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Nasi Kandar

Malaysia

Nasi kandar originated with Indian Muslim traders in Penang, who once carried curries on shoulder poles ('kandar') to sell around the city.

A Penang street food institution — steamed rice served with a mix-and-match array of curries and side dishes, ladled generously with rich, spiced gravies.

Authentic Malaysia Nasi Kandar recipe
Prep
30 mins
Cook
1 hr
Difficulty
Medium
Calories
435 kcal
Serves
6
Calories are an estimate based on ingredients used

Ingredients

500grice, steamed
500gchicken curry
300gokra fried curry
200gsquid sambal
200mlmixed curry gravies

Method

1

Prepare a selection of curries and side dishes separately — chicken curry, vegetable curry and sambal are traditional choices.

2

Steam rice until fluffy.

3

Serve rice on a plate with a selection of the prepared curries arranged alongside.

4

Ladle a mixture of the different curry gravies generously over the rice just before serving.

Chef's Tip

The magic of nasi kandar lies in mixing multiple curry gravies together over the rice — don't stick to just one.

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Some recipe photos courtesy of Openverse and Wikimedia Commons contributors, used under Creative Commons licenses.
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