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Nasi timbel
Rice with fried chicken and tofu
Nasi timbel: Sundanese banana-leaf rice with fried chicken, tofu, tempeh, salted fish and sambal
Nasi timbel is the packed lunch of West Java: rice pressed tight into a banana leaf, which keeps it warm and fragrant until noon, served with turmeric fried chicken, fried tofu and tempeh, crisp salted fish, raw vegetables (lalapan) and a fiery sambal terasi. Sundanese restaurants in Bandung and Jakarta serve it as a lunch platter. The usual mistake is frying the chicken straight from raw, which browns the outside long before the bone is cooked; simmer it in the spice paste first. Chef's tip: roll the rice in the leaf while it is very hot and wrap it tightly, then let it rest for 10 minutes so it sets firm.
- Total time
- 85 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 1 ¾ lb chicken thighs and drumsticksbone-in
- 4 shallots
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 2 cups water
For the sides
- 7 oz firm tofucut into blocks
- 7 oz tempehsliced
- 1 ¾ oz salted dried fishrinsed and patted dry
- 2 cups vegetable oilfor frying
- 1 ¾ lb cooked jasmine ricehot
- 4 banana leavessoftened over a flame
- 10 ½ oz cucumber, lettuce and white cabbagesliced, for lalapan
For the sambal terasi
- 1 tomato
- 1 tsp terasi (shrimp paste)toasted
- 1 tsp palm sugar
- 1 limejuiced
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Blend 4 garlic cloves, 4 shallots, 1 tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp ground coriander and 1 ½ tsp salt into a paste. Simmer 1 ¾ lb chicken thighs and drumsticks with the paste and 2 cups water, covered, for 25 minutes, turning once, until the liquid has nearly gone and the meat reaches 165°F at the bone.
25 minStep 2: Heat 2 cups vegetable oil to 350°F. Fry the chicken in batches for 4–5 minutes until deep golden and crisp. Fry 7 oz firm tofu and 7 oz tempeh for 4 minutes until golden, and 1 ¾ oz salted dried fish for 1 minute until crisp. Drain everything on paper.
15 minStep 3: For the sambal, fry 6 red chillies, 4 bird's eye chillies and 1 tomato in 1 tbsp of the oil for 3 minutes until soft, then pound with 1 tsp terasi (shrimp paste) and 1 tsp palm sugar and finish with 1 lime.
3 minStep 4: Lay one of the 4 banana leaves flat, spoon a quarter of 1 ¾ lb cooked jasmine rice in a log down the middle and roll tightly, folding the ends under. Repeat and rest for 10 minutes.
Step 5: Serve each timbel with chicken, tofu, tempeh, fried fish, 10 ½ oz cucumber, lettuce and white cabbage and sambal. For a packed lunch, cool everything quickly and keep chilled.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 820 kcal
- Protein
- 46 g
- Carbs
- 78 g
- Fat
- 36 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does nasi timbel take?
- About 85 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of shallots?
- Half an onion per 2 shallots.
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