Masterful meals: Masterchef 2014 Champion Ping Coombes's nasi goreng with sambal belacan
Roast pheasant, chocolate roulade and this sublime soup... a new book features spectacular dishes from a decade of MasterChef champions
Ping Coombes's nasi goreng with sambal belacan is exciting new territory for those new to Indonesian cuisine
Nasi goreng literally means ‘fried rice’ in Indonesian.
Serves 4
For the chicken satay
- 2tbsp coconut milk
- 1tsp ground turmeric
- ½tsp ground cumin
- 1tsp salt
- 1tsp sugar
- 300g (10½oz) boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1tsp vegetable oil
For the sambal belacan paste
- 2 finger-length red chillies, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves
- 3 round shallots, peeled
- ½tsp shrimp paste
- Vegetable oil
For the fried rice
- 150g (5½oz) raw king prawns, peeled and deveined
- 60g (2oz) green beans, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 400g (14oz) cooked white rice
- 2tbsp soy sauce, plus extra to serve
- 1tsp tamarind concentrate
- ½tsp sugar
- Salt and black pepper
- 4 eggs
- Prawn crackers, to serve
- Coriander leaves, to garnish
Submerge 10-15 bamboo skewers in water and leave to soak overnight. Mix the satay marinade ingredients in a bowl.
Add the chicken pieces, cover with clingfilm, and leave in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Remove the chicken from the fridge 20 minutes before cooking and divide between the skewers.
Preheat the oven to 150°C/fan 130°/gas 2. Brush the chicken with oil and fry in a pan for 3-4 minutes each side, until cooked. Keep warm in the oven.
Blend the sambal belacan ingredients in a food processor with 1tbsp vegetable oil until smooth. Heat 2tbsp vegetable oil in a pan and fry the paste for 5 minutes, until fragrant and the oil separates from the mixture.
Add more oil if the paste is sticking. Add the prawns and green beans. Mix well with the sambal belacan.
When the prawns turn pink, add the rice, soy sauce, tamarind, and sugar. Fry for 5 minutes, then season.
While the rice mixture is cooking, heat 1tbsp of oil in a large nonstick frying pan over a medium heat, and fry the eggs. Serve the rice with prawn crackers and chicken skewers, topped with a fried egg and chopped coriander.
Extracted from MasterChef: The Classics With a Twist, published by DK on 4 October, £25. Recipe and images © Shine TV Limited, 2018. Offer price £20 until 20/10/18. Order at mailshop.co.uk/books or call 0844 571 0640, p&p free on orders over £15.