Ingredients:

  • 2 cups Long-grain Basmati or Jasmine Rice
  • 1 ½ cups Thin Coconut Milk (full fat)
  • 1 cup Water
  • 1 inch piece Fresh Ginger (sliced or bruised)
  • 2 leaves Pandan Leaves (tied in a knot)
  • 1 teaspoon Salt (for rice)
  • 15–20 Dried Red Chillies (medium heat, deseeded and soaked)
  • 4 large Shallots
  • 4 cloves Garlic
  • 2 tablespoons Dried Anchovies (Ikan Bilis, for paste)
  • ½ teaspoon Belacan (Shrimp Paste, toasted)
  • ½ cup Cooking Oil (vegetable or groundnut, for sambal)
  • 2 tablespoons Tamarind Paste (mixed with 4 tbsp water)
  • 3 tablespoons Palm Sugar (Gula Melaka, or light brown sugar)
  • Salt (To taste for sambal)
  • 4 large Hard-Boiled Eggs
  • ½ cup Unsalted Peanuts (raw, skin on)
  • ½ cup Dried Anchovies (Ikan Bilis, for topping)
  • ½ medium Cucumber (sliced thickly)
  • Cooking Oil (As needed for frying)

Instructions:

  1. Rinse the rice thoroughly until the water runs clear. Drain well. In a rice cooker or heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the rinsed rice, coconut milk, water, salt, sliced ginger, and the knotted pandan leaves.
  2. Cook the rice: If using a saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce heat to the lowest setting, cover tightly, and simmer for 15 minutes. Let it steam off-heat for 10 minutes before serving.
  3. Prepare Sambal Paste: Soak dried chillies in hot water for 30 minutes and drain. Lightly toast the belacan in a dry frying pan for 30 seconds. Blend the soaked chillies, shallots, garlic, toasted belacan, and 2 tablespoons of soaked anchovies into a smooth, fine paste, adding water if necessary.
  4. Cook the Sambal: Heat the ½ cup of oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the blended paste and sauté for 10–15 minutes, stirring constantly until the oil separates and turns a vibrant red/orange colour (pecah minyak).
  5. Season the Sambal: Stir in the tamarind mixture, palm sugar, and salt. Bring to a low simmer and continue to simmer gently for 30–45 minutes until the sauce has thickened significantly and the flavour is intensely concentrated.
  6. Prepare Accompaniments: Hard boil the eggs, peel, and halve. Fry the raw peanuts in hot oil until deeply golden brown and crunchy (2–3 minutes). Remove and drain.
  7. Fry Anchovies: Increase the heat slightly and fry the rinsed and dried ikan bilis until crisp and golden (3–5 minutes). Remove and drain on paper towels.
  8. Assembly: Remove the pandan and ginger from the cooked rice and gently fluff. Place a mound of rice on a plate and arrange a large spoonful of sambal, hard-boiled egg halves, crispy peanuts, fried ikan bilis, and fresh cucumber slices alongside. Serve immediately.