Ghee Rice: Nasi Minyak Made Easy

Nasi minyak – a delicious flavoursome rice

Nasi minyak, or rice cooked with ghee, is a flavoursome rice popular during weddings and special occasions. Cooked with spices and a healthy dose of clarified butter, more commonly known as ghee, nasi minyak is surprisingly easy to make, which makes us wonder why it doesn’t make a more regular appearance during meal times. The ingredients are also simple and easily found in most mainstream supermarkets, making this a must-cook when you live abroad and are missing a taste of home.

So next time you’re preparing a meal, whether for yourself or as a feast for family and friends, try swapping plain rice with some nasi minyak instead. The taste and scent of this delicious rice will add a little something special to your meal. Pair it with spiced fried chicken, dalca and mint sambal for an amazing combination.

Take a look at our video below to see how easy it is, then read on for the full recipe and instructions.

Ingredients

Rice:

• 3 cups basmati rice
• 1 tbsp coarse salt

Aromatics:

• 5 shallots, sliced thin
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly bashed with a pestle & chopped fine
• 2 cm ginger, roughly bashed with a pestle & chopped small

To fry:

• 5 tbsp ghee
• 3 pandanus leaves, knotted
• 2 4cm sticks cinammon
• 3 star anise
• 1 tsp cardamom
• 1 tsp cloves

To cook:

• 3 tbsp yoghurt
• 3 stalks chinese parsley, roughly cut
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup water
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp ghee

Garnishing:

• 1 tbsp fried shallots

Method

1. Rinse and drain rice until the water runs clear. This may take several washes.

2. Soak washed rice in salt water for 1 hour. Drain and reserve.
3. Prepare and mix aromatic ingredients together.
4. On high heat, heat and melt ghee in a large wok.

5. Once the ghee is ready for frying, about 190°C, add knotted pandan, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and star anise. Add aromatic mixture. Fry until the tips begin to caramelize.

6. Add reserved drained rice and stir to coat thoroughly. Continue to stir and coat until the rice slightly browns and smells nutty. This should take about 5 minutes.

7. Transfer rice and all ingredients from the wok into a rice cooker.

8. Add yoghurt and stir through.

9. Next, add Chinese parsley followed by evaporated milk, chicken stock and water. Add salt, sugar and ghee and stir to mix.

10. Cook as normal in a rice cooker.
11. Once cooked, transfer rice to a serving dish, removing all large pieces including pandanus leaves and cinnamon sticks.
12. Garnish with fried shallots.

Extra tips

1. The better the quality of your basmati rice, the better your nasi minyak will be.
2. Also try removing the star anise, cloves and cardamom from the cooked rice before serving. They add a lot of flavour and fragrance, but are incredibly bitter when bitten. They’re small, so fish out as many as you can find and warn your guests about potential ‘booby traps’.
3. Use the same cup size for your rice and liquid ingredients. We recommend using measuring cup sizes instead of the cup that normally comes with the rice cooker as measurements may differ.

It only takes a few simple steps to get delicious nasi minyak on your table. Give it a try for your next meal and let us know how it turned out by tagging your pictures with #butterkicap. Enjoy!