out a bit more.
Soy Sauce. Adds delicious flavor and saltiness.
Sweet Soy Sauce. Kecap manis is a sweet soy sauce found in many Indonesian recipes. See the recipe tips and notes section for substitutions.
Shrimp Paste. Adds a wonderful umami flavor to the dish.
Salt. To taste, if desired. Soy sauce is pretty salty, so you may not need it.
For Garnish. Sliced cucumber, sliced or diced tomato, spicy red pepper flakes (if desired)

How to Make Nasi Goreng - the Recipe Method

Cook the Peppers and Vegetables. Heat the oil in a large pan or wok over high heat. Add the peppers and shallot. Cook for 2-3 minutes to brown slightly.Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds, stirring.

Cook the Eggs. Add the eggs and scramble them up. Cook them for 30 seconds to 1 minute, stirring, until the eggs cook mostly through.

Add the Rice and Other Ingredients. Lower the heat to medium-high heat and add the cooked rice, green onion, soy sauce, kecap manis and shrimp paste. Season with salt to taste.

Nasi Goreng - Indonesian Fried Rice Recipe (3)

Stir fry the rice until the rice starts to caramelize, 2-3 minutes, scraping up the bottom of the pan as you go to avoid burning.

Nasi Goreng - Indonesian Fried Rice Recipe (4)

Garnish. Garnish with cucumber and tomato and serve!

Boom! Done! Nasi goreng is ready to serve! One of my favorite fried rice dishes. Indonesian fried rice is going to be your new favorite fried rice, I think. Looks great, doesn't it? Very tasty. Are you serving your with or without the fried egg?

The Heat Factor

I'm using birds eye chilies for the spice factor here, though Thai peppers are great. Any spicy pepper will work for this recipe. Try it with a spicy chili paste, like sambal oelek,harissa, gochujang, or others. Learn to make your ownhomemade chili paste from fresh peppers, or, just use sriracha.

Recipe Tips & Notes

Use day old rice or leftover rice for best results, which has less moisture, better for frying. If using freshly cooked rice, try drying it in the refrigerator awhile before cooking.

If you can find Kecap Manis, use a mix 2 tablespoons soy sauce with 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar or palm sugar over low heat, stirring, until it becomes syrupy. Use as needed.

Shrimp paste adds a wonderful umami element to this dish. For alternatives, try belecan, miso, fermented soy paste, or fish sauce.

Other potential ingredients to try include turmeric and coriander, chili flakes, lime juice, or tamarind. Fried shallots or onions are a nice crunchy topper. I've seen some versions of nasi goreng with green beans.

Serving Nasi Goreng

You'll often find Nasi goreng served for breakfast with a fried egg on top, which makes it more of a meal. Consider adding in chopped chicken or pork, shrimp, fish or your own favorite proteins if you'd like to serve it as a dinner.

Indonesian fried rice is also great as a side and served with dishes like Udang Balado (Indonesian Spicy Shrimp) or Beef Rendang.

Storing Nasi Goreng

Fried rice is best stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 1 week. You can simply reheat it and serve it up. It is best not to freeze, as freezing softens up the texture too much, which I don't find very pleasant to eat.

Cookbook Recommendations

If you'd like to learn more about Indonesian cooking, I recommend 2 books that I have found very helpful and informative. These are affiliate links to Amazon, my friends. Enjoy!

Indonesian Cooking: Satays, Sambals and More: Homestyle Recipes with the True Taste of Indonesia, by Dina Yuen (affiliate link, my friends!)
The Food of Indonesia: Delicious Recipes from Bali, Java and the Spice Islands, by Heinz von Holzen & Lother Arsana (affiliate link, my friends!)

That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy your Nasi Goreng. It's hard to go wrong with a good bowl of satisfying fried rice. Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you. Keep it spicy!

Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes

Kimchi Fried Rice
Spicy Chicken Fried Rice
Shrimp Fried Rice
Thai Fried Rice
Jollof Rice
Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao)
Szechuan Chicken
Cashew Chicken
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
Hoisin Sauce

Try Some of These Other Indonesian Recipes

Rujak (Indonesian Fruit Salad)
Sambal Matah (Indonedian Raw Sambal)
Sambal Terasi (Indonesian Chili Sauce with Shrimp Paste)
Mie Goreng (Indonesian Stir Fry Noodles)

Nasi Goreng - Indonesian Fried Rice Recipe (5)

Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.

Nasi Goreng Recipe (Indonesian Fried Rice)

This Indonesian fried recipe recipe (Nasi Goreng) is a favorite with stir fried rice tossed with kecap manis, a sweet soy sauce, birds eye chilies and more.

Save Recipe

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1-2 spicy red chili peppers use your favorites – birds eye peppers are nice an spicy here, or use cayenne
1 large shallot minced
6 cloves garlic minced
2 large eggs I like to use extra
3 cups cooked rice
1 green onion sliced
2 tablespoons soy sauce or more to taste
2 tablespoons kecap manis sweet soy sauce
1 teaspoon shrimp paste
Seat salt to taste
For Garnish: Sliced cucumber sliced or diced tomato

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large pan or wok over high heat. Add the peppers and shallot. Cook for 2-3 minutes to brown slightly.
Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds, stirring.
Add the eggs and scramble them up. Cook them for 30 seconds to 1 minute, stirring, until the eggs cook mostly through.
Lower the heat to medium-high heat and add the cooked rice, green onion, soy sauce, kecap manis and shrimp paste. Season with salt to taste. Stir fry the rice until the rice starts to caramelize, 2-3 minutes, scraping up the bottom of the pan as you go to avoid burning.
Garnish with cucumber and tomato and serve!

Video

Notes

The Rice. Day old rice is ideal for making stir fried rice. It has less moisture, which can cause the dish to steam rather than stir fry. Try drying out cooked rice in the refrigerator awhile before cooking.

Kecap Manis. Kecap Manis is a sweet soy sauce common in Indonesian cuisine. It should be readily available at most grocery stores in the Asian or International section. If you can't find it, mix 2 tablespoons soy sauce with 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar or palm sugar over low heat, stirring, until it becomes syrupy. Use as needed.

Shrimp Paste. Shrimp paste adds a wonderful umami element to this dish. Belecan is a good alternative, though needs light frying before use. Miso or fermented soy paste are good alternatives.

The Heat Factor. I'm using birds eye chilies for the spice factor here, though Thai peppers are great. Any spicy pepper will work for this recipe. Try it with a spicy chili paste, like sambal oelek,harissa, gochujang, or others. Learn to make your ownhomemade chili paste from fresh peppers, or, just use sriracha.

Other Ingredients. You can use other seasonings for this recipe to your preference. Turmeric and coriander are popular. I enjoy spicy chili flakes with mine. A splash of lime juice is a nice addition.

Add Proteins. You'll often find a fried egg on top of your nasi goreng, which makes it more of a meal. Consider adding in chopped chicken or pork, shrimp, fish or your own favorite proteins.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 202kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 6gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 64mgSodium: 495mgPotassium: 87mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 99IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 25mgIron: 1mg

Did You Enjoy This Recipe?I love hearing how you like it and how you made it your own. Leave a comment below and tag @ChiliPepperMadness on social media.

NOTE: This recipe was updated on 5/13/22 to include new information and video. It was originally published on 12/9/20.

Reader Interactions

Comments

Andrea Bezuidenhout says
August 13, 2023 at 7:03 pm

Your recipe was really lovely and delicious thank you. The only thing I added was an inch of ginger as I found the best nasi goreng I've eaten does have a taste of ginger. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe, it was totally worth while trying!
Reply
- Mike H. says
  August 14, 2023 at 10:53 am
  
  I am glad to hear you've enjoyed it, Andrea!
  Reply
Tony says
September 07, 2022 at 3:47 pm

Be careful when buying Cominex Ketkap Manis. Look for 'Zoete' (translates as sweet) on the label. I bought some Ketjap a few years back here in Canada while in a rush that had 'Zoute' on the label, which translates to 'salt.' This is 'Ketjap Asin.' The bottles look similar, but have either 'Manis' or 'Asin' under 'Ketjap.' The one you want has a red banner at the bottom of the label with 'Zoete' on it.
I also add about 6oz (85gm) lightly maple smoked back bacon when I make it. It's not something to make for one, so my batches are five times this recipe. It freezes well as single portions and can be re-heated in the microwave.
Reply
- Mike Hultquist says
  September 08, 2022 at 6:00 am
  
  Thanks, Tony!
  Reply
Lulu says
August 17, 2022 at 3:02 pm

As an Indonesian, I approve this recipe. Ohh thank God you don’t use butter! I find it frustrating when people make Asian fried rice recipe with butter and claim it as the best recipe.
Seems you know what you’re doing and have a good understanding and knowledge about Indonesian food culture. I wonder if you ever made a trip to Indonesia.
See Also
Mince and Dumplings Recipe
All the main key ingredients you used in this recipe are correct. All the steps you did are correct, except adding the shrimp paste after adding rice. The shrimp paste should be added before you add rice, and make sure the shrimp paste is not raw. You can roast the shrimp paste a little bit before using it for your nasi goreng. The purpose of it is to enhance the big hit of umami flavor.
Oh, one more thing.. don’t lower the heat when you add Kecap manis and soy sauce! Instead, set the heat to high heat so that it will help the caramelization better. Also, make sure you stir up very fast constantly and scrape the bottom of the wok or pan to prevent the paste from burning.
A good nasi goreng is the one that is not sticky, not fluffy, and not too oily. The grains should be perfectly separated from each other. The texture should be a little dry (but not overly dry) and slightly crunchy (but not as crunchy as cracker lol), and it should have a good smoky smell from the caramelization (not a burning smell though :))
Overall, I think you nailed it! Good job
Reply
- Mike Hultquist says
  August 17, 2022 at 3:19 pm
  
  Thanks so much for your comments, Lulu. I always welcome helpful tips! Greatly appreciated!! I really LOVE this recipe and make it quite often. A favorite in our home.
  Reply
  - Lulu says
    August 20, 2022 at 8:43 am
    
    I’m glad you like Nasi Goreng. It’s one of staple dishes in Indonesia. I grew up with that and used to eat it almost daily. I tried some other kinds of fried rice like Chinese fried rice, Thai fried rice, and Japanese fried rice. But so far nothing can replace Nasi Goreng in my heart. Nothing can beat the tastiness of it. The kecap manis and terasi really make the difference. I find some other fried rice somewhat flavorless and bland while Nasi Goreng in my opinion is more flavorful, spicy, and colorful.
    Btw, I see that you made Sambal Terasi. You did another great work! Thumbs up
    Have you ever tried using Sambal Terasi to make Nasi Goreng?
    It’s very common that we use Sambal Terasi as base seasoning for Nasi Goreng. You should try it sometime if you’ve never done it.
    Reply
    - Mike Hultquist says
      August 22, 2022 at 8:43 am
      
      Thanks, Lulu. I will give that a go! I definitely LOVE exploring and learning about Indonesian cuisine.
      Reply
    - Andrea Bezuidenhout says
      August 13, 2023 at 7:07 pm
      
      I agree, nothing like nasi goreng! I do love fried rice from all over, but seriously, there just isn't anything that tastes as good as nasi goreng! <3
      Reply
      - Mike H. says
        August 14, 2023 at 10:53 am
        
        Oh yeah - enjoy!
        Reply
Freda says
August 06, 2022 at 1:06 am

I will have to leave out the shrimp paste, I can't eat it. Is their an alternative please?
Reply
- Mike Hultquist says
  August 06, 2022 at 8:11 am
  
  Freda, it's a good umami element, so other umami ingredients could work. Some ideas are fish sauce, anchovies, mushroom paste, or miso. I hope this helps.
  Reply
Peter in Tucson says
June 12, 2022 at 6:29 pm

Love this recipe! I substituted fish sauce for the shrimp paste, and also added a bunch of shrimp as well as a drained can of pineapple chunks (also some of the pineapple juice which seemed to help carmelize things) and it came out fantastic - friends and family ate it up and I've had to make it again already.
Also tried it with some or your Yum Yum sauce that I made this weekend, and that kicks things up to a whole other level. Thanks for all great recipes!
Reply
- Mike Hultquist says
  June 12, 2022 at 9:47 pm
  
  I love it! Sounds perfect, Peter. Thanks for sharing. Glad you enjoyed the Yum Yum sauce, too. =)
  Reply
Joseph S. says
May 15, 2022 at 4:34 pm

Nasi Goreng is one of my favorite dishes! I love the combination of rice, eggs, and vegetables. The spices really make it special. thank you for sharing this awesome recipe. I'll definitely be making it again soon!
Reply
- Mike Hultquist says
  May 16, 2022 at 5:59 am
  
  Thanks for sharing, Joseph! I appreciate it!
  Reply
Ann R says
May 14, 2022 at 9:58 pm

I made this recipe for supper this evening and it was so good! Whenever I make rice there’s extra, which I often put into a container and freeze. So I already had the cooked rice, and most of the other ingredients are staples in my kitchen. I used tamari sauce and added some maple syrup instead of sugar. I had some cooked chicken in the freezer so I used that rather than the fried egg. My cast iron pan ensured crispy rice on the bottom. Yum!
Reply
- Mike Hultquist says
  May 15, 2022 at 9:07 am
  
  Very nice! Glad you enjoyed it, Ann! I love to hear it. Thanks for sharing!
  Reply
Tony says
January 01, 2022 at 5:31 pm

Nice recipe ! Nasi Goreng is a staple food here in the Netherlands due to the, um, historical ties with Indonesia and large Indonesian communities here, and one will find every supermarket selling different kinds of "bumbus" (Indonesian spice mixes). The nasi is often consumed for breakfast as well. Obviously as many different recipes for nasi exist as there are families, but personally I would substitute the kecap (spelled "ketjap" in Holland) manis with kecap asin, which salty and savory. A good dab of sambal on the side of course, some atjar tjampoer (pickled vegetables). Sateh sauce (peanut sauce) is also a commonly added.
(We put even sateh sauce on french fries, which is surprisingly good). Fried egg sunny side up top is definitely common, but also hardboiled egg ('telor'). Sprinkle with serundeng, a powder mixture of peanut and coconut. Other favorite dishes from the Indonesian kitchen include Ikan Pepesan (spicy smoked mackerel), rendang (stewed beef), sajur lodeh (veggies in coconutty sauce), etc. For a real feast/treat/experience try the "rijsttafel" (rice table), a little bit of everything, normally 20 or more sidedishes.
Reply
- Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
  January 03, 2022 at 7:56 am
  
  Thanks for sharing, Tony!
  Reply
John F Power says
May 23, 2021 at 10:42 am

Greets Mike,
New subscriber here and happy to have found you! Just made my first recipe off your site, this Nasi Goreng -- and also made the Kecap for the first time. Will be making the NasiG on a regular basis, and the Kecap will be a staple in my fridge going forward. I subbed a homespun Chipotle paste mix for fresh Peppers, and it worked out fine (miss the texture though). Wonderful flavours uniquely applied, can't wait to try a whole lot of your recipes in the future!
Reply
- Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
  May 24, 2021 at 6:47 am
  
  Thanks so much, John. Glad you enjoyed it and that you found me!
  Reply
Rahma B says
May 14, 2021 at 5:19 am

Hi an Indonesian here. Just want to give you 5 stars
Reply
- Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
  May 14, 2021 at 5:24 am
  
  Thank you, Rahma. Greatly appreciated!
  Reply
Thomas says
January 14, 2021 at 12:03 pm

Great blog! Quick question- if I wanted to add protein to this fried rice, how do i go about that(at what stage etc)?
Thanks!
Reply
- Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
  January 14, 2021 at 12:13 pm
  
  Thanks, Thomas. I would cook the protein first in the wok/pan, then remove it and proceed with the recipe. When ready to serve, just stir the protein back into the rice and heat it through a minute or so. Let me know how that goes.
  Reply
Randy says
December 10, 2020 at 11:58 pm

I dont know if you misheard it or what, but in Indonesia its called Kecap Manis not kekap manis. I'm Indonesian btw
Reply
- Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
  December 11, 2020 at 7:30 am
  
  Randy, yes, you are correct. I've corrected my typo. Oops!
  Reply
Jérémie says
December 09, 2020 at 2:25 pm

The taste was really nice and the contrast with the raw cucumber, really great. For the chili peppers: I use scotch bonnet.
The rice did never caramelize... this is how I ruined the dish! 🙁
Reply
- Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
  December 09, 2020 at 3:37 pm
  
  Sorry to hear about that, Jérémie. Next time I hope!
  Reply
- Dennis says
  November 04, 2023 at 8:31 pm
  
  Great Nasi recipe! Best I ever made! A little too spicy but that's obvious getting the recipe from a website called Chili Pepper Madness... Made it with Sate Ayam
  Reply